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WORK IN PROGRESS -- NOCH NICHT ABGESCHLOSSENE QUELLENSAMMLUNG
Schilderungen der Aufteilung(en) der Geiseln von Entebbe in unterschiedliche Gruppen
Berichte von Geiseln, die nicht der israelischen Gruppe zugewiesen worden waren
Michel Bacos – nichtjüdisch-französische Geisel, Flugkapitän, nicht entlassen
Chiourim.com, 06.07.2011
„Le mardi soir, les terroristes ont annoncé que nous devions nous séparer : les otages israéliens seraient placés dans une salle et les autres otages - ainsi que l’équipage - dans une autre.“
NRG.il 29.06.01
נ110 נוסעים ואנשי צוות נשארו באנטבה להמשך ההמתנה מורטת העצבים. החוטפים ביטלו את ההפרדה לשני החדרים. "לפחות היינו שוב כולם ביחד", מספר באקוס
110 Passagiere und Besatzungsmitglieder blieben in Entebbe zurück und das nervenaufreibende Warten ging weiter. Die Entführer beendeten die Trennung in zwei Räume. "Zumindest waren wir alle wieder zusammen," sagt Bacos.
Sylver Ayache – jüdisch-französische Geisel, nicht entlassen
Tribu 12, Sommer 2010
S. 16:„On nous a fait remplir un formulaire d’identité imprimé par le FPLP et on nous a servi un repas léger. Puis nous avons débarqué après plusieurs heures d’attente pour nous installer dans un ancien hangar désaffecté. (...) Nous avons été sommés de donner nos passeports et tous les papiers que nous avions sur nous. Il faut savoir que 90% des passagers étaient de confession israélite et 60% des israéliens. Sur 256 personnes, 101 sont libérés entre mercredi et jeudi. L'ensemble des israéliens ont été gardés et quelques éléments de plusieurs nationalités, dont moi que sois français, pour faire pression sur les différents gouvernements. Cette séparation, ce tri entre israéliens et non israéliens a été un moment trés douloureux.“
Claude Moufflet – nichtjüdisch-französische Geisel, am 5. Tag entlassen
in seinem Buch Otages a Kampala, 1976
S. 82: „L'appel commence et très rapidement nous nous rendons compte que seuls les Israéliens sont appelés à se rendre dans l'autre salle. (...) L'Allemand tente d'expliquer que celle-ci est faite uniquement compte tenu de la nationalité des gens et dans le souci de ne pas séparer les familles et les personnes parlant la même langue. (...) Au fur et à mesure de l'appel, nous nous sommes en effet rendu compte que non seulement les passagers de nationalité israélienne devaient se rendre dans l'autre salle, mais aussi les gens ayant une double nationalité dont l'israélienne, et plus inquiétant encore, des personnes de nationalité autre qu'israélienne mais de confession israélite. Cela n'a cependant pas été la règle car dans notre salle, il reste au moins un Grec, deux Brésiliens et des Français qui sont aussi de confession israélite. Par contre, les familles n'étant pas séparées, la jeune Américaine et une jeune Belge toutes deux épouses d'Israéliens, vont également dans l'autre salle.“
S. 130: „A l'intérieure de l'aérogare, il reste 83 Israéliens y compris les passagers ayant la double nationalité et 10 jeunes Français auxquels viennent s'ajouter les 12 membres de l'équipage.“
S. 139: „Dans la salle presque vide qui maintenant paraît très grande, restent 10 passagers et l'équipage. (...) Puis ordre est donné aux passagers de l'autre salle de prendre leurs affaires et de les rejoindre. Ils sont tous réunis.“
Gérard Tribandaut – französische Geisel, am 5. Tag entlassen
Abilene Reporter, 02.07.76
„Asked how the hijackers selected the hostages they wanted to release, Tribandaut said, "It all happened very quickly on Thursday morning. They came around and asked us to put our names and nationalities on a piece of paper. Then they checked down the list and called out the names of those they wanted to release, including my brother and myself. "I think they systematically excluded anyone who was Israeli." The hijackers kept all the hostages' passports.“
Michel Cojot-Goldberg – jüdisch-französische Geisel, am 5. Tag entlassen
Betätigte sich als Dolmetscher zwischen Französisch und Englisch und hatte als de-facto-Wortführer (neben Flugkapitän Bacos) zwischen Geiseln und Geiselnehmern eine herausgehobene Stellung.
