Seventy-eight years after it sank off the coast of Tel Aviv, the ship Altalena was located yesterday at a depth of more than 500 meters in the Mediterranean Sea.
Normally, such an archaeological-historical discovery should have triggered a shared sense of excitement. This time, however, it reignited a question that has accompanied Israel since June 1948: How close does this country come, in each generation, to a violent internal split?
What was the “Altalena”?
In June 1948, just a few weeks after Israel’s declaration of independence, an arms ship called Altalena reached the coast of the newborn Jewish state. It had been chartered by the Irgun under the command of Menachem Begin. The young Israel Defense Forces, which was meant to be the sole armed authority in the new sovereign state, viewed this as a threat. David Ben-Gurion ordered the ship to be fired upon off the coast of Tel Aviv. People were killed – Jews against Jews, just days after the founding of an independent Jewish...
Become a Member
-
Read all member content
Get exclusive in-depth reports from Israel.
-
Get exclusive in-depth reports from Israel
Connect with Israel, right from your home.
-
Lift up the voice of truth and hope
Support Jerusalem-based Zionist journalism.
Already a member? Login here.
