A Symbol of Partnership with Israel: Monument to Yoni Netanyahu Unveiled in Entebbe, 50 Years After His Fall
A monument to Yoni Netanyahu was unveiled in Entebbe, 50 years after his death during the rescue operation. The ceremony was attended by Uganda's army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who presented it as evidence of the partnership between the countries. He mentioned the hostages who were killed and the Ugandan soldiers who fell, and described Idi Amin's regime as a cruel dictatorship.
A monument to Lt. Col. Jonathan "Yoni" Netanyahu was unveiled today (Saturday) at the old terminal of Entebbe Airport, the place where he fell exactly 50 years ago during the historic rescue operation. The ceremony was attended by Uganda's army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the strongman of the country and son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who presented the monument as evidence of the ongoing friendship, security partnership, and mutual trust between the two countries. Kainerugaba said the monument is in memory of "the brave commander of the Israeli rescue force, whose leadership and supreme sacrifice during the raid on Entebbe on July 4, 1976, became a lasting symbol of courage, duty, and selfless service." He added that the monument is not just a memory of one soldier, but a tribute to the values he embodied. He also mentioned the hostages who were kidnapped on the Air France flight and killed in the operation: Jean-Jacques Maimoni from Netanya, aged 19; Dr. Pasco Cohen, a 52-year-old doctor from Haifa; Ida Borochovitch, 56, from Tel Aviv; and Dora Bloch, 74. Alongside them, he also noted the Ugandan soldiers who fell that day. According to him, Idi Amin's government was a cruel dictatorship that did not represent the Ugandan people, while today's Uganda is a constitutional democracy committed to international cooperation. "The friendship between Uganda and Israel extends far beyond the events of 1976," he said. The newspaper reported that the ceremony was also attended by Israeli Barak Orland, who lives in Uganda and is considered there an unofficial representative of the State of Israel, who described the monument as evidence of two nations standing shoulder to shoulder for future generations.