Video summary
The discovery of the Altalena ship, intact and located more than 500 meters off the coast of Tel Aviv, has brought a painful chapter from Israel's history back into the spotlight. Arriving in June 1948 just weeks after the establishment of the state, the vessel carried Jewish immigrants and weapons during the War of Independence. However, it became the site of a tragic confrontation when Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion ordered its sinking to enforce the principle of a single unified army, resulting in the deaths of sixteen Irgun members and three IDF soldiers. This event remains a significant and controversial moment in Israeli history, symbolizing the early tensions between different factions within the new nation.
The historical context reveals that the conflict arose from disagreements over military unity and the distribution of arms under an existing embargo. While an agreement was reached to merge the Irgun into the IDF, exceptions were made for Jerusalem, leading to a standoff when the Altalena arrived with weapons intended for fighters in that city. The Irgun commander, Menachem Begin, initially refused to surrender the remaining ammunition, insisting on its use for Jerusalem's defense, while Ben-Gurion maintained that only one army could exist. The ensuing firefight and fire on the ship underscored the desperate struggle to consolidate national forces amidst external threats and internal divisions.
In recent days, both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir addressed this historic moment separately, highlighting the current political fractures within Israeli society. Netanyahu emphasized the enduring lesson of Altalena: that division leads to weakness while unity provides strength, calling for a broad national government to face future challenges. Conversely, Ben-Gvir's remarks focused on the personal history of Menachem Begin and the complexities of political alliances, reflecting the deep ideological rifts that currently define the election campaign. Their separate appearances underscore how this historical event continues to resonate with contemporary political narratives.
Historian Mark Schulman provided insight into why this episode is often regarded as one of the most significant in Jewish history by older Likud members, noting its profound impact on the nation's identity. He explained that the discovery was made possible by advanced marine search technology after decades of mystery, yet questions remain about why it took so long to locate the wreck compared to previous searches. Ultimately, the Altalena story serves as a powerful reminder of the fragility of national unity and the critical importance of resolving internal conflicts before facing external adversaries, a message that remains as relevant today as it was in 1948.
Read the full video transcript
Now, to an astounding development that
has left historians and Israelis in awe,
closing the circle on a painful
historical event. Israel has located the
1948 Altalena ship intact more than 500
m west of its coast. The Altalena
arrived in Israel back in June 1948
carrying immigrants including members of
the Irgun militia and weapons during the
War of Independence. It was hit on the
orders of then Prime Minister David
Ben-Gurion and sunk off the coast. 16
Irgun members and three IDF soldiers
were killed in that standoff. Now, the
wreck has been found in its entirety in
a complex marine search operation. Now,
notably, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and far-right leader Itamar
Ben-Gvir each commenting on this
momentous development at separate
locations earlier. Take a listen.
>> Mool Kof Tel Aviv
>> Off the coast of Tel Aviv, Altalena
caught fire. Off the coast of Tel Aviv,
brothers fell at the hands of brothers.
But, it was precisely from the inferno
that the call of the commander of
Altalena,
or rather the commander of the Irgun,
Menachem Begin, may his memory be
blessed, came forth. The call was to
stop the fire, to stop the course of the
battle, because we will not go to a
civil war.
This is the great lesson of Altalena.
It is as true today as it was then,
because division is weakness and unity
is strength.
And today I say, the unity within us is
much greater than we seem, certainly
than we seem in an election campaign.
And this unity is essential so that we
can face the great challenges that still
lie ahead of us.
Therefore, we must establish a broad
national government to ensure our future
and our security.
>> I stand here today at the Etzel house,
Begin knew firsthand the taste of
persecution. Begin knew firsthand the
feeling of not wanting to be
photographed with you on the same stage.
>> So, for more, we welcome Mark Schulman,
historian and author of the Tel Aviv
diary, joining us from Tel Aviv. Good to
see you as always. Wow, remarkable to
think that after all this time the
Altalena has been found in its entirety,
not to mention the technology used to
locate it. But, to start, Mark, talk us
through the significance of this painful
and mysterious episode in the history of
the newly established state. Your
thoughts?
>> Okay. Okay, so let's talk about the
history first.
Think about Israel. This is June 1st,
first of all, in 1948, 15 days after the
establishment of the state. The state is
embattled on all sides, and at the time
there are separate armies. There's the
IDF, there's what's left of the Palmach,
and there's the Irgun, which was the
Etzel at the time. On June 1st, Israel
Galili and David and Begin reached an
agreement to disband the Etzel and make
it part of the IDF, so there'd be one
fighting force. One exception was being
in Jerusalem, which the Etzel was
remaining independent because Jerusalem
was not supposed to be part of the state
of Israel based on what we agreed to
in 1948.
>> Right.
>> And the Altalena came to came and and
June 22nd, I think it was,
um Ben-Gurion did not want it to come in
Tel Aviv because at that time there was
an arms embargo, and part of the
uh
part of the armistice agreement was that
we wouldn't get arms during the um
armistice. So, it went to Kfar Vitkin,
which is just north of Netanya.
There it unloaded for 2 days. Um a lot
of all the people who were on got off,
as well as a lot of the ammunition.
However,
uh the IDF demanded that all the
ammunition be given over to the IDF
because there's only one army, that's
what they said. At that point, um
members of the IDF surrounded the beach.
And at that point, the boat left Tel
Aviv and went off the coast of Tel Aviv.
Off the coast of Tel Aviv, then
negotiations that took place.
Uh
Begin refused to give up the 20% of the
arms he wanted it to go to the fighters
in Jerusalem.
And Beg and Ben-Gurion said, "No, there
is only one IDF. There's only one force
here. There can only be one force."
In the end, Beg um Ben-Gurion ordered
cannon to be fired on the ship. The ship
caught fire. And eventually, the ship
didn't actually sink. The ship actually
ended up being beached at Frishman
Street. And of course, um number of the
people on the board were killed um in
the ensuing fire. And two IDF soldiers
were also killed at that point. And
whatever arms were still left were lost.
>> Right.
>> And And And that was the And that at
that point, Nachum Begin came ashore,
got on the radio, the Etzel radio at the
time, and said, "We will do not come and
fight." Hundreds of Etzel fighters were
screaming towards Tel Aviv to try to do
something. He said, "We will not fight.
We will not have a civil war. There will
be no civil war in this country." And
that was the most important point of
this whole thing. No civil war and one
army.
>> Now, fast forward to today. I've got 30
seconds left. Benjamin Netanyahu and
Yair Lapid and Itamar Ben-Gvir
commenting on this historic moment.
Separately, your take briefly, please.
>> Uh separately, they didn't want to be
together, at least Netanyahu didn't want
to be together with Ben-Gvir. He's
backed in not wanting to be with
Ben-Gvir. Um
I think, uh you know, Netanyahu is
trying to play the very much the
national Mamlakhti
position right now. He feels he's the
one who's being attacked, so he took
that that tack. There's a lot of
questions of why all of a today was this
found as opposed to six months ago or
three months ago. That's a whole other
question.
But it was clearly a very nice election
event
for both the Netanyahu and um
and for Ben-Gvir.
>> An emotional development indeed. Mark
Schuman
>> It's only amongst the old Likud people
who, you know, still talk about the ship
as the most important event in Jewish
history.
>> Mark Schuman, thank you for watching.