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." ‘0)R Sti4e „,„ PRESCRIPTION OPTICAL CO. buu PHIL ELLIS INVITES YOU - TO INSPECT OUR LARGE SELECTION OF EYE FASHIONS SILHOUETTE, AVANT GARDE, ANTHONY MARTIN & MORE Tues.-Fri. 9:30-6 Thurs. Evening 7-9 p.m. Sat. 9:30-5 543-3343 . CLOSED SUNDAY & MONDAY . 26001 COOLIDGE HWY. OAK PARK, MICH. B 101/2 Mile Rolex Right in Your own Driveway! 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