Yoni's Last Battle: The Rescue at Entebbe 1976
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On July 4, 1976, more than a hundred hostages, held at gunpoint in Entebbe, Uganda, were freed in a spectacular rescue operation and flown to safety in Israel, over 2000 miles away. Their captors were Arab and German terrorists, aided by the Ugandan army; their liberators were members of Israel's elite commando unit, Sayeret Matkal, simply known as "the Unit." Lt.-Col. Yoni (Jonathan) Netanyahu, the Unit's commander, earned world-wide fame in the wake of the operation's stunning success. He was the only Israeli soldier killed in the Entebbe raid. As a brother of the rescue force's commander, and himself a member of the Unit, Iddo Netanyahu had ready access to the participants in the raid. He was able to obtain detailed accounts from the men of the Unit who, for the first time, described the planning and preparations for the mission and its near-perfect execution. What emerged from their accounts is a powerful and stirring story of how the daring undertaking was accomplished after only 48 hours of frantic preparations. Yoni's Last Battle portrays the men who carried out an incredibly hazardous operation in far-away Africa. Above all, it depicts the heroic - and tragic - figure of their commander, Yoni. Iddo Netanyahu was born in Jerusalem, Israel. After graduating from high school in the United States, where he spent part of his childhood, he returned to Israel. There he enlisted in the elite commando unit that his older brother Jonathan was to lead to Entebbe in 1976. It was during his studies at The Hebrew University School of Medicine that Netanyahu began his career as an author of short stories, novels and political articles. He divides his time between writing and working as a physician. Netanyahu lives in Jerusalem with his wife and two children. Library Journal Originally published in Hebrew in 1991, this book has been reissued in English to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Entebbe raid. In June 1976, an Air France jetliner was hijacked and forced to fly to Entebbe, Uganda, by terrorists. On July 4, 30 soldiers of the Israeli army known as "the Unit" successfully rescued over 100 Israeli and Jewish passengers held captive by the terrorists. Only the 30-year-old commander of the unit, Lt. Col. Jonathan (Yoni) Netanyahu, was killed. He was the brother of the author, who also participated in the raid, along with a third brother, Benjamin Netanyahu (later to become prime minister of Israel). The book is both an accurate, detailed account of the raid and a personal tribute to a brother and a hero. The fast-paced text offers numerous flashbacks of the three brothers' childhood and army service. Although some details and identities remain classified, the author was able to interview most of the unit's soldiers and others involved in the raid. This new edition contains transcripts of those interviews. The book lacks an index, but photos, drawings, and personal recollections assist in explaining this historical event. Recommended for all public libraries. David M. Alperstein, Queens Borough P.L., Jamaica, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
