Back in the pre-State era, the Shuni fortress used to serve as the headquarters for the Etzel (Irgun Tzva’i Le’umi), a movement of freedom fighters dedicated to the liberation of the State of Israel from the British Mandate. It was there that Etzel supporters convened and from there that many attacks, including the Acre prison break, were planned and carried out.
Nowadays, the Shuni fortress is part of the well-maintained Jabotinsky Park, but the Etzel has not forgotten its ties to the region. The Brit Hayyale Ha’Etsel, the organization dedicated to the legacy of the Etzel’s contribution to Israel’s liberation, has established the Etzel Museum there to honor the memory of those who fought and fell there. The organization has erected several memorial monuments, like the one in Acre dedicated to those who fell in the prison break and the Altalena Affair, and holds annual memorial services honoring its fallen fighters.