Netanyahu promises to raise the Altalena during election campaign
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on August 24 near the Etzel Museum on the Tel Aviv promenade after the discovery of the sunken Altalena vessel. He promised to raise the ship from the seabed and turn it into a symbol for future generations with a message about preventing civil war.
History of the Altalena
The vessel belonged to the right-wing Zionist paramilitary organization Etzel, also known as Irgun. In June 1948, when the organization was being integrated into the newly established Israeli armed forces, the Altalena arrived with more than 900 immigrants, medical supplies, and a large shipment of weapons.
A dispute over control of the weapons arose between Irgun and the government and escalated into clashes. After the first confrontation north of Tel Aviv, the ship headed toward the city. Then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion ordered Israeli forces to shell it near the Tel Aviv coast. Irgun leader Menachem Begin, who was on board, called on supporters not to respond and warned against civil war.
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The columnist's assessment
In Al Jazeera English, an independent analyst writes that for the Israeli right, the story of the Altalena became a symbol of the left's willingness to use force against other Jews in order to establish political power. In the author's view, Netanyahu's mention of this episode during the election campaign revives long-standing political symbolism.
The columnist considers civil war in Israel unlikely. In his view, he explains this by the broad consensus among Israeli Jews on security, the use of military force, and policy toward Palestinians. The analyst also notes that the International Court of Justice has declared the occupation illegal. The author's views are his own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial position.
