A national heritage center for aviation planned for construction north of Jerusalem will dedicate a wing to Lt. Col. Yoni Netanyahu, who was killed during “Operation Thunderbolt” to rescue 102 hostages in Uganda.
The Israeli Cabinet is expected to approve the proposal led by Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu next week, ahead of the 50th anniversary of the successful military operation.
The operation on July 4, 1976, commanded by Netanyahu—the brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the only IDF soldier killed during the rescue—has become an “international symbol of determination, bravery and mutual commitment,” Israel Hayom cited the proposal as saying.
Eliyahu told the outlet, “This is a historic initiative that connects pioneering spirit, heroism and sovereignty. The center will commemorate the story of the residents of Atarot and Israel’s fighters—foremost among them Yonatan Netanyahu—in a vivid and accessible way for future generations.”
Atarot north of Jerusalem was formed by Zionist Jews in 1912 and established a permanent residency in 1922. The British, after conquering the area from the Ottoman Empire in War World I, built Atarot Airport next to the burgeoning town.
However, it was evacuated and destroyed during Israel’s War of Independence.
The Israeli government today is planning to revamp the site, including the airport’s abandoned structures, and turn it into a national center that will tell the story of its Zionist pioneers alongside Jerusalem’s first airport.
The project is estimated to cost approximately three million shekels (~$1.03 million), allocated from the Ministry of Heritage budget for 2026.
