Operation Entebee (part II)....

continued from Operation Entebee (part I)....

In part I, I have narrated the events taking place during the mission of the IDF-Mossad; I have mentioned few tactical points which were shared by Shri. Avinash Dharmadhikari but are not easily found in literature available on the internet. These points infact, would be helping us the most as far as understanding is concerned. Men acted in the way they did during these tense days and they have left behind wisdom for all of us to gather - similar to plucking fruits of a big tree.

Moving on, when the idea of a military covert strike was doing the rounds in Israel during the week post the hijacking, another thought was playing on the think tank's mind; that of the geo-political feasibility of an armed strike on a sovereign nation's land given the backdrop of the recent Yom Kippur War of Oct 1973. The only concern was the reaction of the international community if a military strike were to be carried out. Release of the terrorists in an exchange deal was yet not off the table and that is what was demanded by the relatives of the hostages aboard the hijacked Air France flight; but barring these relatives and a few politicians, the entire nation of Israel including the opposition parties stuck to their opinions about not kneeling in front of terrorism. They were arguing for taking back what was theirs; for rescuing the hostages without a compromise on the memories and efforts of those brave men who had fought and fallen to capture the terrorists in the first place. What was our opposition doing when IC 814 was hijacked? They were clamouring for the resignation of the then Defence Minister Jaswant Singh !! No doubt our incumbent Govt failed to act and maybe one of the few acts of shame of the NDA Govt then but then Israel during its phase saw a support from the opposition and people alike. This is a hallmark of a free nation - the sense of understanding what is important in the long-run and for the greater good. There was a father in this bunch of relatives who had commented, "It wont matter to me if my son does not come back home tomorrow but do not let the sacrifice of those having not returned home for ages go in vain; you will not compromise with the terrorists. We are citizens of this nation, and we love the land of Israel; and we shall sacrifice whatever it may take to safeguard its liberty."

We would be surprised to know that the political scenario in Israel is similar to ours - coalition and a multitude of parties in the Israeli Knesset but the "coalition compulsion" is not the excuse which they present there despite any party having no clear majority. These men unite against enemy forces irrespective of their disagreements at home and that is what makes them stand apart; they practice the moral - United we stand, divided we fall. Even during the operation, there was a sense of belonging and a sense of duty among the civilians involved. The student aboard the hijacked flight had no need to record events in his diary and yet he did knowing full well that he might be killed if the hijackers found out what he was up to. The Jew lady carrying a British Passport ensured that vital information (regarding the no. of terrorists on-board or the weapons they carried or the means of tracking external activities they employed) reaches the Govt. without worrying about her security in the future. The architects of the Entebee Airport helped the assault teams and saved many lives by divulging the design of the airfield and assisting in the planning too. The Israelis in Kenya played their role as well upon the call of their nation and infact paid a heavy price too. (Idi Amin had them assassinated and their homes bombed) The father of the boy aboard the hijacked plane had the courage to say what he did. Without worrying of its consequences, Brig. Gen. Dan Shomron chose to keep to the schedule inspite of receiving no communication from the Knesset - displaying presence of mind so that success of the mission be not compromised. Why is this the way it is? What makes these men challenge death to fight for the liberty of their nation? They lived with a hope of over 2 millenniums - "Next year we meet in Jerusalem" has been their chant since then. After all the pain they have faced and lived with for so many years and after all the pain they are facing now to preserve this hard fought freedom, they know and understand the value of freedom. These civilians did not comment that "They are paid to die" about their soldiers unlike one of ours during the IC 814 episode; It is because they consider themselves soldiers - each one of 'em! Some with guns, some with pens, some with their minds while some purely at heart; nevertheless, they all believe that they are soldiers of their country and when it comes to Israel, they go beyond what we call as fear. There was a great uproar when the world came to know of the rescue mission. UN berated Israel at first and many countries expressed their harsh criticism, but Israel did not give a damn then and they don't give a damn now. Every sanction imposed upon Israel post the mission was lifted within 2 months including a major arms deal with the US. PM Golda Meir just had one sentence to say, "We don't regret what we did; and we'l keep doing it again and again for Israel."

The classic fearlessness runs in the entire nation and I envy them for it; Only if, Only if it was the same here. In the movie Rang de Basanti, just before the boys were about to enter the Air India tower a part of Su's grandfather's memoirs are read out - "What is it about these boys that makes them have no fear? I think sometimes a person is pushed so far, that they reach a place beyond fear. A place where you find a strange peace; where you free yourself to do the right thing because sometimes, that is the hardest thing to do." Operation Entebee was an example of this feeling; through history, Israel has been pushed so far that they have gone beyond fear. Do we need a Holocaust or an Auschwitz to tell us the same message? To push us so far as Israel has been pushed? Have we forgotten our past then? About the sustained tyranny of the Mughals first and then the British? Just because that was spread over a few centuries rather than 5-10 years as the Jewish persecution by the Nazi regime does not make it less worse; if not more, it certainly has to equal the cruelty. I sense a non-chalance somewhere. Freedom has been taken for granted; freedom is thought to be free. Israel pays the price to be free every day of their lives - they are at war 24x7 and hence they value what it takes to preserve that freedom. Just because the shockwaves from the Red Corridor or the Seven Sisters or Kashmir don't affect us frequently does not mean that we are not at war! If we can't safeguard our freedom, no-one is going to do it for us.

Israel continues to have me spell-bound; it continues to inspire me and show me how a free nation can be. It reminds me the importance of having no fear; it makes me recollect Veer Savarkar's famous and powerful verse, "Death for you (freedom) is life; Life without you is death." My single greatest take-away is, "Never fear for doing what you believe is right. Love your nation and go the ultimate distance for it." I salute the spirit of all those who made Operation Entebee a success and especially the civilians for lending support; for not allowing their Govt to even consider the release of captured terrorists. I salute them for answering terrorism in the language it understands. Friends, we are not lesser mortals; what Israel can, we can too. Remember that our countrymen had once withstood a Chinese attack in 1962 on a frontier post in the Himalayas at freezing over -30 degrees centigrade temperature with lesser advanced weaponry to allow vital time for our army to re-group and defend this motherland of ours. 50 men had defied 1000 Chinese infantry for 2 days - its courage beyond extraordinary! We are capable but the only hurdles in our path are our own fears and self-doubt; should we not shed them?

"Man is not fit to live if he does not know what he can die for."

Martin Luther King Jr.

Keep Fighting....

Live Free....

Jai Hind!