US ship survivors tell of Israeli attack

A deadly Israeli attack on a US ship -- an incident largely kept in the dark by Washington -- receives new attention with survivors reliving the painful memory.

USS Liberty survivors gathered in Washington on Monday to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of the incident and expound on how they were sprayed with bullets by America's "closest ally and beneficiary".

On June 8, 1967, the unarmed spy ship USS Liberty was on duty in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula when it was bombarded by Israeli fighter jets and torpedo boats.

The two-hour-long attacks killed at least 34 sailors, wounded 173 others and nearly sunk the ship.

The attack on the Liberty came at a time when Israel had engaged in a brief but intense war with Egypt and its Arab allies, which coincided with the US war on Vietnam.

Although the ship was clearly marked as an American vessel, Israelis declared the attack on Liberty as a simple case of "friendly fire" and "mistaken identity".

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, former US president Lyndon Johnson accepted the Israeli claim and cancelled all investigations into the incident.

"It was a case of mistaken identity …I do not care if every man drowned and the ship sank, we will not embarrass an ally," Johnson had told his opponents who demanded an open congressional hearing to address the Israeli claim.

USS Liberty survivor Rick Almett, however, begged to differ.

"There was a conspiracy between our government and Israel. So that's the reason why they didn't pursue it and why the investigations were covered up because of the alliance of Israel and the United States," Almetti told.

In a separate interview , Jim Smith -- another surviving member of the USS Liberty crew -- said the incident was "an intentional act by Israel to sink the ship with all hands and no survivors".

While there are many conspiracy theories as to why Israel attacked a ship of its top ally, Earnie Gallo -- who heads the USS Liberty Veterans Associations -- told Press TV that the attack was in fact designed to pave the way for an Israeli military incursion into the Golan Heights.

In 2003, an independent committee comprised of retired high-ranking military officers and a former US ambassador to the Middle East joined forces to investigate the Liberty attack and the subsequent cover-up.

Their pleas for an investigation, however, have fallen on deaf ears in the Congress as it continues to ignore the facts presented on the Liberty attack.

Former US military and political officials said they had been ordered to put the lid on the controversy surrounding the USS Liberty attack. "We were never to speak of it and we were to caution everyone else involved that they could never speak of it again," said former court Adm. Isaac C. Kidd.

Obama seeks fresh start with Muslim world

US President Barack Obama calls for a "new beginning" between the US and the Muslim world, saying that his roots come from a Muslim generation.

"I am a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims," Obama said Thursday in a speech in which he touched on the story of his life and religious beliefs.

Addressing a cheering crowd of Egyptians and Muslim dignitaries at Cairo University, the American president called for an end to ongoing tensions between the US and the Muslim world.

"I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles."

Obama went on to say that some extremists have fueled tensions between the West and the Muslim world to further their agenda and have managed to build up hatred toward Muslims in the West.

"Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims. The attacks of September 11th, 2001 and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights. This has bred more fear and mistrust."

Obama quoted passages from the Qur'an, Talmud and the Bible and called for peace while praising peacemakers.

"There is one rule that lies at the core of every religion -- that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This truth transcends nations and peoples," Obama continued. "The people of the world can live together in peace."

While acknowledging that Islam is a religion of peace and compassion, Obama promised to do his utmost to fight against all efforts to create "negative stereotypes of Islam".

My experience, he said, "guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't... And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."

Obama's Middle East tour is viewed as an effort by the 44th US president to reach out to the Muslim world.

On the first leg of his trip, the American president visited Saudi Arabia Wednesday.