Israel says it has found the sunken 1948 Altalena ship
Off Israel’s coast, at a depth of 503 meters, the sunken ship Altalena, which in 1948 was at the center of an armed clash between the newly created Israeli army and the right-wing Irgun organization, has reportedly been found. Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced the discovery on August 24, France 24 English reports.
According to Eliyahu, the ship was found intact west of Israel’s coast. Ben-Gvir called this the completion of a historical chapter in one of the most painful and defining events in the history of Israeli society. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also welcomed the discovery and said that the vessel could become a symbol for current and future generations.
The 1948 clash
Altalena departed from the French city of Marseille in June 1948. On board were about 5,000 rifles, 450 machine guns and ammunition for Irgun, a paramilitary organization led by Menachem Begin.
After the establishment of the State of Israel, the provisional government led by David Ben-Gurion decided to disband underground paramilitary groups and create a unified army. Ben-Gurion demanded that the ship and its cargo be handed over to the newly created Israeli army, while Begin asked for part of the weapons to be allocated to Irgun units in Jerusalem.
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The negotiations collapsed, after which Israeli forces opened fire on Ben-Gurion’s orders. Sixteen Irgun members and three soldiers were killed. Damaged by a shell, the ship remained visible from the shore for nearly a year, and in 1949 it was towed out to sea and sunk. University of Haifa historian Ofira Gruweis Kowalsky noted that the incident could have escalated into a civil war, but Begin helped avert such a development.
Political context
Netanyahu, whose Likud party was founded by Begin, has long taken part in annual memorial events honoring those killed on the Altalena. In a video address, he called Ben-Gurion’s decision to open fire on the ship tragic and said the vessel was carrying weapons needed by fighters in the war for independence.
The Haaretz editorial board called the authorities’ emphasis on the discovery of the ship a calculated political move ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27. Jerusalem Post author Amotz Asa-El also believed that the plan to raise the remains of the Altalena could be aimed at reviving a political myth and changing the electoral agenda.
Historian Saul Friedländer, who was aboard the Altalena at the age of 15, called for the memory of the ship not to be used in election propaganda. Maritime archaeology specialist Ehud Galili told Haaretz that raising the ship, weighing about 18,000 tonnes and partially embedded in the clay seabed, would be an extremely difficult and costly operation for which Israel has no available means.
