First Shin Bet Chief Reveals Rare Recording on Altalena Crisis and Civil War Fears

A rare historical recording of Isser Harel, the first head of Shin Bet and second head of Mossad, has been uncovered at the Ben-Gurion House in Tel Aviv. In the recording, made during a meeting with students at David Ben-Gurion's home after his death, Harel recounts his firsthand experience of the tense days following Israel's establishment, focusing on the Altalena Affair. He describes the critical decisions taken by Ben-Gurion to prevent the young state from descending into civil war, emphasizing the principle that "only one government decides and one army executes."

Harel explains that Ben-Gurion feared that if the small state and its nascent army were divided among various factions, the country would collapse. The Altalena incident occurred amid the ongoing War of Independence, when a ceasefire was urgently needed. Harel recalls a palpable fear of internal conflict, stating, "It was as if a civil war was in the air. We had not yet finished the War of Liberation, and already there was danger of a civil war."

The recording reveals that after the crisis, Ben-Gurion and Harel sought to calm tensions by integrating former Irgun (Etzel) leaders, who had been detained, into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Harel proposed this to Ben-Gurion to demonstrate that the government’s goal was unity rather than revenge. Ben-Gurion accepted the idea immediately, contradicting later portrayals of him as vindictive or partisan.

Harel also recounts efforts to incorporate members of Lehi (Stern Gang) into state institutions, including Mossad, following state actions against Lehi after the assassination of UN mediator Folke Bernadotte. Among those integrated was Yitzhak Shamir, who later became prime minister. Harel highlights Ben-Gurion’s dual approach: exercising firm state authority while allowing political and organizational rivals to join the national effort if they agreed to the state’s path.

Nelly Markman, CEO of the Ben-Gurion House, noted the recording’s value as a direct testimony from a key security figure during Israel’s formative period. She emphasized the relevance of Ben-Gurion’s principle of unified government and military command amid today’s societal divisions, underscoring the importance of revisiting these foundational moments.