New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s native Uganda has just made things ‘monumentally’ awkward for him.
A new bronze statue honoring Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, the brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was unveiled in Uganda earlier this month, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Israeli military operation commonly known as the Raid on Entebbe, or Operation Thunderbolt.
The monument was installed at the former Entebbe Airport terminal, where Israeli commandos carried out the hostage rescue mission in 1976 after an Air France flight was hijacked by armed militants.
The operation, which took place on July 4, 1976, resulted in the rescue of more than 100 hostages who had been held at the Ugandan airport after the plane was diverted there by the hijackers.
Yoni Netanyahu, who commanded the Israeli assault force, was killed during the mission and remains the only Israeli soldier who died in the operation.
The hijackers diverted the Air France flight, which was traveling from Tel Aviv to Paris with 246 passengers on board, to Uganda, then ruled by President Idi Amin. The militants demanded a $5 million ransom and the release of dozens of imprisoned Palestinian militants.
Israel responded by launching a military operation that rescued 102 of the 106 hostages being held at Entebbe Airport. The mission was led by Lt. Col. Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, the older brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu was the only Israeli soldier killed during the operation after he was struck by sniper fire on July 4, 1976.
The raid later inspired several films, including a 1977 movie adaptation.
The statue honoring Netanyahu was unveiled on Aug. 1 at the Old Entebbe Terminal during a ceremony attended by senior Ugandan military officials.
According to local reports, the event highlighted the long-standing security relationship and diplomatic ties between Uganda and Israel.
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and holds both U.S. and Ugandan citizenship, moved to the United States at age 7 after spending part of his childhood in South Africa.
Mamdani has drawn criticism over his comments about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including statements suggesting that Netanyahu could face arrest if he traveled to New York.
He has also publicly referred to the Israeli leader as a “war criminal” in social media posts and video messages.
“The Mamdani family must be plotzing,” joked one “X” user.
“I think we call it poetic justice. I have no doubt this makes the mayor lose sleep, and he hates every moment of it. Too bad,” said Dov Hikind, former Brooklyn Democratic assemblyman and founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, who, like many in Israel and the diaspora, named his own son Yoni after the fallen commando.
“It’s very personal for me – he was a hero of the Jewish people and was ultimately dealing with what Israel is dealing with today: terrorism,” Hikind added, per the New York Post.
Uganda’s relationship with Israel has changed significantly since the era of Amin, whose government maintained an adversarial relationship with Israel during the 1970s.
In February, Mahmood Mamdani, a Columbia University professor and the father of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, published “Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni and the Making of the Ugandan State,” a book that examines Uganda’s political development under both leaders.
In the book, Mahmood Mamdani argues that Amin’s rise and rule cannot be understood in isolation and explores the role that foreign powers, including Israel, played in shaping Uganda’s political landscape, which is a nonsensical claim.
“Despite accusing Israel of Idi Amin’s rise to power, Mamdani ignores how Amin allowed, and even supported, the hijacking and attack on Jewish and Israeli passengers on Air France Flight 139,” wrote reviewer Jonathan Beloff.
