Faith & Fate
A NEW BEGINNING 1948 – 1957
LESSON 2.3 THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE IRGUN AND THE HAGANNAH –
THE ALTALENA STORY – FORMATION OF THE IDF
GOALS OF THE LESSON
- A. To describe the two main fighting forces of Jews prior to the State and even after the State was founded, and how they differed in ideologies and tactics.
- B. To describe how these differences came to a head with the Altalena, and the tragedy that ensued.
- C. To demonstrate how the conflict was resolved and how the Israel Defense Forces was founded.
View Video 2:25 min
SYNOPSIS OF FILM CLIP
Prior to the founding of the State, there were two main Jewish fighting forces battling both the British and the Arabs. Although they had combined briefly, each army represented the two different main political parties and views in Israel. The Haganah was the “mainstream” army representing the Jewish Agency, Labor Zionists and secularists who ran the pre-government during the British Mandate. The Irgun/Etzel forces were more radical in their thinking and tactics, and subscribed to a more right wing ideology established by Zeev Jabotinksy. Tension had always existed between these two groups and these two armies, even after the State was declared. The provisional government led by David Ben Gurion wanted one united army, but the Irgun forces, led by Menachem Begin, wanted to maintain their independence. This tension flared into actual conflict when the Irgun attempted to bring in many arms and weapons on a ship called the Altalena which landed near Tel Aviv. When Ben Gurion ordered the ship to be blown up, an armed battle erupted and 16 members of the Irgun died while the Haganah suffered the loss of three soldiers. A potential civil war was averted when Menachem Begin backed down and ordered his men to stop firing. Eventually some of the Irgun was absorbed into the regular Israeli army which was united under David Ben Gurion, who was also Defense Minister, and renamed the Israel Defense Forces.
SUGGESTED QUESTIONS
- 1. Describe the Hagannah, Palmach, Irgun and Etzel. Analyze the differences between these different fighting forces.
- 2. Explain why Menachem Begin wanted to maintain his fighting forces (Irgun) even after the State was declared and why Ben Gurion wanted one united army under his command.
- 3. What happened with the Altalena? What prevented an all out civil war? How was the conflict ultimately resolved?
MAIN TALKING POINTS OF THE LESSON
- A. The Hagannah represented the mainstream army, supported by the left wing, Labor leaders, who founded the State of Israel. The Irgun under Menachem Begin and the Stern Gang represented more radical fighting forces following the right wing ideology of Zeev Jabotinksy. Both forces were helpful in fighting the Arabs and helped force the British to leave.