A June 1948 violent confrontation between the Israeli Defense Forces and the paramilitary Jewish group Etzel. The confrontation involved a cargo ship, Altalena, which carried weapons and fighters for the Etzel.

Background

As the British Mandate of Palestine was coming to an end, a group of Jewish leaders proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel (May 14, 1948). The declaration of independence was followed by the establishment of a Provisional Government and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The process of absorbing all military organizations into the IDF proved complicated, and several paramilitary groups continued to be active outside the IDF. One of the largest groups, Etzel (Hebrew acronym for Irgun Tzevai Leumi, National Military Organization), planned to ship weapons and fighters to the newly formed state. The plans included a ship renamed Altalena (a pseudonym of Zionist leader Vladimir Jabotinsky) and a target date for the ship's arrival from Europe was set to mid May 1948.

Altalena eventually left Port de Bouc, France on 11 June 1948, and its departure was widely reported by European news media. The impending arrival of the ship precipitated a political and military crisis that challenged the authority of the Provisional Government and the IDF.

Confrontation with the IDF

Intense negotiations between representatives of the Provisional Government (headed by David Ben Gurion) and Etzel (headed by Menachem Begin) followed the departure of Altalena from France. Among the issues discussed were logistics of the ship's landing and distribution of the cargo between the military organizations. Apparently the negotiations failed, and on 20 June 1948, as Altalena was unloading some of its cargo near Kfar Vitkin north of Tel Aviv, the Provisional Government demanded a handover of all of Altalena's weapons. Shortly thereafter, an ultimatum was issued by the local IDF Brigade Commander Dan Even, demanding that the Etzel hand over all of Altalena's cargo to the IDF at once. Altercations between Even's soldiers and members of Etzel followed, and the Altalena, now with Begin on board, proceeded to sail to the port of Tel Aviv. On 23 June, with no settlement of the disagreements between the Government and Etzel, the ship was shelled by the IDF on instructions of the Government, and caught fire. Sixteen Etzel fighters and three IDF soldiers were killed in the confrontations, and about 200 Etzel members were arrested.

Aftermath

The Altalena Affair has exposed deep rifts between the main political factions in Israel, and continued to be a major source of bitter controversy in the Israeli political discourse for decades. Proponents of Ben Gurion's actions praised them as essential to establishing the Government's authority and discouraging factionalism and formation of rival armies. Furthermore, Ben Gurion's supports argue, a state must have a monopoly over the use of force (see Max Weber for a detailed discussion of this idea). Etzel, by attempting to import weapons to use as a private militia, was undermining the legitimacy of the fledgling State of Israel.

Opponents condemned the unnecessary violence and claimed that opportunities for a peaceful resolution were intentionally frustrated by Ben Gurion and top IDF officers. As events have faded into history, the debate on Altalena in Israel has become less intense, though it was reignited for a short time when a political party headed by Menachem Begin won the Israeli general elections in 1977.

he:אלטלנה