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From: mc68020@gilbbs.UUCP (Tom Keller)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: The "Patria" incident
Message-ID: <75@gilbbs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 13-Mar-86 17:08:32 EST
Article-I.D.: gilbbs.75
Posted: Thu Mar 13 17:08:32 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 17-Mar-86 22:21:13 EST
References: <93@ubc-vision.UUCP> <1372@mtuxo.UUCP> <159@dione.rice.EDU> <3350@sun.uucp>
Organization: Gil's Place, Santa Rosa CA
Lines: 54

In article <3350@sun.uucp>, cramer@sun.uucp (Sam Cramer) writes:
> 
> What would Israel have had to gain by knowingly attacking a ship belonging to 
> it's most important ally?  [Aside: although this is rhetorical question, I 
> imagine that we'll soon see lots of amusing answers from the anti-Israel 
> fanatics so active in net.politics - probably backed up with bogus quotations 
> from obscure far-left or pro-PLO sources; "Ink Links", indeed!]
> 
> By the way, Israel apologized and paid reparations to family members of those
> killed.

   There is some reason to believe (***NOTE***:  I am not claiming these points
as facts, but as possible scenarios) that the Israelis might actually have had
quite a bit to gain by deliberately sinking the Liberty.  


   The Liberty was an intelligence ship, and was known to be montoring the
activities of the engagements occurring at the time.  It has been speculated
(and I might add that the US government hushed up such speculations damned
quickly, and none too gently) that the Israelis were up to something that they
did not wish observed, and decided to ensure that such observation was thwarted.


   I suspect that *IF* this were the case, it was not the intent of the Israelis
to actually sink the vessle, but to harrass and sufficiently damage the vessle
so as to 1) distract the observers from some concurrent activity, and/or 2)
to insure that observation would be hindered somewhat over some period of time.
The the actual SINKING was accidental I do not doubt.

   I see *NO* rationaly reason not to accpet the possiblity that this
speculation is more or less accurate.  I also see no rational reason to suspect
that the Israelis claim isn't true.  The point here is that most certainly
*COULD* have been much the Israelis might have gained by attacking the ship

   Yes, there are "rabid anti-Israeli" people here.  There are also an
incredible number of people who are unwilling to consider the possibility
that just *MAYBE* some (or most, or all) of what Israel is/has been up to
is wrong, or at least questionable.


   My support for the Israelis has waned considerably.  I am not quite ready
to write them off, but I have to confess that my faith in them is severely
strained.

-- 

====================================

Disclaimer:  I hereby disclaim any and all responsibility for disclaimers.

tom keller
{ihnp4, dual}!ptsfa!gilbbs!mc68020

(* we may not be big, but we're small! *)