Nearly five decades after Entebbe, Yonatan Netanyahu still stands in my mind as the embodiment of courage, moral clarity, Jewish resilience, and the spirit that keeps innovating the future of Israel

He was my hero before I knew enough history to explain why.

My fascination with Israel’s defense and security services did not begin with a book, a documentary, or even a newspaper. It began in a Bible Knowledge class many years ago. The teacher had just finished teaching us about brave men and women who faced overwhelming odds with skill, faith, and conviction: Joshua, David, Gideon, Samson, Joab, Deborah, Jael. As he packed up his materials and prepared to leave, he added one more thought, almost casually: the same courage, he said, was still being displayed in our own time, as the Israeli military had shown at Entebbe after the hijacking of an Air France flight. All Jewish hostages were freed. Only one soldier was killed. His name was Yoni Netanyahu.

That little snippet was enough. It lit a fire in me.

From that day, I found myself drawn to what I later came to call the 3Ms: the man, the mission, and the military. The man was Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu. The mission was Entebbe, one of the most daring rescue operations in modern history. The military, of course, was the Israel Defense Forces, whose story of courage, improvisation, sacrifice, and moral seriousness has fascinated me ever since.

Now, as Yoni would have turned 80 on March 13, 2026, I find myself reflecting on him again with deep gratitude, admiration, and emotion. Some heroes are admired because they were successful. Others are remembered because they died young. But Yoni occupies a rarer place. He is remembered because his life and death fused into one unforgettable testimony: leadership is not about rank, reputation, or rhetoric. It is about character under pressure. It is about going first when the risk is greatest. It is about duty, even when duty demands everything.

Yoni was, in every sense, a hero absolute.

Much has rightly been said about Operation........

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