As Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu visits Kenya, part of the State visit will be emotional.
His brother, Lieutenant-Colonel Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, was the man who was to lead the assault to rescue the hostages taken in Air France Flight 139 in 1976.
But he was the only commando to be shot by Idi Amin’s soldiers — in an operation that almost went wrong.For the element of surprise, Israel had negotiated with Jomo Kenyatta to get landing rights in Nairobi.
Two military Boeing 707 aircraft disguised as Israel flag carrier El Al had left Tel Aviv for Nairobi. While one was to land at then Embakasi Airport (now Jomo Kenyatta International Airport), configured to be a field hospital and await any casualties, the other was to serve as an airborne command to communicate with Tel Aviv.
“The 707 was a commercial airliner in its present garb. If anyone looked inside, they would see businessmen,” wrote William Stevenson, the author of 90 Minutes at Entebbe.
It is now known that one of the Israeli Air Force KC-130 tankers used for aerial refuelling of the aircraft made a clandestine landing in Marsabit’s Chalbi desert on stand-by for any eventuality.
‘Operation Thunderbolt’, as it was christened, was to hoodwink the Ugandan soldiers that it was President Amin who had landed at Entebbe International Airport.
A Mercedes Benz limousine with a Ugandan flag, procured by Mossad, was put aboard the C-130 Hercules. Lt-Col Netanyahu refined all the details. In total, there were five Hercules.
While Israel wanted to stop over in Nairobi for refuelling, the Kenyatta government was reluctant. Ehud Barak was sent to Nairobi and he met with Bryn Davies, a senior assistant commissioner of police in charge of operations; Geoffrey Kariithi, the head of Civil Service; and the Mossad agent Bruce Mackenzie a former Cabinet minister in the Kenyatta government. (Mackenzie was killed by Idi Amin in 1978).
Also informed about this mission was Attorney-General Charles Njonjo, who was to offer his interpretation of civil aviation laws.
LASTING RELATIONSHIP
Meanwhile, a Mossad operative had flown to Nairobi and hired a small plane from Wilson Airport on July 2, 1976, for Entebbe.
As he flew, and feigning an emergency, he took pictures of the Old Terminal building, where the hostages were held. He then flew back to Nairobi and sent the photos to Israel.
With Barak out of Tel Aviv, it was Lt-Col Netanyahu who was left to plan the rescue and he presented his plan to Brigadier-General Dan Shomron, the commander of Special Air and Commandos Service.
On July 4, 1976, the first Hercules landed in Entebbe undetected shortly after midnight.
But instead of going to the Old Terminal, the leader, Lt-Col Netanyahu decided to shoot dead two Ugandan soldiers — a goof that would cost his life. He was fatally shot by a sniper as he stood at the entrance of the building.
Although they managed to rescue the hostages and kill several Ugandan soldiers, unbeknown to the rescuers was that one of the hostages, 75-year-old Dora Bloch, had been taken to Ward 6B of Mulago Hospital in Kampala after she had choked.
She was to face the wrath of the Ugandan soldiers after she was dragged out of her hospital bed after the rescue raid.
She was later murdered by two Ugandan soldiers identified as Major Faroul Minawa, the head of State Research Bureau (SRB) Amin’s intelligence unit,and Captain Nasur Ondoga, Amin’s chief of protocol.
A photographer, Jimmy Parma, who took images of the body, was later killed by SRB agents.
On July 4, Kenya imposed an oil embargo on Uganda to make sure that Amin did not have enough fuel to stage any military raid. Kariithi would later say that they made sure he had only enough to last two days.
From then, Kenya remained on the watch by terrorists and Israel was always at hand to offer help.
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