Updated

The wreck of the Altalena, sunk in 1948 during a violent clash between Israel's fledgling government and the right-wing Irgun militia, has become a flashpoint in a political rivalry between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Both men have invoked the ship's legacy to bolster their standing within Israel's nationalist camp, exposing deep fissures on the Israeli right. The rivalry has intensified as a new poll shows a party led by Naftali Bennett ally 'Winter' surging to six seats, pushing Ben-Gvir's Religious Zionism party below the electoral threshold. Netanyahu has urged Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to unite their factions, warning that a fractured right-wing bloc could lose power entirely, while Ben-Gvir has accused Netanyahu of secretly planning to abandon his coalition partners after the next election.