Israel, Uganda commemorate infamous Entebbe hostage crisis
KAMPALA, Uganda - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Uganda Monday for what is likely to be an emotional visit to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1976 Israeli military raid in which his brother was killed.
The one-day visit to Uganda is the start of Netanyahu's tour of Africa during which he will also visit Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia.
Netanyahu was welcomed at Entebbe International Airport by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
Netanyahu will participate in a ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of an Israeli mission to rescue the Israeli passengers of a hijacked airliner at Entebbe. Netanyahu's brother, Yonatan, was killed in the July 1976 raid.
Later on Monday Netanyahu will attend a summit of regional leaders focusing on security.
In exchange for its expertise in security and other fields, Israel wants African states to side with it at the U.N., where the General Assembly overwhelmingly recognized Palestine as a nonmember observer state in 2012. Israel also has a shared interest with the four African countries of confronting Islamic extremists.
Uganda's Entebbe Airport, on the shore of Lake Victoria, is where Netanyahu's brother, Yonatan, was struck by a bullet as he led Israeli commandos in a daring rescue mission to rescue hijacked Israeli passengers.
An Air France flight with 248 passengers enroute from Tel Aviv to Paris, carrying mainly Jewish and Israeli passengers, was hijacked June 27. Over a two-day period, 148 non-Israeli hostages were released. A daring nighttime rescue mission for the remaining hostages was carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commandos. In all, 102 hostages were rescued. The death toll included all the hijackers, 45 Ugandan soldiers, one Israeli soldier and three of the hostages.
Israel's success in the raid humiliated then-Ugandan President Idi Amin. The late dictator responded to his humiliation by killing hundreds of Kenyans living in his country, because Kenya supported Israel.
Four decades later, Uganda has good relations with Israel, which is courting allies to counter Palestine's rising influence at the United Nations. While in Uganda Netanyahu will also attend a security-themed summit of regional leaders, including those from Kenya and Tanzania, said Don Wanyama, a spokesman for Uganda's president.
At Entebbe, there will be a formal ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of the Israeli rescue mission and Netanyahu will be given a tour of the airport's control tower, according to a draft schedule released by Uganda's government. In the evening there will be a state dinner honoring Netanyahu, before he leaves for Kenya.
Although the July 1976 rescue mission breached Uganda's territorial integrity, Amin, who had taken power by force and ruled as a dictator, had become an increasingly isolated figure and would soon by forced out of power with the help of Tanzanian forces. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni himself led one of several exile groups that waged a guerrilla war against Amin.
A lingering loathing of Amin, who was accused of many human rights atrocities and who died in Saudi Arabia in 2003, is one reason why many Ugandans today do not see the success of the Israeli raid - in which many Ugandan soldiers were killed and military equipment destroyed - as a disaster for Uganda. Yonatan was shot dead as he was helping the Israeli hostages who had been held inside the airport's old terminal back onto the plane. His death made Yonatan an Israeli hero, and thrust Netanyahu toward public life.
Still, some Ugandans say Netanyahu's historic visit should be a moment to mourn the Ugandan victims of the operation. Moses Ali, Uganda's deputy prime minister who served as a government minister under Amin, told Uganda's Daily Monitor newspaper that the rescue mission should not be celebrated by Ugandans.
"If you are siding with Israelis, then you can celebrate because it was their victory," he said. "If you are not, then you should be mourning our dead ones."
Netanyahu will also be visiting Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia this week.
In exchange for its expertise in security and other fields, Israel wants African states to side with it at the U.N., where the General Assembly overwhelmingly recognized Palestine as a nonmember observer state in 2012. The Palestinians have used their upgraded status to launch a diplomatic offensive against Israel and its occupation of lands where the Palestinians hope to establish a future state.
"Israel has been on a mission to repair its image globally and more specifically within the U.N. where the Africa group has for decades now supported the Palestinian cause, and vote in general towards that end," said Angelo Izama, a Ugandan analyst who runs a think tank called Fana Kwawote.
As a key U.S. ally on regional security, especially in violence-prone Somalia, Uganda is an attractive ally for Israel as well, according to Izama.
"Washington views the Museveni administration as a regional hegemon, a key to the security of the wider region. Uganda's involvement in counter-terrorism in Somalia ... and its significant expenditure on security goods, including arms and technology, are another reason" for Netanyahu's visit, he said.