Uganda’s military unveils statue of Netanyahu’s brother who died in 1976 Entebbe hostage rescue
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda’s military unveiled a monument to an older brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who was killed during a hostage rescue operation in the East African country in 1976.
The statue of Yonatan Netanyahu holding an assault rifle was unveiled on Saturday by Ugandan military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who said he commissioned the monument to pay tribute to the soldier’s courage. Among those attending the ceremony were Israelis including Barak Orland, a businessman in Uganda.
Kainerugaba is the eldest child of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his presumed heir apparent.
The statue is outside the airport terminal in the town of Entebbe where Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu was struck by a bullet as he led Israeli commandos in a mission to rescue 106 passengers who had been taken hostage on an Air France flight. He was the only Israeli commando killed in the mission.
“Today, this memorial stands not only in remembrance of a distinguished soldier, but also as a tribute to the enduring values he embodied: courage in the face of danger, unwavering commitment to protecting innocent lives, and steadfast devotion to duty,” Kainerugaba said at the ceremony.
The hijackers, two Palestinians and two Germans, separated dozens of Jewish and Israeli passengers from the rest and threatened to kill them if Israel did not free dozens of Palestinian prisoners.
A week of negotiations followed as Israel planned the rescue operation. The commandos broke into the airport on July 3, 1976, and saved all but three hostages killed in the crossfire. Dozens of Ugandan soldiers were killed in the operation that lasted less than an hour.
Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, who had severed ties with Israel, was a supporter of the Palestinian independence cause.
Israel’s success humiliated and enraged Amin. The operation was criticized by the Organization of African Unity — the African Union’s predecessor organization — which saw the raid as a violation of Uganda’s sovereignty.
The rescue is a seminal event in Israeli history, widely seen as one of the country’s greatest military successes, and the Israeli prime minister has previously said his brother’s death in the raid “changed the course” of his life.
Ties between Uganda and Israel are cordial.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said he supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.