Operation Thunderbolt, the Entebbe operation was anything but rusk free. There were numerous known and unknown variables at play, all of which had to be factored as best as possible into a complex decision making process at the end of which there had to be a clear go or abort decision.
So many things could have gone wrong. Some did, which is why we are standing here next to a monument/memorial commemorating Yoni Netanyahu, who, along with four Israelis, lost his life in that operation.
What would have happened had the hijackers placed obstacles on the old runway where the IDF planes landed, effectively preventing their landing? what would have happened had they placed reconnaissance units that would have provided the terrorists advance warning of the arrival of the rescue mission ?what would have happened had the terrorists not released ahead of time the non-Jewish hostages, who provided the commanders of the operation with crucial information on how to proceed with the rescue operation ? What would have happened had hostages not been held at a single central location at the airport but rather scattered at various locations? What would have happened had Kenya not agreed to assist Israel, while risking the wrath and possible vengeance of Idi Amin, as well as an escalation in its conflict with Uganda? Where else would the two Boing and four C-130 IDF aircraft have landed to refuel and provide needed medical treatment to the wounded? What would have been the consequences had Egypt declined the request to come to the aid of Kenya and mitigate condemnations from African nations over the assistance Kenya provided Israel?
I could go on for hours with the list of what if’s, that illustrate how on so many levels and at so many junctures this operation could have gone terribly wrong.
When faced with so many moving parts, the easy thing for a decision maker to do in order to avoid a potential meltdown is to simply hold off, shelve the operation, abort upon the first obstacle or to not carry it out to begin with.
Fortunately, what was not the decision that was taken.
To me, the ability to take a calculated but significantly high risk decision– on a political, military, and personal level – and to be able to stick to it in the face of changing circumstances, is what true heroism and leadership are all about.
Taking that risk in the name of noble values that sanctifies life and freedom and underscores our shared commitment to one another, as Jews and human beings, add to that heroism a dimension of a supreme sense of purpose.
Yoni Netanyahu represents that heroism and that supreme sense of mission that were shared by so many who were involved in planning, authorizing and executing the Entebbe operation. Let us remember them and learn from their shining example.