A political rivalry has intensified within Israel’s right-wing factions following the announcement of the discovery of the wreck of the Altalena, the cargo vessel of the Irgun militia. On Monday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, known for his far-right stance, revealed the find. The Altalena had been carrying weapons from France to the Irgun before it was sunk in June 1948 on orders from Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion.

The Irgun, a paramilitary group active before Israel’s establishment, waged an insurgency against British forces under a League of Nations mandate. Its violent actions included hanging captured soldiers and, in 1946, bombing the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, killing over 90 people.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose Likud party claims descent from the Irgun, reportedly rushed to the Etzel Museum near Jaffa, named after the Hebrew acronym for the Irgun, upon hearing the news.

This discovery has sparked a contest between Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir over who can more closely associate themselves with the Irgun’s legacy, a militia implicated in the killing and torture of dozens of Palestinians during the 1948 war that led to the Nakba—the forced displacement of more than 750,000 Palestinians during Israel’s formation.

Yossi Mekelberg, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, commented on the rivalry, stating, “Ben-Gvir is out-Netanyahuing Netanyahu. Much like populists everywhere, both of them need to be seen as the most victimised and sinned against in order to appeal to their base.” Mekelberg also noted Netanyahu’s history of incitement, referencing accusations linked to the atmosphere preceding the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, saying, “He likes to throw these hand grenades into Israeli society, to keep the sense of crises going and then to claim to be its saviour.”

The Altalena’s discovery thus not only revives historical controversies but also fuels current political tensions within Israel’s right-wing leadership.

Sources