This is on the matter of the Israeli war-plane attack on SS Liberty in June, 1967. Brian Knopp (8/01) responded to a letter by Jerry Russom (7/18) and I would like to respond to Brian Knopp.
Firstly, it is suspect that an event that took place exactly 40 years ago should become a heated debate now, unless of course, Mr.Knopp simply wants to hammer Israel. Secondly, on the basis of the numerous sites supplied by Mr. Knopp, it seems that there were 10 official U.S. investigations of the attack—five of them congressional investigations. I suspect that contributing to the difficulties in the investigations was the presence of a clearly visible information-gathering U.S ship (a spy ship) off the coast of Sinai when an Israeli/Arab war (later called the “Six-Day War”) was going on. However, the aforementioned investigations concluded that the attack was a tragic mistake caused by blunders of both sides.
This should put the matter to rest, especially because there have been numerous attacks on U.S. embassies, ships and the mainland by Islamic fundumentalists since that time, and are therefore much more current.
— David Zimerman
Asheville
Mr. Zimmerman, if you truly read all of those sources I cited in my original Xpress letter, and consequently decided that the USS Liberty case is closed, so be it. But you go much too far when you insinuate that anyone who thinks otherwise must be, at best, an Israel basher or at worst, somehow sympathetic to Islamic terrorist.
Right wing extremists in the US and Israel have hijacked both countries foreign policies in recent years, and their favorite methods for silencing opposition are to question one’s patriotism or accuse one of having terrorist sympathies.
I am convinced that the US and Israel share a common destiny. I pray that it is not the one of becoming the most aggressive, heavily-armed pariah states in the world. If the USS Liberty incident had received the full investigative focus of the Pat Tillman so-called “friendly fire” incident, maybe the matter could truly rest in peace. That is what I am seeking. It is never too late, nor is it yet unpatriotic, nor anti-Semitic, to demand truth and accountability from our so-called leaders about foreign policy decisions that cost American lives.