Arab Nations Unite: The 1948 Attack on Israel

Irgun

1948 saw the birth of the Modern State of Israel, which was then immediately invaded by it's five Arab Neighbors. The Jews sought to establish a homeland for their people, while the Arabs sought to eradicate those who would challenge their supremacy.

Not a single Jew was left alive in the areas occupied by the Arabs. They had either fled or been slaughtered, often with the bodies mutilated. That speaks volumes. 

And it’s history constantly repeated. Arab nationalism was influenced by Nazism. Begin refused to leave the burning Altadena and was thrown over by his supporters. The Palmach (who had been shooting at the ship and those swimming to shore) tried to capture Begin but he managed to escape. 

He went on the radio and called the Irgun fighters not surrender, to avoid a civil war. Kfar Vitkin was a labor (Ben Gurion's) faction settlement. Its location for disembarkation was "odd" and slowly Hagana men began to surround the Altalena's ground crew. The initial fighting caused the deaths of Irgun men.

It was a travesty, but there as another ship called Nora that arrived with arms a few months earlier (April 1-2) Altadena in June 20th. these two ships were vital.