An extraordinary moment occurred 40 years ago, but who remembers?
Next month, on July 4, we’ll commemorate the 40th anniversary of Israel’s rescue of more than 100 hostages being held in Entebbe, Uganda, by international terrorists and the government of Uganda.
On June 27, 1976, Air France Flight 139, carrying 246 passengers and 12 crew members, stopped in Athens on its way to Paris from Tel Aviv. In Athens, the flight collected a further 58 passengers. Among them were four terrorists from the Baader-Meinhoff gang and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. After a stop in Libya, the terrorists diverted the flight to Entebbe, where they were joined by four more terrorists.
Once at Entebbe, the hijackers demanded, among other things, the release of 53 Palestinian and pro-Palestinian terrorists held in jails throughout the world, but mostly in Israel. They threatened to begin killing hostages two days later on July 1 if their demands were not met.
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On June 29, the hijackers segregated Jews and Israelis from the other hostages. The terrorists’ intentions were now clear.
The government of Israel agreed to negotiate.
The hijackers extended the deadline to July 4. By July 1, they had released 148 hostages whom they believed to be non-Israelis or non-Jews. The remaining 106 men, women and children, along with the Air France crew, were corralled under guard by the terrorists, supplemented by the Ugandan army.
In the early hours of July 4, having flown some 2,500 miles in the dark of night, the Israel Defence Forces surprised, overwhelmed and killed the terrorists and 45 of their Ugandan confederates and extricated the hostages.
It was one of the boldest, most daring military operations of modern times. But alas, it was not perfect. Three hostages died in the crossfire. One hostage, 75-year-old Dora Bloch, who had been in hospital during the rescue, was murdered the following day on orders of then- Ugandan president Idi Amin. And Lt.-Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, commander of the Israeli commando squad, was killed leading the rescue.
Five days after the operation, Israel was summoned to the UN Security Council to defend itself against a complaint by the Organization of African Unity that it had committed an “act of aggression” against Uganda.
The moral inversion of international geopolitics was once again on full sordid display at the United Nations. That organization, born merely three decades earlier out of “the scourge of war,” had already been hijacked by coalitions of totalitarian regimes, despots and dictators. The earnest hope for a better world after World War II, which found expression in the United Nations’ Charter, was trampled by contemptuous hypocrites and self-serving deceivers.
And thus it has been ever since at the UN, where expedience trumps principle, lies displace truth, and, relentlessly, Israel has become a target.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Chaim Herzog, delivered a stirring rebuttal to the false accusations against the Jewish state following the Entebbe rescue.
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“We come with a simple message to the council. We are proud of what we have done because we have demonstrated to the world that in a small country in Israel’s circumstances… the dignity of man, human life and human freedom constitute the highest values. We are proud not only because we have saved the lives of over 100 innocent people – men, women and children – but because of the significance of our act for the cause of human freedom… We are proud to have given the lead in this struggle against international terrorism.”
As they did 40 years ago, Herzog’s words ring with the same bold truth today against the proponents of BDS, the supporters of Hamas, the government of Iran and the many others seeking to harm Israel.
We must ensure that the generations born since July 4, 1976, understand this and grasp its importance. That is why we recall that remarkable moment of history 40 years ago.
