CAJ note: during the 1970s and into the ’80s hijackings were the terrorism travelers faced. Planes were usually the targets, but there is at least one famous hijacking that took place on a cruise ship. Hijackings eventually became ineffective when governments either denied the terrorists’ demands or organized raids, such as the one in Entebbe.
Which leads us to 9/11…which was a hijacking in which no demands were ever made. We believe there will never be another hostage-taking like Entebbe…not when total destruction is so effective.
The other July 4th: the Raid on Entebbe
Kathy Shaidle
FIveFeetOfFury
7/5/2010
One of the only cool things about the 70s.
Saddest line of the day?
The hijackers deliberately sorted the hostages into two groups—Jews and Gentiles. As they did so a Holocaust survivor showed Böse a camp registration number tattooed on his arm, Böse protested “I’m no Nazi! … I am an idealist”.
Just like the hijackers! Except they were also Nazis!!
If that poor guy was still alive, ten bucks says he’d have voted for Obama.
You can tell this was the 70s, because:
A 19-year-old Frenchman named Jean-Jacques Maimoni—who chose to identify himself as an Israeli Jew to the hijackers even though he had a French passport—stood up, and was killed by the Israeli commandos, who mistook him for a hijacker.
A French nun also refused to leave, insisting that one of the remaining hostages take her place, but she was forced into the waiting Air France plane by Ugandan soldiers.
I say that because the nuns who taught me between “nursery school” and “Grade 13” would’ve done the same thing. Today? Ha ha.
Also? Last non-anti-Semitic Frenchman.
The article, with video, continues at FiveFeetOfFury
Read also Jeanette Pryor’s article at NewsRealBlog, July 4, 2010: The Thirty-Fourth Anniversary of the Raid on Entebbe
Thirty-four years ago today, while Americans celebrated our Bicentennial, a young Israeli commander was shot and killed as he helped free 105 hostages in one of the worst terrorist hijackings in history. The soldier’s name was Jonathan Netanyahu, and he led the command of the forces in the Raid on Entebee.
Ten years later, in July of 1986, his father, Benzion Netanyahu and son, now-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, published the conferences of the second of two international symposiums on the subject of International Terrorism. The symposiums, held in 1979 and in 1984, were hosted by the Jonathan Institute, an organization founded by Professor Benzion Netanyahu in memory of his son, who died in the war on Terror…
And Professor Jacobson at Legal Insurrection writes, The Other July 4 Liberation — Entebbe 1976
I almost forgot that today is the anniversary of another liberation, the Israeli commando raid to free hostages of PLO terrorists in Entebbe, Uganda. Thanks to @KurtSchlichter for the reminder.
The leader of the commandos, and the only Israeli killed during the raid, was Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of the current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Dora Bloch, one of the hostages was not rescued because she had been moved to a hospital, and was later killed on orders of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Three other hostages were killed.
For a wonderful account of the raid, I highly recommend 90 Minutes at Entebbe.
BBC also has this account on their website.
