In July 1976, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s older brother Yonatan flew some 2,300 miles from Israel to Entebbe, Uganda, where pro-Palestinian hijackers were holding more than 100 people hostage in an abandoned airport terminal.
The elder Netanyahu was part of a small group of elite Israeli commandos sent to assist in the rescue of the hostages, most of whom were Israeli and whose kidnapping was endorsed by then-Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. He was also the only Israeli soldier who would not return home alive from the otherwise successful mission: He was shot outside the Entebbe airport and buried days later in Jerusalem’s Military Cemetery.
In his speech President Museveni repeatedly called it “Palestine” in what appears to be an embarrassing gaffe, considering that Netanyahu’s visit was meant to mark the anniversary of his brother’s death at the hands of the pro-Palestinian liberation movement’s hijacking.
“The sad event, 40 years ago, turned into another bond linking Palestine to Africa,” Museveni said. “I said this is yet another bond between Africa and Palestine because there were earlier bonding events.”
According to some reports, Israeli radio stations cut off broadcast of Museveni’s speech after his repeated references to Palestine. But Netanyahu, who sat beside Museveni as he made his speech, hardly seemed to flinch.
