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From: weemba@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (Matthew P. Wiener)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: The "Liberty" incident
Message-ID: <12361@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Thu, 13-Mar-86 22:21:49 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.12361
Posted: Thu Mar 13 22:21:49 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Mar-86 23:21:18 EST
References: <93@ubc-vision.UUCP> <1372@mtuxo.UUCP> <159@dione.rice.EDU> <3350@sun.uucp>
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: weemba@brahms.UUCP (Matthew P. Wiener)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
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In article <3350@sun.uucp> cramer@sun.UUCP (Sam Cramer) writes:
>In article <159@dione.rice.EDU> salex@dione.UUCP (Scott Alexander) writes:
>> However, I think the Liberty incident shows that the Israelis are
>>willing to attack without due provocation.  In this episode (during LBJs
>>term---1968 perhaps), the Israelis sank the US intelligence ship Liberty in
>>international waters during the Six Day War.  This action occurred after
>>watching it for several hours.  Afterwards, the Israelis claimed to have
>>mistaken it for an Egyptian ship of approximately half the length of the
>>Liberty.
>
>The Liberty was sunk in 1967, during the Six Day war, which took place during
>June of that year.
>
>Considering that a war was underway, and that the ship (according to accounts)
>could have been confused with an Egyptian Navy vessel, how can one reasonably
>conclude that "the Israelis are willing to attack without due provocation"?  

The Israelis did NOT confuse the American ship with an Egyptian ship.  They
are not that stupid.  The ship was sitting there, spying on Israel.  The only
danger the ship posed was that the US might get more information on the Syrian
side of the war than Israel wanted the US to have.  The UNITED STATES, mind
you.  Calling the attack unprovoked is the only reasonable conclusion.

ucbvax!brahms!weemba	Matthew P Wiener/UCB Math Dept/Berkeley CA 94720