"Remember the Altalena with its Weapons and Soldiers", illustrated poster. Printer and illustrator not indicated, [Israel, ca. 1948].

Impressive illustration depicting the ship "Altalena" in the open sea. Printed in red, blue, and black.

Apparently printed by the Herut movement or former Irgun members after the shelling of the "Altalena" off the coast of Tel Aviv.

The ship "Altalena", named after Ze'ev Jabotinsky's literary pseudonym, was purchased in the USA in the summer of 1947 by the "Hebrew Committee for the Liberation of the Nation". Initially intended to bring illegal Jewish immigrants to Eretz Israel, it was later decided to also use it to transport weapons and military equipment for the Irgun. In June 1948, the ship sailed to the shores of Israel, carrying about 900 immigrants and a large amount of military equipment; however, in the meantime, the IDF had been established, and the Irgun was disbanded.

Even before the ship reached the shores of Israel, serious disagreements arose between the Irgun leadership and representatives of the Israeli government. The Irgun demanded that the military equipment on board the "Altalena" be transferred to Irgun units fighting within the IDF and Irgun units in the Jerusalem area (where units of the underground organization maintained their independence), while government representatives demanded that the military equipment be handed over first to the IDF. Upon the Altalena's arrival at the Kfar Vitkin shore on June 20, 1948, the area was surrounded by forces from the Alexandroni Brigade, and the Irgun members were required to immediately hand over the weapons unloaded from the ship to IDF authorities. Following the Irgun members' refusal, exchanges of fire broke out between IDF and Irgun forces, and the ship fled from the shore and sailed south towards Tel Aviv.

Upon its arrival off the coast of Tel Aviv on June 22, the exchanges of fire between IDF forces and Irgun members resumed, during which the ship was hit and caught fire. The "Altalena Affair" stirred the public in the country and sparked much controversy. Years after the incident, disputes and different versions of the exact sequence of events still exist.

A report about the distribution of the poster appeared in the left-wing newspaper "Al HaMishmar" on July 29, 1948: "The Irgun members, led by the 'Führer' M. Begin... announce from the billboards across Israel: 'Remember the Altalena!'" (to the best of our knowledge, this phrase appeared only on this poster).

69.5X49.5 cm. Good condition. Creases. Some stains. Framed. Not examined outside the frame.