Autobiografie Namesake, Corgi 1984 (engl. Übersetzung des 1980 erschienenen frz. Originals Écorché Juif):
S. 117: „The separation from the Israelis, on Tuesday evening the twenty-ninth, was the first great ground test. But it didn't happen the way it was described in numerous sensation-seeking articles, books and films. 'The Peruvian' came over and told us that the persons whose names were going to be read out were to go to the next room, which had just been prepared. By the third mangled name, it was evident, even to those with only a smattering of biblical knowledge, that the names, especially the given names, were Hebrew: Eytan, Ilan, Noam, Hannah, Akiva, Uzi. No one moved. (...)
The captain took the loudspeaker: 'It is we who have asked our guards for more space. All they did was to grant our request, so there is no cause for alarm.' Did he understand that it was not more space but the criterion of separation that was the problem? (...) As a matter of fact, the captain, other members of the crew, and a few passengers did pay frequent visits to the ‘people of the ghetto’ separated from the others by a wooden crossbar – and much more.
Among the non-Israelis, there were a few doubtful cases that gave rise to questioning. On this occasion, one of us became so entangled with his answers that it cost him two broken ribs. I asked the little group that was worried about him. ‘Does anybody really know his nationality?’ The captain replied: ‘He has a French passport, but physically he is very marked.’“
S. 119: „Then came my own private test: separation from my son.
[Olivier] was part of the contingent of forty-seven persons, – children, mothers, old people, plus a clever little Moroccan and his family – who were freed on Wednesday. The criteria for this first release were rather simple: the children, their mothers, most of the old people and the sick, provided that they were neither Israelis nor nationals of certain Arab countries that forbid their citizens to travel to Israel. The evening before, the terrorists had gone around the room hastily making up their list. [Olivier] had grabbed one of them by the sleeve: ‘Put my father on the list, put my father on the list,’ he repeated in his broken English. ‘[Olivier], one doesn't beg these people.’“
S. 120 f.: „With the most vulnerable gone, the rest of us began to organize ourselves for a stay which I imagined would be long. We had no news from the outside – the German had rejected my request for newspapers – and tongues were wagging away. (...) ‘Barracks’ were formed along lines of linguistic and other affinities. I had a choice and opted for a French group, which included a couple of Air France employees returning from vacation. (...)
Using the criteria of the first release of hostages, the engineer and I drew up a list of sick or elderly people who, through weakness, ignorance, or timidity, had not made themselves known the first time: an Englishman with a heart ailment who had not noticed anything, an old woman who had been in the toilet at the time, and others who simply exceeded the number the terrorists were willing to release.
Nevertheless, the second release was very different from the first. On learning that Israel had accepted the principle of negotiation, the terrorists postponed the date of the ultimatum until Sunday noon and decided to free another contingent of non-Israelis. We were asked to draw up very quickly a list of all those in the non-Israeli room. When I came to the crew, the Peruvian [der in Entebbe zu den Entführern gestoßene palästinensische PFLP-Kämpfer Yael el-Arja] yelled at me: ‘Not the crew!’ Then the terrorists ticked off the names of those who could be freed, with a few cross-outs and write-overs. They wanted to proceed as quickly as possible in order to prevent us from exchanging messages and to reduce the duration of what promised to be a tense period. And they were also very much afraid of crowd movements. One of the Arabs began to read the list of those who could leave. But the names were so varied and so complicated that he stumbled over each syllable, and even some of those whose names were called failed to react. I took the list from him and began to calling out the names that were familiar to me. The entire Diaspora was there, or almost – from Europe, North and South America, North Africa; only Russian Jews were missing. In addition, there were the season's tourists, a few merchants, and a few lost souls who had boarded the plane in Athens: a Korean, an important blue-eyed Jordanian, three Greek sailors, the yachtsman. I fell silent, stunned, when after having read an elderly couple's name, I noticed that their son, who was in the prime of life was not among those scheduled to leave. The parents were already on their feet, expecting their son's name to be called out next. The flight engineer, who had observed that I was stymied, whispered to me: ‘Tell him that the father can't walk without the son.’ I used this little argument and the terrorist let himself be convinced.“
S. 122: „The criteria for this second release of hostages were somewhat confused: a hundred people or so were to be freed, provided that they were neither members of the crew nor Israelis, real or suspected. Some hostages whose names and behavior made it obvious that they were Jews were also freed, most notably two very pious Brazilians with yarmulkes, who had originally been placed in the room with the Israelis by the German woman but who had been transferred by the Peruvian.
