Netanyahu mourns brother at Entebbe
FORMER Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday visited the old airport in Entebbe to commemorate the 29th death anniversary of his brother, Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the hero of the 1976 spectacular 90-minute rescue operation code-named, “Operation Thunderbolt.â€
By Emmy Allio and Felix Osike
FORMER Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday visited the old airport in Entebbe to commemorate the 29th death anniversary of his brother, Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the hero of the 1976 spectacular 90-minute rescue operation code-named, “Operation Thunderbolt.â€
Lt. Col. Yotani Netanyahu, the commander of the rescue, was shot dead on July 4, 1976 when he went back to the tarmac to organise the hostages to board the rescue plane.
A Uganda soldier fired from the old control tower, shot him in the back and he fell in the open space near the old Airport’s main entrance. The spot has since been marked red and the Israeli want to build a monument there to commemorate the event. His body was taken to Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu, now the finance minister, was accompanied to the ceremony by three Israeli army generals and Israeli businessman Col. Amos Golan.
He was invited by Uganda government to attend the ceremony unveiling a memorial to the operation where the rescue took place.
President Yoweri Museveni said at the ceremony that although he supported the Palestinian cause for justice, “we disagree with some of their methods of indiscriminate violence.â€
He said Israelis and Palestinians are from the same home area and should live together peacefully.
On the 1976 Israeli raid, Museveni said it was not an attack on Uganda but a personal attack on former President Idi Amin whom he said hosted and collaborated with the hostage takers as well as playing the role of the chief negotiator. Museveni said Amin regularly visited the Palestinian hijackers for a week of their stay in Entebbe.
Museveni said the successful Israeli rescue mission encouraged the anti-Amin fighting groups to go on. Defence minister Amama Mbabazi and of the presidency Beatrice Wabudeya attended.
The UPDF played funeral songs.
Netanyahu promised to talk to Uganda’s Civil Aviation Authority to rehabilitate the airport which he said was a symbol of peace.
He said the death of his brother should serve as a permanent mark for cooperation with Uganda to defeat terrorism. He flew back to Israel after the ceremony.
On June 27, 1976 Palestinians hijacked an Air France airliner on its way from Athens to Paris. Flight 139 had originated from Tel Aviv and one of the hijackers was a founder of the terrorist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The hijackers re-routed the plane to Entebbe with a short stopover at Benghazi, Libya for refuelling. The hijackers demanded the release of 53 convicted terrorists including 40 held in Israel, six in West Germany, five in Kenya, one in Switzerland and another in France
The 250 hostages were crammed in the terminal at the old airport in disused chairs and on cracking floors.
FORMER Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday visited the old airport in Entebbe to commemorate the 29th death anniversary of his brother, Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the hero of the 1976 spectacular 90-minute rescue operation code-named, “Operation Thunderbolt.â€
Lt. Col. Yotani Netanyahu, the commander of the rescue, was shot dead on July 4, 1976 when he went back to the tarmac to organise the hostages to board the rescue plane.
A Uganda soldier fired from the old control tower, shot him in the back and he fell in the open space near the old Airport’s main entrance. The spot has since been marked red and the Israeli want to build a monument there to commemorate the event. His body was taken to Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu, now the finance minister, was accompanied to the ceremony by three Israeli army generals and Israeli businessman Col. Amos Golan.
He was invited by Uganda government to attend the ceremony unveiling a memorial to the operation where the rescue took place.
President Yoweri Museveni said at the ceremony that although he supported the Palestinian cause for justice, “we disagree with some of their methods of indiscriminate violence.â€
He said Israelis and Palestinians are from the same home area and should live together peacefully.
On the 1976 Israeli raid, Museveni said it was not an attack on Uganda but a personal attack on former President Idi Amin whom he said hosted and collaborated with the hostage takers as well as playing the role of the chief negotiator. Museveni said Amin regularly visited the Palestinian hijackers for a week of their stay in Entebbe.
Museveni said the successful Israeli rescue mission encouraged the anti-Amin fighting groups to go on. Defence minister Amama Mbabazi and of the presidency Beatrice Wabudeya attended.
The UPDF played funeral songs.
Netanyahu promised to talk to Uganda’s Civil Aviation Authority to rehabilitate the airport which he said was a symbol of peace.
He said the death of his brother should serve as a permanent mark for cooperation with Uganda to defeat terrorism. He flew back to Israel after the ceremony.
On June 27, 1976 Palestinians hijacked an Air France airliner on its way from Athens to Paris. Flight 139 had originated from Tel Aviv and one of the hijackers was a founder of the terrorist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The hijackers re-routed the plane to Entebbe with a short stopover at Benghazi, Libya for refuelling. The hijackers demanded the release of 53 convicted terrorists including 40 held in Israel, six in West Germany, five in Kenya, one in Switzerland and another in France
The 250 hostages were crammed in the terminal at the old airport in disused chairs and on cracking floors.