Palmach Units's Involvement in the Affair
Palmach's headquarters at the Ritz Hotel on Hayarkon Street in Tel Aviv were located alongside the beach where the Etzel members were unloading cargo onto a boat sailing between the shore and the ship, transferring people and weapons back and forth.
Palmach's headquarters at the Ritz Hotel on Hayarkon Street in Tel Aviv were located alongside the beach where the Etzel members were unloading cargo onto a boat sailing between the shore and the ship, transferring people and weapons back and forth. Headquarter officers positioned soldiers around the building. Yitzak Rabin, Operations Officer for the Palmach, who was preoccupied during this same time planning out the 'Danny' operation with Yigal Alon, arrived to the headquarters. Due to the fact that Etzel was firing on the headquarters and had attacked a number of times, Rabin took charge and gave orders to the 'Yiftach Brigade' headquarters, located at Tzrifin, to send at least one company of soldiers to protect the Palmach headquarters. Also, Moshe Netzer, Commander of the Second Battalion, was ordered to delay those units that were to go south to the Negev (at the end of their holiday) and those heading up from the Negev (on their way to holiday), and to assemble them at 'Camp Yonah'.
Yigal Alon was updated by the General Staff regarding developments and was appointed Commander of the Beach Segment. Brigadier General Yigal Yadin gave orders to the Commander of artillerymans to send a battery of 65 mm. artillery to 'Camp Yonah'. Once the artillery was assembled there, his commander notified him that the staff is refusing to fire on other Jews. Yadin sent a messenger with Ben Gurion's orders to fire 5 shells toward the ship. The staff began shooting and the fourth shell hit the ship. Smoke rose from the ship and approximately 15 minutes later there was an explosion on board. Alon ordered the shelling to stop and to abstain from shooting at those in the water. Moshe Kellman, Commander of the Third Battalion, set off for Tel Aviv with the people of Company 'Gimel', equipped with machine guns and 'Piat' launchers. He briefed the company as to their mission: to release the Palmach headquarters from the blockade that the Etzel had placed on it. He even warned that there was a chance that they would need to shoot other Jews. The company arrived to the center of Tel Aviv and made its way toward the beach. On its way it ran into Etzel people. There were altercations and fistfights but no one fired a shot. When the company arrived to the Palmach headquarters, the Etzel people who had seiged the building were dispersed peacefully.
When it was discovered that a huge quantity of explosives was in the belly of the ship, homes in the area were evacuated and the Palmach headquarters moved to 'Camp Yonah'.
The Regiment Commander Moshe Netzer who had managed to delay 50 fighters returning from holiday, organized them into two deparments under the command of Gershon Dubenbaum ('Dubembaum'). Meir Derzdener (from the Third Battalion) concentrated an armored line, made up of 6 half-track vehicles and 2 armored cars, in order to have a presence in the city and disperse unwanted gatherings. When they encountered demonstrations by a few hundred Etzel people, shots were fired above their heads and they were dispersed.
Yigal Alon also arrived to the headquarters after shells were fired and heard from Yisrael Carmi that 'Animals of the Negev' were to cross southern lines in the night on their way to holiday in the north. Alon ordered delaying their holiday and had them assemble at 'Camp Yonah'.
The "Animals of the Negev' arrived at 'Camp Yonah' on 23.6.48 and were given information about the affair and their plans to go out into the night and take over the Etzel headquarters in south Tel Aviv. Many of the "Animals of the Negev" opposed taking part in the operation of taking over the Etzel headquarters located in the Freud Hospital in South Tel Aviv, and in general opposed acting out against Jews.
Yigal Alon was updated by the General Staff regarding developments and was appointed Commander of the Beach Segment. Brigadier General Yigal Yadin gave orders to the Commander of artillerymans to send a battery of 65 mm. artillery to 'Camp Yonah'. Once the artillery was assembled there, his commander notified him that the staff is refusing to fire on other Jews. Yadin sent a messenger with Ben Gurion's orders to fire 5 shells toward the ship. The staff began shooting and the fourth shell hit the ship. Smoke rose from the ship and approximately 15 minutes later there was an explosion on board. Alon ordered the shelling to stop and to abstain from shooting at those in the water. Moshe Kellman, Commander of the Third Battalion, set off for Tel Aviv with the people of Company 'Gimel', equipped with machine guns and 'Piat' launchers. He briefed the company as to their mission: to release the Palmach headquarters from the blockade that the Etzel had placed on it. He even warned that there was a chance that they would need to shoot other Jews. The company arrived to the center of Tel Aviv and made its way toward the beach. On its way it ran into Etzel people. There were altercations and fistfights but no one fired a shot. When the company arrived to the Palmach headquarters, the Etzel people who had seiged the building were dispersed peacefully.
When it was discovered that a huge quantity of explosives was in the belly of the ship, homes in the area were evacuated and the Palmach headquarters moved to 'Camp Yonah'.
The Regiment Commander Moshe Netzer who had managed to delay 50 fighters returning from holiday, organized them into two deparments under the command of Gershon Dubenbaum ('Dubembaum'). Meir Derzdener (from the Third Battalion) concentrated an armored line, made up of 6 half-track vehicles and 2 armored cars, in order to have a presence in the city and disperse unwanted gatherings. When they encountered demonstrations by a few hundred Etzel people, shots were fired above their heads and they were dispersed.
Yigal Alon also arrived to the headquarters after shells were fired and heard from Yisrael Carmi that 'Animals of the Negev' were to cross southern lines in the night on their way to holiday in the north. Alon ordered delaying their holiday and had them assemble at 'Camp Yonah'.
The "Animals of the Negev' arrived at 'Camp Yonah' on 23.6.48 and were given information about the affair and their plans to go out into the night and take over the Etzel headquarters in south Tel Aviv. Many of the "Animals of the Negev" opposed taking part in the operation of taking over the Etzel headquarters located in the Freud Hospital in South Tel Aviv, and in general opposed acting out against Jews.