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The Washington Post

It was an audacious rescue ­mission, one that has taken on mythical proportions and is the subject of books and films.
On June 27, 1976, Palestinian and German terrorists hijacked an Air France flight making its way from Tel Aviv to Paris. The 248 passengers from several nations and a 12-member French crew were taken to the airport in Entebbe in Uganda.
With the help of Idi Amin Dada, the East African country’s ruthless dictator, they were held in a run-down terminal until ­Israeli commandos raided the ­airport one night.
On Monday, Netanyahu will participate in a ceremony at Entebbe to mark the 40th anniversary of the rescue mission. He will become the first Israeli prime minister to visit the country since the crisis and the first in sub-Saharan Africa in 30 years.
Reliving the memory of the Raid on Entebbe
The July 4, 1976, raid at Entebbe is remembered by many Israelis as one of the country’s greatest military feats, and it changed the way governments worldwide confront terrorism.
Netanyahu’s brother, Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, who led the assault team, was the only Israeli soldier killed there. Initially called Operation Thunderbolt, the mission was later renamed Operation Yonatan in his honour.
The operation inspired Netanyahu’s political career: After his brother died, he organised a ­conference on international ­terrorism in his honour. Israel’s ambassador to the United States at the time, Moshe Arens, was so impressed by the younger Netanyahu that he asked him to become involved with explaining Israel’s case to the world, known as “hasbara” in Hebrew.
It was an impossible situation for the Israeli government. But then suddenly, the world woke up to the news that the ­Israelis had succeeded in this impossible situation
British historian Saul David
“And that is how I got into politics,” Netanyahu recently said in a live Facebook video chat.
Over the past 40 years, soldiers who took part in the operation have debated its near-failures, luck and successes, and military historians have called into question some of its myths, including Yonatan Netanyahu’s ­legendary role.
“It was an impossible situation for the Israeli government,” said British historian Saul David, who wrote the book Operation Thunderbolt about the raid.
“But then suddenly, the world woke up to the news that the ­Israelis had succeeded in this impossible situation.”
“The chances of this succeeding were very low, and it came very close to being a disaster,” he said. “In my story, Yoni is not the hero.”
The story started when members of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and a radical left-wing German group, commandeered the plane.

Within days of diverting the plane to Africa, the captors moved the Israeli passengers – about 100 people – to a smaller room. It was especially frightening for the older Israelis, many of whom had painful memories of the second world war when the Nazis sent Europe’s Jews first to the ghettos and then to death camps.
The hijackers demanded the release of dozens of Palestinian and pro-Palestinian prisoners, many in prison for murder.
To some officials, a military operation so far away seemed impossible. But others said that ­giving in to the terrorists’ demands would make Israel appear weak and bring more attacks.
On the fifth day, after most of the non-Israeli hostages were released, generals ­decided to formulate a plan. The plan was to land the planes in darkness in Entebbe, and send a small team into the terminal to kill the terrorists.
Overall, the operation saved 101 hostages. Three of the hostages, however, were killed.
Forty years later, debates about Entebbe continue. But Omer Bar-Lev, who led one of the assault teams, said that “every small detail can be argued about today.


40 years after Entebbe: Netanyahu to visit site of daring hostage-rescue mission

An Israeli family reunion at Ben Gurion Airport after the Israeli raid on a hijacked Air France plane that had been flown to Entebbe, Uganda. Israeli commandos freed 100 hostages held by Palestinian hijackers in a daring operation. Photo: Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on during a meeting with his Italian counterpart Matteo Renzi at Chigi Palace in Rome, Italy June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

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The July 4, 1976, raid at Entebbe is remembered by many Israelis as one of the country’s greatest military feats


40 years after Entebbe: Netanyahu to visit site of daring hostage-rescue mission

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The July 4, 1976, raid at Entebbe is remembered by many Israelis as one of the country’s greatest military feats

The July 4, 1976, raid at Entebbe is remembered by many Israelis as one of the country’s greatest military feats