In the 1930s and 1940s, Atlit detainee camp was used by the British authorities to detain illegal immigrants to Palestine. Athlith is located 20 Km south of Haifa. Many immigrants had escaped Nazi Europe, and most of them remained a few months and were released.

In November 1940, the British authorities decided to send 5000 "illegals" to be detained in Mauritius. One of the deporting ships was the "Patria". To stop the deportion the Hagganah, a Jewish resistance organisation, blew a small hole in the hold (this occurred on 24 November) but the Patria was an old and rusty vessel and sank quickly. On board were 1800 refugees; 216 refugees drowned in the disaster. The survivors from the Patria were detained in Atlit and not deported to Maurituis. They were released after a few months.

The "Darien II" arrived with 800 refugees in March 1941. They were detained at Athlith camp until September 1942, when the camp was closed.

Atlith camp was reopened in 1945 after the World War II, as more and more "illegals" arrived in Palestine.

10 October 1945, the Palmach (Unit of the Hagganah) broke into the camp and released 200 detainees that escaped. Yitzhak Rabin, then a young officer, commanded this raid.

After this event the British deported illegals to Cyprus.

The Athlith Detainee Camp is today a musuem dedicated to the Aliya Beth