MAGA Split Over Israel Spurs Debate About 1967 USS Liberty Attack

On June 8, 1967, Israeli jets and torpedo boats attacked the U.S.S. Liberty, a U.S. Navy intelligence ship off the Sinai, killing 34 service members and wounding 171. Those facts are not in dispute, but the motive behind the attack has become a fierce fault line within the MAGA movement.

Some prominent conservatives — Ben Shapiro, Senator Ted Cruz and Rich Lowry — say the assault was a tragic mistake, a conclusion reached by a U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry and the Israeli government. Others, including Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Representative Paul Gosar, insist Israel knew the ship was American and use the episode to argue the Israeli government cannot be trusted.

The dispute has spilled into podcasts, social media and conservative conferences.

United States, Sinai

uss liberty, 1967, maga, ben shapiro, ted cruz, rich lowry, tucker carlson, candace owens, paul gosar, israeli attack