THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Israel, U.S. Agree to Settlement
in USS Liberty Incident in '67
WASHINGTON (JTA) — raised when State Depart-
A final settlement of U.S. ment spokesman John
claims resulting from action Trattner announced the
by Israel's armed forces 13 final settlement last Thurs-
years ago during the Six- day.
"The incident was
Day War against the
American naval vessel USS thoroughly investigated in
Liberty has been made with 1967 by the U.S. navy,"
U.S. acceptance of Israel's Trattner said. "The Gov-
proposal to pay $6 million ernment of Israel im-
mediately accepted respon-
for damage to the ship.
The State Department sibility" and attributed the
said Israel will pay three actions to "error and confu-
annual installments of $2 sion." Trattner added that
million each, beginning the State Department "has
Jan. 15, "as final settlement no information it was a de-
of the U.S. claims for com- liberate attack."
He noted that a navy
pensation for damage to the
"court of inquiry concluded
USS Liberty."
The State Department that it had insufficient in-
said, The Government of formation to make a judg-
Israel paid in full in 1968 ment about the reasons for
the U.S. claim for $3,323, the Israeli action. The tran-
500 on behalf of the families script of the court of inquiry
of the crewmen who were ha-S been made available to
killed in the incident." In the public for some time."
The Israel government
addition, "In 1969, the Gov-
ernment of Israel paid in has consistently pointed
full the U.S. claim for out since the incident
$3,452,275 for injuries sus- took place that in the
tained by. members of the fighting in Sinai, Israeli
forces' took the Liberty to
Liberty's crew."
The ship was damaged be a hostile warship since
by Israeli fighter aircraft it had no clear identifica-
on June 8, 1967 while off tion signs and wore gray
the Sinai coast and the paint and since neutral
Egyptian town of El shipping -had been
Arish which was being warned to stay out of that
shelled in the course of eastern Mediterranean
the Six-Day War. Ameri- area. Upon realizing that
can casualties were 34 the Liberty was Ameri-
dead and 75 wounded. can, Israeli forces helped
The Liberty's naval_ role in the' rescue efforts and
was that of a communica- the Government of Israel
tions monitor, sometimes immediately apologized
to the U.S. and expressed
known as a "spy ship."
Since reports have crop- condolences to the
ped up from time to time in families of the casualties.
A spokesman at the Israel
the media here and abroad,
often sensationalized, the embassy told the Jewish
Israel deliberately attacked Telegraphic Agency that
the Liberty, questions were "the Israeli official commis-
sion of inquiry reached a
conclusion that erroneous
identification of the Liberty
as an enemy warship was
not due to Israeli negligence
but because of the absence
of clear markings on the
Liberty as American ship."
Observers noted that the
Fredrick
Liberty, a converted World
jewelers X. War II freighter of the "Vic-
of BLOOMFIELD HILLS
tory" type, had a distinctive
646 39:13 .
869 Vi?' ong take Road
silhouette. A number of
NO Tues. thru Sat. 10 to 5:30
Thurs. to 9 pm; Closed Monday
"Victory" type freighters
Appraisals by Appointment
were purchased by Egypt
While You Walf.k40,;,:.:
after the war and employed
in its merchant marine.
Trattner said that a
claims settlement "does not
normally require the ap-
proval of Congress" but that
"the department will make
a report shortly" to Con-
gress. "In addition, we had
already contacted appropri-
ate Congressional commit-
tees to inform them about
this settlement," he said.
Trattner disclosed that
Certified by the National
Automotive Institute.of Excellence
the U.S. Navy's claim for
Comes to your home or - office with
damage to the Liberty
the "garage-on-wheels
Valet service that doesn't
was between $7-$7.5 mil-
cost one penny extra
lion. The ship was retired
■ Expert diagnostic tune-up
from service however
and the repairs were
never made. Con-
sequently, the U.S. ac-
cepted the lower figure
proposed by Israel.
Final negotiations over
the ship damage claims
were made some weeks ago
when Israeli Ambassador
Ephraim Evron took up the
matter with Vice President
Walter Mondale, the JTA
was informed. After ex-
changes held at the State.'
Department and after Is-
rael's proposal was brought
to President Carter's atten-
tion, they were accepted in
formal documentation by
the State Department.
Friday, December 26, 1980 13
Sultanik Hits Veil Statement
NEW YORK (JTA) —
Kalman Sultanik, co-
president of the World Con-
federation of United
Zionists and a member of
the United States Holocaust
Memorial Council, voiced
"deep distress that mem-
bers of our own people,
well-meaning and well-
intentioned, should suc-
cumb to the ruse of drawing
a line between the ruse of
drawing a line between the
enemies of Israel and anti-
Semites."
Sultanik, himself a
member of the underground
in Poland which fought
against the Nazis and a con-
centration camp survivor,
was referring to a report
that on her recent visit to
Israel, Simone Veil,
president of the European
Parliament, made such
kind of distinction and
"went out of her way to em-
phasize that her visit to
Jerusalem should not he
construed as an endorse-
ment of Israel's concept of a
united Jerusalem."
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Kidnap Victim?
LONDON — A ransom
demand for the former wife
of millionaire banker Eve-
lyn de Rothschild has been
received by her present
husband, confirming fears
that Jeanette May was kid-
napped from an Italian ski
resort last month.
Warning The Surgeon General Has Determined
That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous toYour Health.