Once the operation was completed, three groups remained: the Israelis in their room, the crew by the bar, and about thirty leftovers grouped in a corner near the bay windows.
The few foreigners in the Israeli room were persons who had more or less long-term visas and two pious Jewish couples, one Belgian, the other American. Filmmakers and other producers of recent history were able to use these facts, if they knew them, to make the chord of Auschwitz vibrate by implying that the terrorists had separated the Jews from the others. An error involving four persons, one of whom had fumbled his way into being disliked by everyone, does not change the distinction the terrorists tried to enforce: separate the real or potential Israelis from the others. There were also errors in the other direction, of which much less has been said, and for good reason: a high-ranking officer of the Israeli army was among the second group of hostages to be released. Many Jews wearing a yarmulke or a large star of David were freed that day. (...)
No, Entebbe was not Auschwitz, in spite of what the sensation-hungry journalists and film-makers said. It was not Auschwitz, even if we were tempted to take our fears for realities. At Entebbe, Brigitte Kuhlmann was not Ilse Koch (the ‘Witch of Buchenwald,’ famous for her collection of lampshades made of human skin, preferably tattoed), even if they belonged to the same family of psychopaths. At Entebbe, the terrorists had a concrete goal – the freeing of fifty-three prisoners – which one can disapprove of but which is not a utopian, arrogant, and insane redefinition of man. Entebbe was the Ritz compared to Auschwitz. Even if hostages had been killed off – and it was easy to see who would be the first among them – it would not have been an Auschwitz; it is important how and why one dies! The terrorists would have killed the hostages as they had taken them, efficiently but without cruelty. They would have killed Israeli hostages not because of their Jewishness but because Israel occupied – wrongfully in the terrorists' eyes – land that they considered theirs. The two Germans were only tools who had come in search of an illusory solution to problems they carried within themselves.“
Julie Aouizerate – jüdisch-französische Geisel, am 4. Tag entlassen
zitiert nach William Stevenson: 90 Minuten in Entebbe, S. 48 f.:
„Dienstag war ein tragischer Tag. Abends vor dem Essen kam der Deutsche mit einer Liste und las die Namen vor. Nach vier oder fünf Namen wussten wir, es waren alles Israelis. Die Aufgerufenen nahmen ihre Koffer und Sachen und gingen in einen anderen Raum. Es waren 83, und viele weinten, als sie hinausgingen. Uns, die wir zurückblieben, war elend zumute. Es war eine schreckliche Szene — der harte deutsche Akzent und dann diese >selekzia<. Die 83 gingen hinaus. Etwas später kam Idi Amin in den Nebenraum und sprach mit ihnen. Wir konnten nicht alles hören, nur Fetzen verstanden wir. Ein paar Mal hörten wir ihn >Shalom< sagen. Als er fertig war, applaudierten die Israelis. Es war ein schrecklicher Abend, obgleich ich selber und viele andere wussten, sie würden uns bald freilassen.“
Jewish Telegraphic Agency 02.07.1976:
Mrs. Julie Aquizerat, an Algerian-born French Jewish grandmother of 62, described to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency how the 83 Israeli passengers were separated Tuesday evening from the other hostages who were to be released. It reminded her of Nazi concentration camps where Jews were singled out for the gas chambers. “It was a terrible moment” Mrs. Aquizerat said. “One of the hijackers started reading off a list of names. As he rolled off the first four or five names, we realized from the Hebrew consonants of the first names that these were Israelis. “The fact that the hijacker was one of the two Germans aboard the plane and that he read off the names with a heavy German accent further increased the early feeling. We all felt as if we were reliving a nightmare which was taking us back to the concentration camps of the second World War as people, at the call of their names, picked up their luggage and walked out. We were all pale-faced. Some women and children wept.”
