Altalena

What do the Altalena and the Heritage Ministry have to do with the approaching elections? - opinion

The discovery of the Altalena wreck has revived old political divisions, with the Right using its legacy as a weapon ahead of Israel’s elections.

 Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu attends a protest in Tel Aviv, November 27, 2024
The Irgun's dismantled Altalena ship is seen off the coast of Tel Aviv, 1948. (Archive)

The Altalena’s enduring lesson: Israel must choose unity over division - opinion

The search for the remains of the Altalena, published August 24, 2026.

From lost ship to new battleground: Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir using Altalena in election spat - analysis

THE ‘ALTALENA’ burns off Tel Aviv in June 1948. Its wreckage may lie beneath the Mediterranean, but the political battle over what happened aboard it has never been buried.

Middle Israel: Netanyahu is digging up the Altalena to bury his own record - opinion


As Israel heads to elections, the Altalena offers a lesson in unity - opinion

The Altalena’s return reminds Israelis that no political dispute should ever outweigh the bonds that hold the country together.

The search for the remains of the Altalena, published August 24, 2026.

Ben-Gvir took one of Likud's strongest symbols and turned it against Netanyahu - opinion

The Davidka cannon did not cause much damage, its range was short, and the destruction it caused was limited, but it made an enormous noise. Today's Davidka is named Itamar Ben-Gvir.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir holds a press conference at the Etzel Museum in Tel Aviv, following the announcement that the wreck of the Altalena had been located intact at a depth of 503 meters off Israel’s coast. August 24, 2026.

Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir clash over credit after Altalena discovery

After Ben-Gvir issued a statement about the discovery without crediting Netanyahu, the prime minister avoided a joint appearance and photo with the minister, instead delivering his remarks alone.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen examining the Altalena exhibit following the discovery of the ship ‘Altalena’, at the Etzel Museum in Tel Aviv on August 24, 2026.

Israel finds lost Altalena ship intact on Mediterranean seafloor, 78 years after IDF sinking

Heritage Ministry: Altalena found 503 meters deep, 20 kilometers off Israel's coast • Ship's discovery a 'defining moment for our national memory,' minister Eliyahu declares

The search for the remains of the Altalena, published August 24, 2026.

Heritage minister seeks to locate remains of Irgun's Altalena ship, shelled by IDF in 1948

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu described to Channel 14's The Patriots that there is still "pain" over the affair, which led to the deaths of 16 Irgun paramilitary members and three IDF soldiers.

Civilians watch as smoke rises from the Altalena following the IDF shelling off the coast of Tel Aviv, June 1948.

This week in Jewish history: Altalena, sin of the spies, Jews expelled from France

A highly abridged weekly version of Dust & Stars – Today in Jewish History.

BYSTANDERS WATCH as the ‘Altalena’ burns after being shelled near Tel Aviv on June 22, 1948

Lessons of the Altalena Affair: Lebanon only gets one army, there's no room for Hezbollah - opinion

It’s time for the lesson of the Altalena to be implemented in Lebanon. Only one army can be allowed to operate in Lebanon for peace and prosperity to exist in the Land of the Cedars.

 Lebanese army soldiers secure a site that was hit by a strike, in Saraain

Distancing ourselves from civil war - opinion

Political leaders with a sense of responsibility, as demonstrated by Begin in 1948, would be warmly welcomed these days.

Ex-PM Naftali Bennett (left) and his FM, Yair Lapid, hold a news conference in the Knesset in 2022. After the formation of the short-lived ‘government of change’ established by Bennett and Lapid in June 2021, the opposition’s rhetoric in the Knesset deteriorated rapidly, the writer argues.

Ceremony marks 76 years since Altalena sinking

"On this day, in this place, and at this time, we must fulfil the legacy of Menachem Begin, who showed tremendous leadership and declared here on the Altalena: ‘Civil war, never again.’"

  World Zionist Organization Chair Yaakov Hagoel drops a wreath to mark the spot where the Altalena sank, June 23, 2024.

On This Day: Menachem Begin's 105th birthday

Begin was most noted for signing a peace treaty with Former President of Egypt Anwar Sadat in 1979, which led them to both share a Nobel Pece Prize for their work.

Menachem and Aliza Begin vote in the national election on May 17, 1977