US Congressman Accuses Israel of Deliberate Attack in USS Liberty Incident, Demands Declassification

Nearly six decades after the Israeli attack on the American intelligence ship USS Liberty, the incident has resurfaced in Washington amid calls to declassify related documents. On June 8, 1967, during the Six-Day War, the USS Liberty was attacked by Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats off the coast of Sinai, resulting in the deaths of 34 American sailors and injuries to 171 others. Israel quickly accepted responsibility, claiming the attack was a case of mistaken identity, believing the ship to be Egyptian. Israel apologized and paid millions in compensation to victims' families and survivors.

Despite official investigations by both the US and Israel concluding the attack was a tragic friendly fire error, the event has remained a source of conspiracy theories and criticism from Israel opponents. Recently, Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky reignited the controversy by introducing a resolution in the House of Representatives demanding the US president declassify all remaining government records related to the attack. Massie accused Israel of intentionally targeting the ship to kill everyone on board, citing former CIA Director Richard Helms and others who questioned the official findings.

Massie's resolution has been praised by veterans' groups and far-right figures but faced sharp criticism from other lawmakers like Dan Crenshaw, who dismissed the claims as conspiratorial and attention-seeking. The Anti-Defamation League warned that such narratives aim to undermine US-Israel relations and sow distrust. Israel maintains its stance that the attack was a tragic mistake, but growing pressure for transparency threatens to reopen public scrutiny of the bilateral relationship.