A number of veterans who took part in the 1976 Entebbe operation are refusing to attend the official ceremony, according to a Channel 14 report Thursday night. Program host Itamar Fleishman confronted panelists on the 'Patriots' show: "You disgraced Yoni, your commander, just because he is Benjamin Netanyahu's brother?"
Channel 14's 'Patriots' program reported Thursday that some veterans of the 1976 Entebbe operation are declining to attend the state ceremony marking the event. The report was accompanied by a heated exchange on the panel, in which host Itamar Fleishman accused other participants of disrespecting Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the operation's commander who was killed in action, solely because he is the brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The ceremony has become politically charged in recent weeks: The Zioneer previously reported (July 6) that some Entebbe veterans were boycotting the event at the President's Residence over Netanyahu's attendance. Fleishman's outburst reflects a deepening partisan rift around the commemoration, though the precise number of veterans refusing to attend and the scope of the boycott remain unconfirmed in this report.
2 developments
- DevelopingEntebbe Operation veterans boycott presidential ceremony over Netanyahu attendance
- StrongIsrael marks 50 years since the Entebbe rescue, as Yoni Netanyahu's legacy is commemorated
- DevelopingNaftali Bennett honors Yoni Netanyahu on 50th anniversary of his death
- StrongNetanyahu at brother's memorial: We'll stay in Lebanon buffer zone as long as needed
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