Shortly after his brother Jonathan "Yoni" Netanyahu was killed during an Israeli counter-terror operation in Entebbe, Uganda, to free hostages from Palestinian and German terrorists, Benjamin Netanyahu met with a British television producer to discuss a potential dramatization of his brother's life. In a 2001 foreword to a book of Yoni's letters, Netanyahu recalled the producer's advice to abandon the project, saying "A great biography of a great life needs the perspective of decades."
Netanyahu wrote that over time, "Yoni's image grows with the passage of time, as does the appreciation of his unique character."
On the 50th anniversary of Operation Entebbe this month, Netanyahu reflected on his brother's legacy. "There's not a day I don't think about him," He told JNS. "There's not a day that I don't try to consult with him and with my father." He added, "It's certainly true in Israel - recognizes his sacrifice and his contribution."
The operation was renamed "Operation Yonatan" In his brother's memory.
At a July 12 commemoration at the presidential residence in Jerusalem, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the operation "does not belong to any one person or group. It transcends every disagreement," Describing it as "a legacy of courage and daring that echoes, and will continue to echo, for generations."
Herzog called it "one of the most extraordinary operations in Israel's history" And "a moral declaration" Establishing that while the state has borders, "there is no limit to our responsibility."
Netanyahu described the operation as one that "made the impossible possible," Bringing hostages home from Africa and demonstrating that "a decisive blow can be struck against international terrorism."
He recounted how terrorists had forced an Air France plane to land in Uganda, conducting a "selection" Between Jews and non-Jews. "They were certain that Israel would succumb to their ultimatum," He said, but "they were greatly mistaken."
Netanyahu characterized his brother as "very daring, but he was also very level-headed" With "exceptional composure and judgment," While noting this courage extended to all the fighters involved.
He acknowledged that unlike celebrations elsewhere, "joy broke out" In every Israeli home except his own. In the 2001 book introduction, Netanyahu wrote that his brother's death "changed my life and directed it to its present course."