Historical Document: The surrender agreement in the Altalena Affair, signed on June 22, 1948, between the IDF and ...

Historical Document: The surrender agreement in the Altalena Affair, signed on June 22, 1948, between the IDF and the Irgun fighters barricaded in Kfar Vitkin after the explosion of the Altana weapons ship off the coast of Tel Aviv. The document is original. It is noticeable that the signatures of Dan Epstein and Yaakov Weinirsky made an indent in the paper on the other side. Tear at bottom of document.

The Altana was a ship purchased by the Irgun in the summer of 1947 and sailed to Israel about a month after the state was founded. On board were approximately 1,000 immigrants, large arms and medical equipment. Upon the ship's arrival in Israel, all attempts to negotiate between the Irgun leadership led by Menachem Begin and the the newly created Israel Defense Forces, failed. The IDF demanded that the weapons be delivered to them. 

On June 20th, the Altana came to the shore of Kfar Vitkin and the Irgun tried to unload the weapons that were onboard. The ship was labeled by IDF forces and an exchange of gunfire broke out between the parties. Altana fled south toward Tel Aviv. Etzel fighters hid in Kfar Vitkin and were under siege. On June 22nd, the day of the signing of the agreement, the exchange of fire between the IDF and the Irgun in Kfar Vitkin resumed.

On that same day, an IDF shell hit the Altana ship off the coast of Tel Aviv. Sixteen Etzel fighters and three IDF fighters found their death. The letter of Arrangement between the Commander of the Israel Defense Forces in the Kfar Vitkin area, Major General Dan Epstein (later Major General Dan Even (Epstein) commander of the Alexandroni Brigade), and the commander of the Irgun forces in the Kfar Vitakin area, Yaakov Viniarsky (later Ya'akov Meridor, the Irgun commander and minister in the Begin government), 27 June 1948.

The document summarizes the cessation of hostile activity between the two bodies, the delivery of the Irgun weapons to the IDF, the release of the Irgun prisoners held by the IDF and more. A copy of the document appears in the National Library under the title "Etzel-IDF in the Altana Case".