Uganda's military unveils statue of Netanyahu's brother who died during 1976 Entebbe raid

Uganda's military unveiled a monument to an older brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who was killed during a raid in the East African country in 1976.

The statue of Yonatan Netanyahu holding an assault rifle was unveiled on Saturday by Ugandan military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who said he commissioned the monument "to pay tribute to the soldier’s courage". Among those attending the ceremony were Israelis, including Barak Orland, a businessman in Uganda.

Kainerugaba is the eldest child of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his presumed heir apparent.

The statue is outside the airport terminal in the town of Entebbe where Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu was struck by a bullet as he led Israeli commandos in a raid on an Air France flight grounded with 106 passengers and four leftist hijackers amid delicate negotiations.

He was the only Israeli commando killed in the raid.

The hijackers, two Palestinians and two Germans, had conducted the hijacking operation to pressure Israel to free dozens of Palestinian prisoners.

A week of negotiations followed as Israel secretly planned the raid. The commandos broke into the airport on 3 July 1976. Dozens of Ugandan soldiers were killed in the operation that lasted less than an hour. Three passangers were killed in the crossfire.

Ugandan strongman Idi Amin, who had severed ties with Israel, was a supporter of the Palestinian independence cause.

The raid was criticised by the Organisation of African Unity—the African Union's predecessor organisation—which as a violation of Uganda’s sovereignty.

Ties between Uganda and Israel today are warm, with Ugandan military and political leaders often expressing support for Israel as Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni pays lip service to a two-state solution.