On July 4, 1976, the day that marked America’s bicentennial, halfway round the world, a dramatic rescue took place. 100 IDF commandos, belonging to the elite unit Sayeret Matkal, with Lt.-Col. Yonatan Netanyahu leading them, flew 2,500 miles from Israel to Entebbe, Uganda. Their mission was to rescue the passengers who had been on an Air France plane that four Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorists — two Palestinians and two Germans — had hijacked during a stopover in Athens. At Entebbe, three other terrorists had joined their fellows. After moving all of the hostages to a defunct airport, the hijackers separated all Israelis and several non-Israeli Jews from the larger group of passengers, subsequently moving them into a separate room. Over the next two days, 148 non-Israeli hostages were released and flown out to Paris. The 94 remaining passengers, most of whom were Israelis, and the 12-member Air France crew, continued to be held as hostages. Their captors wanted some 80 Palestinian prisoners being held in several countries, to be released, and $5 million in ransom money to be paid, in exchange for the passengers’ freedom.
The commandos stormed the terminal. They managed to kill 45 of the 100 Ugandan soldiers guarding the passengers still being held, and all seven of the terrorists. Five Israeli commandos were wounded, and one — Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the leader of the mission — was killed.
During the five day ordeal, from when plane was first hijacked to when the Israeli rescue mission was complete, much of the world held its breath, hoping for an Israeli success. Those were different days, with a clearer understanding of Israel and those who wanted, as they still do, to destroy the Jewish state.
More about the planning and the execution of the rescue, and about Idi Amin, who though a criminal and a lunatic was also a Muslim, and so when he needed it, the PLO, Libya, and finally, Saudi Arabia, provided him with help, can be found here: “The dictator in the terminal: Idi Amin and the Entebbe hostage crisis, 50 years on,” by Alex Winston, Jerusalem Post, July 2, 2026:
ACT I – The clock starts
Just after lunchtime on June 27, 1976, the first report reached the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem: an Air France plane had been hijacked.
The aircraft, carrying more than 250 passengers and crew, had been seized after a stopover in Athens by two Palestinians from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – External Operations, Jayel al-Arja and Fayez Abdul-Rahim al-Jaber, and two Germans from the Revolutionary Cells, Wilfried Böse and Brigitte Kuhlmann.
Two hours later, at 2:30 p.m., the aircraft was on the ground in Benghazi, Libya. The identity of the hijackers was still unclear at the time. As for the passengers, early Israeli reports listed 83 Israelis and around 140 flyers from other countries.
At 4 p.m., then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was briefed. Israel informed France that, because the aircraft belonged to Air France, Paris was expected to act “by all required means” to ensure the safety and release of the passengers, particularly the Israelis.
According to Israeli records, France said it accepted responsibility for the passengers and their release.
Later that evening, the plane departed Benghazi before making its way to Entebbe, Uganda. Rabin was initially relieved that the aircraft had reached Uganda rather than an Arab country.
Uganda was familiar. Israeli officers had trained Ugandan forces in earlier years. Idi Amin, Uganda’s president for life, who was in power since 1971, had once enjoyed warm ties with Israel. Somewhere, it was thought, there might still be a personal channel.
However, that early sense of Amin possibly helping would dissolve over the next few days as the dictator supported the terrorists and distanced himself from Israel….
One glimpse into the mindset of the Ugandan leader can be found in his official title: His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, CBE, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular….
Be sure to read the entire gripping account.
Idi Amin was a lunatic and a killer, but that didn’t bother the PLO or Muammar Qaddafi, who supported him; nor did it bother the House of Saud that gave him sanctuary. Why should it? He was a Muslim, as King Faisal, Yasser Arafat, and Muammar Qaddafi all knew, and thus one of the “best of peoples.”
somehistory says
“Idi Amin, who though a criminal and a lunatic was also a Muslim,” Just writing that he was muzzlim lets us know the other parts….criminal lunatic.
That’s the correct way to deal with the scum who take hostages, mistreat, torture and murder, and demand that their fellow scum be released from the prisons where they belong.
Mr. Netanyahu was more like David than many. He gave his life for his friends.
Luchtpint says
Amin was the third son born to Muslim parents, Amin Dada Nyabira Tomuresu (1889–1976), an ethnic Kakwa, and his second wife, Aisha Chumaru Aate (1904–1970), an ethnic Lugbara. His father, a Christian, was christened as a Roman Catholic and born with the name Andreas Nyabira Tomuresu. According to British journalist David Martin, Nyabira spent most of his life in South Sudan. Andreas converted to Islam in 1910 after being conscripted as a bugler by the colonial British army under his uncle, the Kakwa tribal leader, Sultan Ali Kenyi Dada, as a six-year-old child soldier and was given the name Amin Dada.
I just copied and pasted this from Idi Amin’s Wikipedia page, which goes into quite a lot of detail.
The only thing I do know is that there’s quite a substantial reading list contained in this article on the subject of Idi Amin’s life. (I omitted the footnotes)
Amin is quite a “standard” muslim name. The article clearly suggests a total conversion from christianity to islam by his father.
The article also states “He was given the name Idi after his birth on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.”
ploome says
Lt.-Col. Yonatan Netanyahu
the Israelis officers lead in front – not from behind
https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-follow-me-ethos-and-its-perils/
All but one of the commanders were killed. And thus, perhaps, was born the Israeli ethos of commanders leading from the front – a practice that has received renewed attention during Operation Protective Edge, in which, the army weekly magazine Bamachaneh revealed, a full 44 percent of the 64 dead soldiers were killed while in command positions.
Additionally, the magazine reported, one out of every five battalion and brigade commanders fighting on the ground in Gaza was wounded during the 18 days of Operation Protective Edge’s ground phase.
it is so painful
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Yeah, that man will remain an eternal part of his country’s history, long beyond his brother’s stint as prime minister
Ploome says
do you have a problem with the PM Netanyahu?
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Ploome
Of sorts. He’s too pliable to US demands. He suffers in contrast to Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir. The latter 2 would ignore US demands and after every jihad attack, double down on settlement activity in Judea & Samaria. While Netanyahu wasn’t as insane as Barak, Olmert or even Sharon, he has been somewhat too soft for Israel, and his only saving grace has been that his foreign enemies – Hamas, Hizbullah & the islamic republic, were too stupid in how they dealt w/ Israel. (Had they taken a page out of Pakistan or Qatar & played both sides, he’d have been cornered)
I am rooting for either Ben Smotrich or Itamar Ben-Gvir to succeed him. He’s been the longest serving Prime Minister, and served his country well. It’s time for new leadership – the type that can give Trump/Vance the 🖕
ploome says
so I went searching for Menachem Begin and find he is buried next to his wife and two Olei Hagardom
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olei_Hagardom
and then to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meir_Feinstein
Andrew Blackadder says
The Commander Netanyahu that was killed in the Uganda raid was the Brother of the current PM of Israel.
Idi Amin was given sanctuary in Saudi Arabia and died of some sexually transmitted disease.
I enter Uganda in 1978 by train from Kenya, I was 29 years old, and let me tell ya that country was a basket case and the stories I could tell you would make you laugh and cry at the same time.
I had been in Africa for two years at that time and Im from Scotland…
He thought he was our King… Great movie but a madman.