June 22, 1948
The IDF Shells the Altalena
Historical context
On June 22, 1948, IDF guns set the Altalena on fire off Tel Aviv. Sixteen Irgun fighters and three soldiers were killed in the confrontation.
Archive record
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- Date
- June 22, 1948
- Verified sources
- 1
- Archive threads
- 4
On this day, IDF artillery set the Altalena on fire off Tel Aviv. The Jewish Virtual Library records that the ship, carrying Irgun fighters and weapons, had reached Kfar Vitkin on June 20. After a clash there, Menachem Begin took it to Tel Aviv. David Ben-Gurion ordered Yigael Yadin to take the ship by force. At 4 p.m. he ordered it shelled.
Captain Monroe Fein ordered everyone off because the holds held explosives. Sixteen Irgun fighters and three IDF soldiers were killed in the whole confrontation, some at Kfar Vitkin and some at Tel Aviv. More than 200 Irgun members were arrested. Most were released within weeks.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- The Altalena Affair · Jewish Virtual Library · Jewish Virtual Library View source
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