Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir both delivered statements today after the wreck of the Altalena was located off Israel’s coast, but their separate appearances hinted at friction on the Israeli right over the government’s future direction.

Netanyahu emphasized unity, recalling how Irgun commander Menachem Begin ordered his fighters to stand down even as they came under fire, refusing to let the Altalena affair spiral into civil war. Netanyahu held up “civil war – never” as the central lesson, stressing that unity is Israel’s strength.

Ben-Gvir, appearing separately with Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, struck a sharper political edge. After Netanyahu avoided a joint appearance to skip being photographed with him, Ben-Gvir said Begin “knew well the taste of persecution – the taste of people not wanting to be photographed with you on the same stage,” subtly likening his own treatment to Begin’s.

June 1948: The Altalena burns off Tel Aviv after being shelled by Israeli forces during a dispute over weapons.

While Netanyahu has given no indication he intends to abandon his current right-wing coalition, his emphasis on unity has fueled speculation that he could eventually seek a broader, more centrist government that leaves Ben-Gvir and the harder right outside.