![\"\u05de\u05e4\u05e7\u05d3](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ByCMmwjBzx_0_0_653_444_0_x-large.jpg\" "\\"Uganda\u2019s")
<\/a><\/p>\nUganda\u2019s military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the president\u2019s son, unveils a statue of Yoni Netanyahu at Entebbe Airport\u2019s old terminal <\/p>\n
(Photo: Kampala Post)<\/p>\n
Netanyahu, the older brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, commanded the Israeli force sent to rescue hostages held at Entebbe Airport on July 4, 1976. He was killed during the operation.<\/p>\n
Kainerugaba said the memorial honored both Netanyahu\u2019s leadership and the wider values represented by the rescue mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a great honor and privilege to join you at this historic site as we unveil this monument to Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan \u2018Yoni\u2019 Netanyahu,\u201d he said, according to The Kampala Post.<\/p>\n
He described Netanyahu\u2019s actions as an enduring example of \u201ccourage, duty and selfless service,\u201d adding that the monument should serve not only as a reminder of one soldier, but also as a lesson for future generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cMonuments are more than stone and bronze,\u201d Kainerugaba said. \u201cThey preserve memory, teach history and inspire future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ugandan military chief also commemorated the civilians who were killed during the hostage crisis, naming Jean-Jacques Maimoni, Pasco Cohen, Ida Borochovitch and Dora Bloch.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir memory remains an important part of this solemn history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Kainerugaba also acknowledged the Ugandan soldiers who died during the battle, while distinguishing the Uganda of today from the dictatorship of Idi Amin, whose government was involved in the crisis.<\/p>\n
He said the soldiers had fought for what they believed was a justified cause, but added that Amin\u2019s government was a brutal regime that did not represent the Ugandan people.<\/p>\n
The events of 1976 took place during \u201cone of the darkest periods\u201d in Uganda\u2019s history, he said. Modern Uganda, he added, is a constitutional democracy committed to peaceful relations and cooperation with the international community.<\/p>\n
Kainerugaba used the ceremony to emphasize the broader relationship between Uganda and Israel, saying it was based on mutual respect and practical cooperation rather than solely on the events at Entebbe.<\/p>\n
He called for the two countries to deepen cooperation in security, innovation, sustainable development and the fight against violent extremism.<\/p>\n
Representing the Israeli delegation, Barack Orland thanked Kainerugaba for supporting Israel and for backing the decision to place the memorial at the historic terminal.<\/p>\n
Orland said the monument represented more than a commemoration of the past. It symbolized two countries standing together for future generations.<\/p>\n
He also cited Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, saying shared sacrifice had transformed a painful historical episode into a lasting connection between Israel and Uganda.<\/p>\n
Olive Birungi Lumonya, deputy director general of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, praised Kainerugaba for advancing the project and helping select the monument\u2019s location.<\/p>\n
She described the memorial as a powerful tribute to courage, sacrifice and enduring international friendship.<\/p>\n
Senior Ugandan military, aviation and tourism officials also attended the ceremony, including Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Charles Okidi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The ceremony was led by Uganda\u2019s chief of defense forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who described the monument as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":570453,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-570452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=570452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/570453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=570452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=570452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=570452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}