Raising the Altalena: Netanyahu digs up sunken 1948 arms ship in ‘pre-election stunt’

Eight decades after driving a fledgling Israel to the brink of civil war, the Altalena has suddenly resurfaced in the run-up to elections widely regarded as the most consequential in the nation’s history. An arms-smuggling ship, the Altalena was sunk off the coast of Israel in 1948 after a deadly confrontation between the country’s nascent army and the right-wing Irgun militia, led by Menachem Begin. It has served as a foundational symbol for the Israeli right ever since. The discovery of the ship’s wreckage on August 24 was hailed as a breakthrough in a joint statement by Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, both members of the far-right Jewish supremacist party Otzma Yehudit. “At 12:30am, at a depth of 503 metres, west of the coast of Israel, the Altalena ship was located intact – 78 years after that painful and seminal event that shook the young State of Israel,” said Eliyahu. The discovery closes a “historic chapter in one of the most painful and formative events in the history of Israeli society", added Ben-Gvir. Smoke billows from the Altalena after it was struck by a shell. © Wikimedia Creative Commons Seemingly side-step...