On This Day: The IDF Sinks the Altalena

In the summer of 1947, the Irgun purchased the ship "Altalena." By June 1948, during the first ceasefire of the War of Independence, and several weeks after the Irgun agreed to disband and integrate into the IDF, the Altalena arrived on the shores of Israel carrying military and medical supplies, along with approximately 940 immigrants.

However, before the ship reached Israel, disagreements had already emerged between representatives of the Israeli government and the Irgun leadership under Menachem Begin. The Irgun demanded that 20% of the military supplies on board be given to the Irgun units fighting within the Israeli Defense Forces, as well as to the independent Irgun units in the Jerusalem area. Conversely, government representatives insisted that the IDF take all the supplies and only then decide on their distribution. Furthermore, offloading the weapons from the ship violated the terms of the ceasefire.

When the Altalena reached Israel's shores, the Irgun began disembarking immigrants and unloading the military supplies. The government perceived this as a threat to its sovereignty and assembled a military force at the site to deter the Irgun members. On the 14th of Sivan, gunfire erupted between the IDF and Irgun forces. Several attempts were made to reach an agreement between the Irgun and the government, but to no avail. On the 15th of Sivan in the afternoon, an IDF artillery shell hit and sank the ship, resulting in the death of 16 Irgun members.

The tragic event had positive outcomes as well. The Irgun made considerable efforts to prevent a civil war as a result of the incident, and the episode sparked discussions on the necessity of a unified military and the critical importance of avoiding civil conflict.