Uganda inaugurates bronze statue of Yonatan Netanyahu

A memorial monument dedicated to Lt. Col. Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu was unveiled on Saturday at the historic Old Entebbe Terminal, where the brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fell leading an elite force to rescue 106 hostages in 1976, reported The Kampala Post, a Uganda-based outlet affiliated with the local government.

Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Force and the son of the country’s president, Yoweri Museveni, spoke at the event, describing his attendance as a “great honor and privilege,” the report continued.

“This memorial stands not only in remembrance of a distinguished soldier, but also as a tribute to the enduring values he embodied: courage in the face of danger, unwavering commitment to protecting innocent lives, and steadfast devotion to duty,” he was quoted as stating.

The general went on to express his admiration of the Jewish state, saying that his country has developed “good relations” with Israel for a long time, based on “mutual respect and practical cooperation.”

An Israeli delegation headed by Barak Orland, an Israeli businessman who lives in Uganda, was also present at the event, according to the outlet.

Gen Kainerugaba Unveils Monument to Yoni Netanyahu at Old Entebbe Terminal, Reaffirms Uganda-Israel Tieshttps://t.co/OI7xVJduzl pic.twitter.com/Q7c1ZqLDL3

Kainerugaba made headlines in recent months after posting a series of pro-Israel statements on X.

In February, he revealed that his country would erect a statue of Netanyahu at the historic airport.

The following month, he stated that Uganda wishes the war in the Middle East to end—referring to the joint Israeli-U.S. campaign against Iran—adding that “any talk of destroying or defeating Israel will bring us into the war. On the side of Israel!”

The artist who created the monument is Itay Zalait, an Israeli painter and sculptor, Channel 12 reported.

“There aren’t many memorials erected at the exact place where the person fell. It’s chilling,” Zalait told Channel 12.

The artist related that he had traveled to Uganda, at the invitation of the local government, to see the airport firsthand. The project took about six months to complete, he continued, during which he shared his design plans with the Ugandan authorities.

They wanted the statue to be more static, but Zalait said it was important to him to portray Netanyahu in motion, to capture the last moments of his life as the commander of the Israel Defense Forces’ Sayeret Matkal unit, who charge forward, the report continued.

Zalait went on to describe the creation process as a full circle, since he began his military service in Sayeret Matkal. As part of his preparations for the project, he spoke with the unit’s veterans and historians to collect “every possible perspective” on Netanyahu, according to Channel 12.

“There’s not a day I don’t think about him”

July 3 marked the 50th anniversary of Operation Entebbe. JNS took the opportunity to ask the Israeli premier if he had any new thoughts about his brother’s legacy, some 25 years after he penned an ode to his older sibling.

“There’s not a day I don’t think about him,” he told JNS at the time. “There’s not a day that I don’t try to consult with him and with my father.”

The Entebbe operation was renamed “Operation Yonatan” in memory of Netanyahu’s brother.

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