mehrere am 5. Tag entlassene US-amerikanische Geiseln
von der US-Botschaft Paris in einem regierungsinternen Report vom 03.07.1976 zusammengefasste, nicht namentlich zugeordnete Aussagen:
„Some of the Americans identified George and Renee Karfunkel as Americans and were aware that they had only American passports and had been in Israel only briefly. No one had a satisfactory explanation of why the Karfunkels had not been released with the other Americans. The Karfunkels appeared very orthodox, ate only kosher food and were seated with the Israelis aboard the plane and remained with them even on the ground because the commandos permitted them to prepare kosher food. However, the commandos generally worked from the documents which they had collected and the printed cards (in Arabic) which they had each passenger fill out. The commandos were therefore well aware that the Karfunkels had American passports only. One American suggested that their flaunting of their Jewishness might have alienated some of the Arabs in the commandos. On the other hand, others thought their retention might have been just an oversight. As for Janet Almog, none of the Americans we have questioned were aware of her presence. She was probably retained on the basis of her Israeli documentation (as were the French/Israeli dual nationals) in addition to her being seated with the Israelis. The Americans noted that the dual nationals had made no attempts to destroy or discard the evidence of their Israeli citizenship although others had destroyed some compromising documentation such as press cards. Hijackers while still on plane warned that "anyone who destroyed identity documents would be severely punished." (...)
The Americans at first were surprised at the animosity shown toward the French given the rather pro-Arab GOF policy, but the Germans told them that not only had France helped Israel materially (nuclear energy plant, Mirages, etc.) but also the French government had permitted Israeli agents to kill 50 of the Palestinian agents in France without any effort by the GOF to find and prosecute the assassins. Hence the decision to attack a French plane, to hold prisoner the French crew and some young French passengers, and to make heavy demands on the French government concerning release of prisoners.
Nahum Dahan – jüdisch-israelisch-französische Geisel, nicht entlassen
(reiste mit französischem Reisepass, Geiselnehmer entdeckten erst nach der Aufteilung Hinweise auf seine israelische Staatsbürgerschaft und verhörten ihn unter Folter)
Dokumentarfilm Von Auschwitz nach Entebbe, 2009
6:10 „Die beiden deutschen Terroristen hatten auf einem kleinen Tisch zwei Stapel gebildet, mit den Pässen der Passagiere: Israelische und nicht-israelische. Danach wurden die einzelnen Namen aufgerufen. Vorher schon hatten sie ein etwa einen Meter hohes Loch in die Wand geschlagen. Jeder, der aufgerufen wurde, musste durch dieses Loch in den Nebenraum. Alle Israelis wurden der Reihe nach aufgerufen.“
Dokumentarfilm The Age of Terror: Terror International, 2008
15:05: „The German man and woman came in front of the entrance to the reception area. They put down the small bag containing all our documents on the small table. They started to take out our documents and divided them into two piles: the right hand pile contained only Israeli passports, the one on the left contained all the passports from other countries.“
Berichte von Geiseln, die der israelischen Gruppe zugewiesen worden waren
Emma und Claude Rosenkovitch – jüdisch-israelisches Geiselpaar
Surviving the Myth, in: Haaretz vom 31.07.2003:
