I remember this happening in real time. A different time where heroes still acted selflessly for their country. A daring raid, hostages saved and the bad guys put down. Courage is contagious, may we stand as strong for America as Israel has and will for their country. Enjoy the article taken from Koenig World Watch Daily. Rh
Entebbe
By Jim Fletcher
I will depart this week from the regular topics, because this weekend is the 50th anniversary of the famous Entebbe hostage rescue. It remains my favorite story, and one I call a modern Bible story.
I am honestly bothered that more people don’t know about it, or care about it. It is I believe the most electrifying hostage rescue of all time. I have a slight personal connection, which you’ll see. And, as we celebrated our Bicentennial in 1976, Israeli commandos were about to surprise the world. I remember it often and have read several books. The audacity of the entire operation is still totally astonishing.
On June 27, 1976, a French passenger jet refueled at Athens, headed for Paris. As soon as the plane got back in the air, terrorists stood up with guns. Two German (Baader-Meinhof Gang) and some from the PLFP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine). They shocked everyone by ordering the plane south. Very far south. To that point, airplane hijackings had become popular, but the planes usually stayed close. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu helped thwart one in a daring operation in Israel in 1972. At the time, he was a member of the elite counter-terrorism force, Sayeret Matkal (General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, or, the Unit).
In ’76, terror gargoyles like Yasser Arafat were modifying their violent plans. This time, the plane was flown to Uganda, in the heart of Africa. An airport near the town of Entebbe was chosen, as it was under the control of dictator psychopath Idi Amin. At one time friendly to Israel, he had thrown in his lot with terrorists.
Fairly soon, all passengers not Jewish were freed. This was the first mistake by the goons, because valuable intelligence was gained by interviewing the freed passengers.
Universally, everyone understood that Israel could not mount a rescue operation. It was too far away. A mere 2,500 miles from Israel! That ruled out a rescue effort. Each evening, grave-looking news anchors speculated on the hostage situation. Israel had never negotiated with terrorists, so this was a unique moment. The pressure on the Israel cabinet, by hostage families, was enormous. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin finally announced they would negotiate. The lives of 105 people hung in the balance. The terrorists demanded the release of other terrorists held in European and Israeli jails.
An Israeli pilot, Joshua Shani, had a germ of an idea in his head. He shared it with some of the brass (Shimon Peres was then defense minister). His plan was to land transport planes at Entebbe, at night, as if they were passenger jets. In the end, that’s actually what they did.
It worked.
Israel stalled for time with diplomacy. The terrorists pushed the deadline out to Sunday morning, July 4. If Israel did not comply, the hostages would be murdered.
While Western journalists and politicians offered no solutions, four C-47 transport planes were circling Lake Victoria, next to the airport. At exactly midnight, July 4, they landed. One was a hospital plane, while the others held 200 commandos, including the Unit in the lead plane. Within five minutes, the critical part of the operation was over. The Unit drove a mile to the terminal building, eliminated the terrorists, and began loading stunned hostages onto rescue planes. They flew another eight hours back to Israel, to a cheering country that saw the planes overhead, back in Israeli airspace. All terrorists were eliminated, as was the Ugandan air force, so no one could follow.
In 2002, I interviewed two of the commandos that went to Entebbe, one a member of the famed Golani Brigade—Surin Hershko—and a member of the Unit that was the first one in the door. The second man said that the IDF had to have the element of surprise foremost.
They did.
He said that as he burst through the front door (with his weapon, a megaphone to shout to hostages, and five kilos of explosives), “A German terrorist lying on the floor fired at me first—I felt bullets and glass go past my head and neck, but nothing hit me!” He then fired back, instantly killing the German. Another Unit member went in right behind him and fired to the left. Within seconds, all terrorists in the building were killed.
Hershko is one of my favorite people of all time. That night, he met a man and woman on the outside stairs; Surin was headed to the roof. A quick shot from the man’s revolver has left Surin as a quadriplegic these last 50 years. I met him at his lovely home in Tel Aviv (he’s a businessman) and a Korean assistant led me inside. The hour I spent with this hero is imprinted on my mind and heart.
I asked him why he had volunteered to go to Entebbe.
“The people were in danger,” he said matter-of-factly. He also said that if he had to, he’d go again. The rareness of his courage indicts most of the rest of us. While socialist thugs and know-nothing college students condemn Israel day and night, they are also protected—ironically—by Israel, which provides a serious obstacle for the gargoyles that practice terrorism. Surin breathes through a tube that allows him to speak. I felt very small in his presence.
These men are authentic heroes.
I also had the privilege of knowing Prof. Benzion Netanyahu the last decade of his long life. The father of the three Netanyahu sons that all served in the Unit, he was a fascinating historian and political commentator that knew far more and was far wiser than most. His oldest son, Jonathan (Yoni) was the only IDF soldier killed at Entebbe. The cabinet, in approving such a dangerous operation, felt they would take 20 percent casualties. At least 40 men killed and wounded. Instead, they had one and one. Surin is a testament to that.
I spent several evenings with Benzion at his home in Jerusalem. He said that Yoni always jumped into the danger point. Yoni was unusually gifted and courageous. Shani remembers one day on base, talking to a fellow pilot. Yoni walked past them. Shani told his friend, “There goes the greatest fighter Israel has ever had.” Younger brothers Benjamin and Iddo also served. They collected Yoni’s letters to family and friends and produced the book, Self-Portrait of a Hero.
One evening, as I got up to leave, Benzion picked up a stack of photos from a table in the hallway. They were of the boys when they were young. One was of Yoni with his parents, and he was not much more than a toddler. A bust of this hero son sat in the family dining room, a few feet away.
I remember them all, all the time.
As I lovingly remember the founding of my own remarkable country this weekend, I will also remember 50 years ago: a plane descending, landing, vehicles moving along the tarmac, headed for a terminal building.
Those heroic men are always emerging from vehicles, sprinting toward the defenseless and their temporary tormenters.
Very temporary.
Today we live in a culture that is soft and passive. Placating evil.
But on the night of July 3,4, 1976 in Africa, something wondrous was unfolding. A team of Joshuas put their lives on the line to rescue people that didn’t know them. Their stories are so astonishing, at times I wonder if it really happened.
It did happen. What unfolded speaks to the eternality of the Jewish people, and of Israel.
Am Yisrael Chai!
You can pick up a copy of Entebbe Declassified here.
