Why did Israel attack the U.S. Liberty ship in 1967? Was it an accident or did they do it on purpose? I've heard others say Israel did it on purpose. What's the real story behind this incident?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty_incident
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Logically examining the facts of the attack in view of what was going on elsewhere, it appears to have been a deliberate "false flag" incident designed by Israeli military & intelligence elements to snare US opinion into unquestioningly backing Israel in the Six-Day War. The assault itself was supposed to have been blamed on the Egyptian military. News of an unprovoked & deadly "Egyptian assualt" on a US ship and the loss of all hands would (in theory) rally the US behind Israel and against Egypt and assorted Arab nations. The destruction of the USS Maine in Havana harbor in 1895, the Reichstag fire in the 1930s and the Gulf of Tonkein "attack" in the 60s are other examples of successful "false flag" operations.). Presumably the assault was supposed to be more inclusively deadly than it was, with no witnesses to testify that the attackers were Israeli.
While that may have been hoped for during the planning stage - there was no after-the-fact false-flag claims on this one. Israel was identified as the attacker - during the attack which lasted over an hour and involved both Israeli Jets and torpedo boats.
The 700 page report on the June 8, 1967 attack is all declassified now along with several other shorter ones. Download them and read for yourself.
The most interesting aspect to me (which one can't get from studying these documents in a vacuum) is that on June 10, 1967 Admiral John S. McCain Jr., Commander in Chief, US Naval Forces, Europe order a court of inquiry into the matter that had killed 34 Americans and wounded 172.
Six weeks into the investigation, his son (now Senator and former Presidential candidate) John McCain ended up in a burning jet near the center of the fire on the USS Foresstal. That fire killed 134 sailors.
Later that year his plane would go down and he would become a P.O.W. for 5 1/2 years.
Currently, there are still those working to have Israel prosecuted for those War Crimes.
Two weeks later a Top Secret report on the attack of the USS Liberty was issued.