Twenty-nine years ago this week, I was on a plane, heading to Israel. Twenty-two years old, I had just graduated from university and wanted, more than anything else, to come back to Israel, where I'd spent my junior year of college. That day, July 4, 1976, was the 200th birthday of the United States and, expecting a lot of traffic into New York City, I parted from my family the night before and slept over at an airport hotel, next to the JFK Airport. Being very excited about coming back to Israel, I had trouble sleeping and at about two in the morning, I turned on the radio next to my bed. What I heard was unbelievable.



A 'news flash' broadcast that Israeli commandos had just rescued hostages from the hijacked Air France flight in Uganda. I couldn't believe my ears.



Flying into Israel the next day was like arriving in Wonderland. Their was a magnetic atmosphere that permeated every walk of life. Israelis walked around as if in a dream. The Israeli Defense Forces had managed, somehow, miraculously, to fly a Hercules jet to Africa, land, rescue the hostages and kill the hijackers, and get back to Israel in one piece. Only one commando was killed - Lt. Col. Yoni Netanyahu. There are almost no words to describe the euphoria that saturated Israeli society. Perhaps it was somewhat similar to the emotions following the Six-Day War victory in 1967.



What was the reaction to Entebbe?



"Israel was seen by world opinion as having triumphed over international terrorism. The morale of the Israeli people was lifted. The Israeli army regained its reputation earned in the stunning victories of the Six Day War and its self-confidence was restored. The PLO and other terrorist groups would start a long decline in the aftermath of Entebbe...." ("Lessons To Learn From Entebbe" by Arno Weinstein)



Israel proved again, to itself and to the world, that we would not give in to terrorism, at any cost.



Much has been written about the Entebbe operation. What seems very clear is that the person behind the entire episode was then-Defense Minister Shimon Peres, who initiated, put together and then convinced Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin to accept implementation of the rescue mission. How times have changed.



We can only ask ourselves, what would happen during an Entebbe, version 2005? Not with Yitzchak and Shimon, but with a slightly different cast of characters - Arik and Shimon. What would Israel agree to concede in return for the lives of one hundred and five hostages? Undoubtedly, the current 'leadership' would prefer a 'negotiated solution' with the welcomed intervention of our good friends, Abus Mazen and Ala. Why risk the 'peace process' for a hundred people? After all, what would the rest of the world say?



Israel has a case of massive amnesia. We don't remember our national pride, we don't remember our national essence, we don't remember our responsibility to ourselves, to our heritage, to our land, to the rest of the world. It is now preferable to throw in the towel, rather than fight for what is right.



We are living in the Age of Entebbe, Forgotten. I wonder what it will take to eventually wake us up.