„On the subject of the separation, the Rosenkovitches say they want to refute a myth that is recycled on official Web sites of the Israel Defense Forces, too: "It's always said that they separated Jews from non-Jews, like the `selections' in the concentration camps, but that's not true. Most of the passengers on the plane were Jews, and they released almost everyone who wasn't an Israeli. The exceptions were two ultra-Orthodox couples from Canada, whom they told to stay with us and weren't willing to listen to their pleas. They kept shouting, 'But we are not Israelis, we are not Israelis,' and we felt a certain contempt for them, though I can certainly understand them."“
Dokumentarfilm Von Auschwitz nach Entebbe, 2009
6:40 „Als das losging, war ich die erste, die aufgerufen wurde, mit den Kindern. Und ich dachte: Das war's jetzt. Wir werden getrennt. Die Männer werden jetzt befragt und es passiert etwas ganz Schreckliches. Das war ein schrecklicher Moment, ich hatte unglaubliche Angst. (...) Ich bin zu Böse gegangen und habe zu ihm gesagt: Wie können Sie als Deutscher so etwas tun? Sie wissen doch, dass unter uns hier Menschen sind, die ihre Häftlingsnummer aus Auschwitz eintätowiert haben. Daran hätten Sie doch vorher mal denken müssen. Naja, darauf wusste er nichts mehr zu antworten.“
Ilan Hartuv – jüdisch-israelische Geisel
Yossi Melman: Setting the record straight: Entebbe was not Auschwitz, in: Haaretz, 08.07.2011:
Ilan Hartuv, who was one of the hostages, is taking this opportunity to shatter a widely accepted myth regarding an event related to the hijacking: the claim that the terrorists separated Jews from non-Jews, in a way reminiscent of Nazi selections in the extermination camps. "There was no selection applied to Jews: Entebbe was not Auschwitz," says Hartuv in an interview with Haaretz. (...) "The terrorists separated the Israelis from the non-Israelis," says Hartuv, one of the unofficial leaders of the hostages, and the official translator from English to Hebrew in talks with Amin, who visited the hostages a number of times. "The separation was done based on passports and ID cards. There was no selection of Jews versus non-Jews." On the third day of the hijacking, the hijackers demanded that all the Israelis, including those with dual citizenship (Israeli and foreign), assemble in the transit hall of Entebbe airport. They were joined by the plane's crew members, led by the French captain, Michel Bacos. The rest of the passengers, carrying non-Israeli passports, were transferred to another hall. Later they were freed and flown to Paris. "Many of the freed hostages were Jewish," Hartuv explains. "In the talks my friends and I conducted with some of the terrorists, they told us explicitly: We're not against the Jews, only against Israel. It is true that the female German terrorist acted like a Nazi. She yelled and threatened to kill us all the time. But some of her friends acted differently toward us. One of them was the one we called the Peruvian [because he was a representative of Haddad's organization in South America]." Hartuv recalls that the Israelis were joined by two couples from Belgium and the United States, and two teens from Brazil, who had completed a year of studies in a Jerusalem yeshiva: "They were transferred to the Israeli group because when we landed in Entebbe, before dawn, they had put on tefillin and recited morning prayers. We approached the Peruvian and asked that they be transferred to the foreign group because they were not Israelis. The Peruvian agreed and transferred the two Brazilians. Later they were freed with the rest of the non-Israeli hostages. He apologized for not being able to free the other two couples because the German woman wouldn't allow it."
