One shot, fired by a scared sentry at night is an accident. Repeated attacks against an unknown vessel in international waters is either intentional or the worst form of indiscipline in combat.
What if that ship had been Swedish? or French? or Russian? Would Israel have reacted the same way as they did?
The part that makes me angry is that narrative after narrative pushes the blame on the US and the Liberty ("they were in a war zone"). No armed force in the world just attacks any ship they see, without conclusively identifying it as an enemy vessel. No disciplined armed force would continue attacks on a vessel that didn't fight back. Do Egyptian ships have vessel code letters in roman letters? Answer: no. Yet the IAF continued to attack when they saw that distinctly western lettering.
Like I said, it was either intentional or some of the sloppiest soldiering I've heard of - but not an accident. Israel still needs to come clean on this one.
They were war zone waters. International or not. War trumps.
Of course you are correct..I was stating "accounts I had read"...I cant imagine why this has gone on so long with out some sort of closure.