BICOM

Israel’s Prime Minister started his historic visit to the African continent yesterday by taking part in a ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of the landmark Entebbe raid.

Speaking at the scene of the rescue alongside Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said: “This is a deeply moving day for me… Entebbe is always with me. In my thoughts, in my mind, and deep in my heart.”

He added: “The hijacking of the Air France plane to Entebbe touched a nerve for the people of Israel,” particularly as 31 years after the Holocaust “the terrorists freed people of other nations and condemned the Jews to death”. Yesterday’s ceremony was also attended by a high-level Israeli military delegation, headed by IDF-Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan.

Uganda is Netanyahu’s first stop on a five-day tour to Africa, designed to boost Israel’s economic and diplomatic relations with the continent. He is being accompanied on the trip by eighty prominent Israeli business people. Netanyahu said: “I am pleased that Israel is going back to Africa in a big way. We are opening Africa to Israel again.”

Following yesterday’s ceremony at Entebbe Airport, Netanyahu attended a summit on security with the leaders of Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia. A joint communique said the leaders had “emphasised the need for increased regional and international co-operation in all fields.”. Netanyahu will also visit Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia during the coming days before returning to Israel on Friday. 

In 1976, Israeli commandos carried out a daring and highly successful rescue operation at Uganda’s Entebbe Airport, to free Israeli and Jewish hostages who were being by Palestinian terrorists following the hijacking of an Air France flight. The only Israeli military casualty was Netanyahu’s brother Yoni. The operation is considered a seminal moment in Israel’s military history.