When, in June 1976, Palestinian and German terrorists hijacked a flight from Israel to Paris and diverted it to the Ugandan city of Entebbe, holding the hundreds of passengers hostage there, Israel launched a daring and successful raid to free the captives. The historian Saul David tells this story in detail in a new book. At the center of the narrative, writes Alan Furst in his review, is Israel’s risky decision not to reward the terrorists with a prisoner exchange:
The gravely difficult choice facing the Israelis was this: do we give in to the hijackers’ demands and, in exchange for the hostages, free terrorists captured in previous attacks, even those who have Jewish “blood on their hands”? Or do we initiate a rapidly planned and daring operation that may turn out to be a disastrous failure? Both options are explored in depth, with the defense minister, Shimon Peres, supporting the military operation and the prime minister, Yitzḥak Rabin, undecided as the 48-hour deadline set by the terrorists approaches. David’s exploration of the various conflicts generates a high level of drama and tension for the reader, even though the outcome is known. This is the achievement of a masterly, first-rate historian.
Read more on New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/books/review/operation-thunderbolt-by-saul-david.html