Israel unlikely to face civil war despite political divisions
Ori Goldberg
Despite deep political divisions, Israel is unlikely to experience civil war due to broad consensus on Jewish supremacy, occupation, and military might. The Altalena symbol has been revived by Netanyahu, but fundamental agreements on security and policy prevent internal conflict.
On August 24, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood outside the Etzel Museum on the Tel Aviv seafront after the wreck of the Altalena ship was discovered. The vessel belonged to the right-wing Zionist paramilitary organization Etzel and was sunk by the newly formed Israeli army in 1948. Netanyahu promised to salvage it and turn it into a symbol for future generations, with a central message: "Never again civil war."
Etzel, also known as Irgun in English, championed an extreme nationalist vision of Jewish political life and advocated for Jewish military supremacy. The organization operated as an independent armed force before Israel's establishment and refused to hand over its weapons and autonomy to the new state. In June 1948, while being integrated into the newly formed Israeli military forces, the Altalena arrived carrying over 900 immigrants, medical supplies, and a large quantity of weapons. Irgun and the government could not agree on control of these arms, and the dispute escalated into fighting. After an initial confrontation in northern Tel Aviv, the ship moved southward. Left-wing Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion ordered Israeli forces to sink it off the coast of Tel Aviv. Etzel leader Menachem Begin, who was on board, urged his supporters not to retaliate and warned against civil war.
For the Israeli right wing, the Altalena became a symbol of the left's willingness to use force against fellow Jews to impose political authority. The event persisted as a historical grievance but never became a permanent feature of Israeli political life. For decades, it was mostly a symbolic story, occasionally referenced before fading into historical memory. The ship's discovery amid an election campaign abruptly revived this symbol. By invoking Begin's warning about civil war while reopening one of the right's oldest grievances against the left, Netanyahu was not merely calling for unity. He was also issuing a veiled threat: We remember what you did. If necessary, we will come for you as you came for us.
However, is Israel really heading toward civil war? This seems highly unlikely. The reason is simple: Israelis ultimately agree with each other. There is no deep ideological division in Israeli public opinion. Instead, there is a broad and profound consensus. Security is the foundation of Israeli public life and identity, overriding all other considerations. The primary purpose of the Israeli state is to keep Jews alive, preferably by establishing their supremacy over neighboring peoples, foremost among them the Palestinians, who compete with them for control of similar resources. Security is considered "non-political." The October 7, 2023 attack changed Israel's security doctrine almost overnight. Concepts such as peace or normalization are no longer compatible with a security doctrine centered on ensuring the safety of Jews.
Israel needs the ability to fight when, where, and how it sees fit. Israel needs to increase its already unprecedented impunity and ensure freedom of decision in pursuing its aggressive policies. All Jewish political parties—with "Zionism" now effectively a code word for "Jewish"—agree on this, even if they differ on scope. In other words, this is an agreement to ensure Jewish supremacy in Israel, without considering ending the occupation—which the International Court of Justice has ruled illegal—and continuing an endless war that provides Israel with reasons to "take the war to the enemy," wherever that may be.
In concrete political terms, this means the Israeli public may despise Netanyahu's morality and personal conduct, but the vast majority still agrees with his policies. Reading the Hebrew press and social media, it is not hard to see that, except for at most a few thousand people, Israeli Jews are willing to live with this tension and support Israel's genocidal policies without end.
This consensus is deeper and stronger than symbolic games with outdated relics. The Israeli army will never open fire on settlers trying to drive Palestinians from their homes. The Israeli army remains Israel: it is the furnace that forges Israeli nationalism. As long as Jewish supremacy remains the foundation of the Israeli army and state, there will be no civil war.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
