Eu Day Light

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made remarks at the Etzel Museum in Tel Aviv following the discovery of the Altalena ship after 78 years.

Netanyahu recalled Etzel commander Menachem Begin’s message during the Altalena affair: “Never again civil war.” Netanyahu said the Altalena carried a significant amount of weapons for troops during Israel’s War of Independence and stated that 16 Etzel members and 3 Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed in clashes that broke out while the ship was being brought ashore.

Netanyahu said that the comrades of those who lost their lives in the Altalena incident later continued fighting in the ranks of the Israel Defense Forces during the War of Independence, adding that he attends the annual memorial ceremonies.

Netanyahu said he wanted the story of the Altalena affair to be included in school textbooks so that it could be passed on to future generations in Israel. He also said that he established the Heritage Directorate within the Prime Minister’s Office in 2009 and that restoration work on historical sites was being carried out.

Netanyahu said the first search for the Altalena was conducted in 2011 but produced no results, and that he instructed the search to resume in 2019. He announced that, with the help of information from the diary of the ship’s captain, Emanuel Fein, the Altalena was found today, 78 years after it sank.

Netanyahu described the discovery of the ship as an “emotional and formative moment,” saying, “Division is weakness, unity is strength.”

Netanyahu said that brothers had died at one another’s hands while the Altalena burned off the coast of Tel Aviv, and announced that efforts would also be made to raise the ship from the depths of the sea.

Netanyahu said they aim to turn the Altalena into a tangible symbol for future generations, concluding his remarks with the words: “Never again civil war. Because we are brothers, the sons and daughters of Israel.”