JERUSALEM: Israel announced on Monday it had recovered the wreckage of the Altalena, an arms-smuggling boat whose sinking by the Israeli military just after the state’s founding in 1948 exposed divisions that persist today.The Altalena had set sail from France loaded with weapons packed for the Irgun, the militant Zionist force that conducted attacks against the British colonial authorities and the local Palestinian population in the quest to establish Israel.In June 1948, Israeli forces opened fire and sank the boat in waters off Tel Aviv on the orders of David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prim

Netanyahu uses incident to illustrate dangers of civil war; Ben Gvir likens himself to Irgun leader Begin at separate press event

IDF says it had no part in search for Irgun ship sunk by army; 16 Irgun members, 3 IDF troops died in incident that became right-wing symbol; chances of lifting still-intact…