A memorial honoring Lt.-Col. Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu was unveiled on Saturday at the old terminal of Entebbe Airport in Uganda, where he was killed 50 years earlier during the historic rescue operation.
According to the Kampala Post, the ceremony was overseen by Ugandan Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, a powerful figure in the country and the son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
Kainerugaba presented the memorial to what he said was a testament to the enduring friendship, security partnership, and mutual trust between Uganda and Israel. He had previously announced plans to erect a memorial at Entebbe Airport at the site where Netanyahu was killed.
“We unveil the memorial to Lt.-Col. Yonatan ‘Yoni’ Netanyahu, the courageous commander of the Israeli rescue force, whose leadership and ultimate sacrifice during the Entebbe raid on July 4, 1976, became an enduring symbol of courage, duty, and selfless service,” the military chief said.
According to Kainerugaba, the government of Idi Amin, which aided the terrorists after they had hijacked an Air France flight from Tel Aviv, was a brutal dictatorship that did not represent the Ugandan people, while present-day Uganda is a constitutional democracy committed to international cooperation.
‘The friendship between Uganda and Israel extends far beyond the events of 1976’
Kainerugaba added that the memorial was not only a tribute to one soldier, but also to the values Netanyahu embodied: courage in the face of danger, a commitment to protecting innocent lives, and complete devotion to duty.
“Memorials are more than stone and bronze. They preserve memory, teach history, and inspire future generations,” he said.
Kainerugaba also mentioned the hostages who were abducted aboard the Air France flight and killed in connection with Operation Entebbe: Jean-Jacques Maimoni of Netanya, who was 19; Dr. Pasco Cohen, a 52-year-old physician from Haifa; Ida Borochovitch, 56, of Tel Aviv; and Dora Bloch, 74.
Bloch was murdered after the raid while she was being held at a hospital in Kampala.
He also commemorated the Ugandan soldiers who were killed that day.
“The friendship between Uganda and Israel extends far beyond the events of 1976. The two countries have enjoyed good relations for a long time, based on mutual respect and practical cooperation,” the military chief said.
He pledged that both countries would remain committed to deepening their cooperation.
The Kampala Post reported that the ceremony was also attended by Israeli national Barak Orland, who lives in Uganda and is regarded there as an informal representative of the State of Israel.
Orland described the memorial as a testament to two nations standing shoulder to shoulder for the sake of future generations.