In the afternoon hours of June 22, 1948, the Altalena cargo ship was sunk by an Israel Defense Forces artillery shell along the Tel Aviv coastline. Nineteen people on the ship and around it lost their lives, including three IDF soldiers. David Ben-Gurion, who ordered Head of Operations Yigael Yadin to open fire, declared that the cannon that fired was holy and would be placed alongside the Third Temple if it were built. The Mossad Le'aliyah Bet (Institution for Immigration B), a branch of the Haganah that worked to facilitate Jewish immigration to Mandate-era Palestine, was informed by Etzel (also known as the Zionist paramilitary group, Irgun) of the ship's schedule, destination and cargo, which included arms vital to the War of Independence. Menachem Begin, who had approved the merger of the Irgun with the IDF, asked that one-fifth of the weapons on the ship be given to Irgun fighters ahead of their difficult battle for Jerusalem. The negotiations proved unsuccessful. Today's younger generation may have a hard time understanding the relative allocation of weapons among underground fighters who enlisted in the army, but that was standard procedure regarding the Palmach and Haganah. Every man for himself. ••• When the Altalena reached the shores of Tel Aviv, few people or weapons remained on board. Most had disembarked on the beach opposite Kfar Vitkin. Despite the fact that there were other ways to stop the ship, the order was given to fire. Ben-Gurion loyalists present the attack on the Altalena as an act of heroism and leadership meant to enforce the concept of one army for one state, and to prevent the existence of an underground. This is, at the very least, disingenuous. Yisrael Galili, who negotiated with Begin and his friends, circulated a letter replete with lies, claiming that the Irgun had acted cunningly and maliciously against the government with regard to the ship, when in reality Begin had dissolved the Irgun and had previously recognized the government's legitimacy. From the short history of the state of Israel and of the Zionist movement, we know that the Left is not above plotting against the Revisionist movement. Such was the case with the assassination of Zionist leader Haim Arlozorov and when the Haganah turned over Irgun fighters to the British. It was also the case with the Altalena. These acts were not heroic, but rather cynical attempts to retain control and strength. ••• Menachem Begin's greatness was revealed against the backdrop of the hatred, the libel, and the militarism toward the nationalist movement. Despite claims from his supporters to respond to Ben-Gurion, Begin prevented such a move and thwarted civil war. That was his will and it must be respected. Challenging discussions and problems must be resolved through dialogue, not violence. Most importantly, we must avoid half-truths, sophisticated lies and libel for the purpose of politics. Regardless of politics, we are all one nation.
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It is good for the wounds of a nation to heal under a thick layer of skin that scabs over and seals the pain beneath the surface. It is best for the childhood wounds of a young country to rest in peace for the sake of future generations. However, sometimes pain surfaces unexpectedly and unannounced. The pain of the Altalena resurfaces each year and warns of rifts between brothers; the kind that permeate Jewish history.
The Altalena affair: a cynical political act
מערכת ישראל היום
מערכת "ישראל היום“ מפיקה ומעדכנת תכנים חדשותיים, מבזקים ופרשנויות לאורך כל שעות היממה. התוכן נערך בקפדנות, נבדק עובדתית ומוגש לציבור מתוך האמונה שהקוראים ראויים לעיתונות טובה יותר - אמינה, אובייקטיבית ועניינית.
