Israel has found the wreck of the Altalena, an arms ship that was sunk in 1948 after a deadly clash between Israel’s newly formed military and the right-wing Irgun militia.
The wreck was found 78 years later at a depth of 503 metres off Israel’s Mediterranean coast.
The discovery comes less than two months before Israel’s legislative elections on Oct. 27 and has brought the long-running dispute over the Altalena back into the political debate.
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced the discovery. Eliyahu said the ship was found intact at 12:30 a.m.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the discovery. Netanyahu’s Likud party was founded by Menachem Begin, the Irgun leader who was involved in the Altalena affair.
Why the Altalena was sunk?
The Altalena left Marseille, France, in June 1948 carrying weapons, Jewish immigrants and fighters for the Irgun, a militant Zionist group.
The ship carried about 5,000 rifles, 450 machine guns
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