War Without End

Jefferson Davis

Motivation for the attack on the USS Liberty

By John Scanlon June 8, 2008
http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=7664

Today is the anniversary of the Israeli attack. Along with others (1), I submit it was undertaken to keep the US from interfering with Israel's attack on Syria the following day.

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On June 8th 1967 at 2:00 PM local time, in the middle of the 1967 six day war, the intelligence ship USS Liberty was attacked by Israeli air and naval forces. By June 8th the fighting had ended on all fronts (2a). The Six Day War could have been the four day war. Instead, on the morning of June 9th Israeli forces initiated new actions against Syria. This attack lead to significant international intrigue. Both the US and USSR considered military intervention. If the US had had prior knowledge of Israeli plans, they may have stopped them. Israel took action to preempt this possibility.

Israel was apparently unsatisfied with the terms of its 7/20/1949 armistice with Syria. Prior to the 1967 War, in order to enhance its influence in the de militarized zones, it instigated border clashes with Syria. Moshe Dayan admitted in interviews that Israel was responsible for at least eighty percent of the border clashes with Syria between 1949 and 1967 (2b). On the morning of June 9th 1967, Israel instigated another border clash with no initial interference from the US.

One could argue that the closing of the Gulf of Aqaba was an act of war, but it was Israel that began preemptive military action in the four day war. Further, it was Israel that began military action in the two day war, and this action was in no way preemptive. Two thirds of Syria's air force had already been destroyed; Syria could offer no serious threat. It was precisely this weakness that, allegedly, lead to Dayan's final decision to attack (2c). I submit this decision was actually made well in advance of June 9th.

Both the Great Satan and the Little Satan are aggressor nations. Both have acted contrary to American ideals, but their interests are not always synonymous.

Sources:

(1) Several books and the BBC documentary USS Liberty: Dead in the Water argued that Liberty was attacked in order to prevent the U.S. from knowing about the forthcoming attack in the Golan Heights, which apparently would violate a cease-fire to which Israel's government had agreed. (Source: Wikipedia – "USS Liberty incident")

(2) Primary Source: The Fifty Years' War – Israel and the Arabs by Ahron Bregman and Jihan El-Tahri. This was the companion text to the 1998 PBS documentary of the same name.

(2a) p. 109 "On June 8 at 7 PM, Prime Minister Eshkol summoned his ministers. Just four days after the war had begun, the fighting had ended on all fronts: the Egyptian army was defeated, Jordan was crushed, and the West Bank and Jerusalem were in Israeli hands. The only Arab state, it seemed, that would survive the war intact was Syria."

(2c) p. 111"On June 9, at 3:30 AM, Mossad intercepted a cable sent from President Nasser to Syrian President Nur el Din Attasi. 'I think,' wrote Nasser, 'that Israel is interested in concentrating its forces against Syria, in order to crush the Syrian Army... I would like to advise you to end the hostilities and let U Thant, the Secretary General, know in order to keep the Syrian Army intact. We have lost this battle. God will be with us in the future.'When Dayan saw the cable, he came to the conclusion that the Syrians would not put up serious resistance and phoned David Elazar, who was in charge of forces in the north. Dayan asked, 'Are you ready for an attack?' Elazar replied, 'Yes, I am." Dayan said, 'So, go ahead and attack.'"

"...At the Dan Hotel, Eshkol was in for a shock when his wife called him to the phone. It was 8 AM, and Dayan was on the line. 'We have gone up to the Golan Heights,' Dayan said."

p. 315 In the 7/20/1949 Israeli-Syrian armistice agreement, Syria withdrew from the areas it had occupied allowing these to become demilitarized zones without either country having sovereignty. "...Although Israel signed on the dotted line, the Israelis were unhappy with this agreement and, during the nineteen years leading up to the 1967 war, took actions to expand their control over the demilitarized zones. These tactics were intended to provoke the Syrians, so that the resulting border clashes could be exploited to increase Israel's influence in the areas. Moshe Dayan, a former chief of staff and defense minister, admitted in a newspaper interview, 'It used to go like this: we would send a tractor into the demilitarized zone knowing, in advance, that the Syrians would start shooting. If they refrained we would instruct the tractor to keep on advancing until the Syrians lost their temper and started shooting. Then we would use our cannons and, later, also our air force.'"

(2b) p. 315 "While Syria was responsible for some border clashes, Dayan also admitted in the interview quoted above that Israel was responsible for at least eighty percent of the clashes between 1949 and 1967."

p.316 "In 1967, Israel went on the offensive, consolidated its hold on the demilitarized zones, and took the Golan Heights... Israel took action to turn the Golan Heights into de facto Israeli land by starting to build settlements on the Heights, and, from autumn of 1967 up to mid-1968, systematically destroying Arab houses and villages."

Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=7664

Authors Bio: I've been a Democrat since 1984 and have been politically active periodically since then from working against Contra Aid to working against the war in Iraq. I'm a mere Irish-American, a retired bank examiner, and a former Marine.

Cowboy · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:28 am Post subject:

Jefferson Davis · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 1:36 pm Post subject:

Based on the extensive "12-14" investigation the Liberty apologists and liars said that happened and never did?

Prove your claims or the they are lies as per usual Cowboy.

Fokke · Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 7:44 am Post subject:

It is a well known fact that the USA had strongly advised Israel to test the blockade with an international convoy.

Alas McNamara had already approved the Liberty accident.

A sept 11 that failed.

Cowboy · Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 2:15 am Post subject:

Previously classified material released in 1997 by both Israel and the U.S. demonstrated that Israel had already informed the U.S. of its intentions for Syria.

Cowboy · Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 2:19 am Post subject:

LBJ, National Security File, Box 104/107, Middle East Crisis: Jerusalem to the Secretary of State, June 8, 1967; Barbour to Department, June 8, 1967; Joint Embassy Memorandum, June 8, 1967.

DanielDives · Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 2:45 am Post subject:

Just luv ur links, dude

Cowboy · Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 3:24 am Post subject:

It isn't a link.

Paper documents do not have links.

Dude.

Jefferson Davis · Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 3:36 am Post subject:

I asked the Librarian at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin about LBJ's USS Liberty file in 2002 and asked if they were open to academics and unsealed.

She answered me uncomfortably IMO, "They are still classified and sealed."

Cowboy doesn't need links and prroof when lies are sufficient.

Just ask the "beaten" McCain supporter from the link he provided who was never beaten.

Lying SOB for Israel above all.

Fokke · Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 6:51 am Post subject:

In the tv report on the failed Liberty accident broadcast by BBC a grinning Helms, CIA director in 1967, told the investigator to see McNamara about the accident.
Helms admitted that a Washington pub, where the accident was planned, was often used to discuss things like this.
A startled McNamara stated 'that he refused to say anything about the Liberty'.

War Without End

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Motivation for the attack on the USS Liberty