Uganda unveils memorial statue of Yoni Netanyahu

Uganda has unveiled a statue commemorating Yoni Netanyahu, the Israeli commando and brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was killed during the Entebbe rescue operation.

In a speech given by the leader of Uganda’s armed forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba at the ceremony, the high ranking official described Yoni Netanyahu’s “leadership and ultimate sacrifice” as “an enduring symbol of courage, duty and selfless service.”

Kainerugaba, the son of Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni, had previously vowed to build the statue after posting on social media that he had repeatedly been told in his dreams by a divine power to build the statue. No representatives of the Israeli government were present at the ceremony, but Barak Orland, an Israeli businessman who lives in Uganda and is believed to be close to Museveni, was present.

The Entebbe Raid, also known as Operation Thunderbolt, was an Israeli military operation launched following the hijacking of an Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris by Palestinian and German Communist terrorists. Having seized control of the aircraft, the terrorists then flew it to Uganda, where they were welcomed by the country’s dictator at the time, Idi Amin. While most non-Israeli hostages were released in subsequent days, more than 100 were kept at a disused terminal at Entebbe Airport.

Fifty years after the Entebbe raid, Uganda unveils a memorial to Yoni Netanyahu, the fallen commando and brother of Israel's prime minister. pic.twitter.com/zakFYZdbkm
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On 3 July 1976, Israeli elite special forces units were flown 2,500 miles, carrying out a daring rescue operation in which all but 4 of the hostages were rescued. The terrorists were all killed, as were 45 Ugandan soldiers protecting the site. 11 Ugandan fighter jets were also destroyed, so as to prevent the returning Israeli carrier aircraft from being intercepted. Yoni Netanyahu, the commander of the elite Sayeret Matkal unit that carried out the operation, was the only Israeli military casualty.

As reported by the Kampala Post, Kainerugaba went on to say that “as we gather here, we also respectfully remember the innocent hostages who lost their lives during those tragic events,” he said. “Their memory remains an important part of this solemn history.”

Three hostages – Jean-Jacques Mimouni, Pasco Cohen and Ida Borochovitch – died during the rescue operation. An elderly passenger, Dora Bloch, who had been taken to a hospital in Kampala for medical care, was subsequently murdered on the orders of Amin.

Kainerugaba also acknowledged the Ugandan soldiers who had died during the operation, saying that they “fought valiantly… in what they believed was a justified cause. Of course, today, we know that the government of Idi Amin, which they served, was a brutal dictatorship which did not represent the Ugandan people.

“The friendship between Uganda and Israel extends well beyond the events of 1976. Our two countries have enjoyed good relations for a long time now, founded on mutual respect and practical cooperation.”

The 50^th anniversary of the Entebbe raid was commemorated six weeks ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at a memorial service, saying: “Fifty years have passed since my eldest brother, Yoni, fell in the heroic operation to free the hostages in Entebbe. Fifty years have passed, Yoni, and there is not a single day that I do not think of you. I remember you with infinite longing, with deep pain and with immense pride.”