Back Altalena Czech Altalena German Batalla de Altalena Spanish Altalena French אלטלנה HE Altalena-affaire Dutch Sprawa Altaleny Polish Альталена Russian Случај Алталена Serbian
| Altalena Affair | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War | |||||||
 Altalena on fire after being shelled near Tel Aviv | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Israel Defense Forces |
 Irgun | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
David Ben-Gurion Yigael Yadin |
Menachem Begin Monroe Fein | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| unknown | 800–900 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 3 killed |
16 killed 200+ arrested | ||||||
The Altalena Affair was a violent confrontation that took place in June 1948 between the newly created Israel Defense Forces and the Irgun (also known as Etzel), one of the Jewish paramilitary groups that were in the process of merging to form the IDF. The confrontation involved a cargo ship, the Altalena, captained by ex-US Navy lieutenant Monroe Fein and led by senior Etzel commander Eliyahu Lankin, which had been loaded with weapons and fighters by the independent Irgun, but arrived during the murky period of the Irgun's absorption into the IDF. Nineteen Israelis, three of them IDF soldiers and 16 of them Irgun members were killed in the confrontation. The incident brought the newfound Israel to the brink of civil war.[1][2]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
murderedwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Ravid, Barak (23 June 2011). "Underwater search for sunken Altalena ship set to begin". Haaretz. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
The Altalena lay on its side in shallow water off the coast of Tel Aviv for several months, but then Ben-Gurion ordered the navy to drag it out to sea and sink it.