David Elderbaum – jüdisch-israelische Geisel
Videointerview auf Torah Café, 2013
05:28 „They did separate us. Of course, it gave us a terrible feeling. It reminded us, it reminded everybody (of) the Nazi selection in the concentration camps. So, the feeling was not, well, you can imagine. All the Jews and the Israelis. It was not just Israelis. They picked up everybody's passports and they knew exactly who is Israeli. There were a couple of Orthodox Jews from the United States, from New York, that were pushed with us to that section. (...) Only Jews and Israelis, Israelis particularly and the American couple, the Orthodox couple, were pushed with us. (...) There were some Jewish people that had different passports, and they were sent to Paris.“
Moshe Peretz – jüdisch-israelische Geisel
Colette Baudoin: Les témoins racontent leur terrible aventure, in: L’Impartial vom 05.07.1976
„Pour Moche Peretz, les yeux cernés et le visage tendu par l'angoisse vécue, le moment le plus dur a été celui où les passagers israéliens ont été séparés des autres. « Nous avons été nombreux à croire que nous allions y passer tout de suite », a-t-il déclaré. « En réalité, a poursuivi Moche Peretz, ce n'a été que le premier des moments difficiles , car le commando jouait avec nos nerfs. A croire qu'ils avaient un certain plaisir à créer une telle tension. De temps en temps, ils défaisaient un groupe pour en reformer un autre. Ils ont séparé les hommes des femmes. Parfois ils appelaient des noms au hasard, faisaient sortir les gens et ceux-là, comme ceux qui restaient, s'imaginaient le pire »“
in: Yehuda Ofer: Operation Thunder, 1976
S. 46: „19.10. The terrorists are separating us from the rest in most dramatic fashion. Everyone with an Israeli passport is asked to go out of the main hall into an adjoining one. There is a sense of imminent execution. Women begin to weep.“
William Stevenson: 90 Minuten in Entebbe, 1976
S. 50: „[5. Entführungstag,] 14 Uhr. Eine zweite Gruppe von Franzosen verlässt uns. Die Zurückbleibenden sind die Israelis, 20 junge Franzosen, und die Bordcrew.“
Sarah Davidson – jüdisch-israelische Geisel
in: Yehuda Ofer: Operation Thunder, 1976: S. 46f:
„The Israelis have been parted from the other passengers. It is clear now that we're not human beings like all the others. We – our fate is different. (...) And the German stands with that list and begins to read names and “by chance”, he calls out only Israeli names, “without any connection with nationality”. And the Israelis – they even “help” him, and rightly so; when the name of an Israeli male is read out, his wife and children at once jump up and insist on going with him into the second hall, and the “good German” smiles and “allows”, as though it were his intention in the first place. All the Israelis – into the second room.“
im Dokumentarfilm Operation Thunderbolt: Entebbe, (2000), ab 14:12 [Sara Davidson:] "It's a terrible feeling. A feeling of separation, that you are different. That you are punished because you are a Jew, not only Israeli, but that you are a Jew, so you are punished."
Ada Lazarovitz – jüdisch-israelische Geisel
Semanario Hebreo, 13.07.2006
„Uno de los momentos más difíciles fue cuando nos separaron de los franceses. Leyeron nombres de los pasaportes. A los franceses, también a los judíos de entre ellos, los colocaron en un sitio y a los israelíes, en otro. Eso nos dio muchísimo miedo. Nos hizo acordar claramente de imágenes de la Shoa. Además, había dos terroristas alemanes ...“
Monique Epstein Khalepski – jüdisch-französische Geisel, mit ständigem Wohnsitz in Israel
El País 11.07.1976
„Nos hicieron rellenar unos papeles para la Organización para la Liberación de Palestina. En ellos tuvimos que poner nuestro nombre, número del pasaporte, profesión y lugar de destino. (...) Eso fue al día siguiente de cuando fuimos separados los judíos de los demás pasajeros; cuando algunas mujeres, niños, ancianos y enfermos fueron liberados.
-¿Quién pudo marcharse en el primer grupo?
- Todos los que no fuesen judíos o israelitas. Entre nosotros había una pareja de belgas y otra de americanos.
Más tarde llegó a nosotros un horrible anuncio. Entraron en la habitación y el francés que sostenía el micrófono tradujo sus órdenes: «Según los deseos del capitán, vamos a ofrecerles más sitio. Algunos de ustedes pasarán a otra habitación», y pasó a leer una lista. Después de varios nombres pudimos darnos cuenta que mencionaban sólo a los israelíes.
A partir de entonces nuestro inicial silencio se fue haciendo cada vez más pesado y empezamos a imaginar cosas horribles. Dos de entre nosotros habían estado anteriormente en campos de concentración. A una mujer le dio un ataque de histeria. Sus gritos cortaban el silencio. Se hubiese podido hacer una película en aquellos momentos, con reminiscencias de una cierta época histórica...
-¿Sintió miedo?
-Sí, porque mi situación estaba aún sin decidir. Aquella tarde yo no fui nombrada.
-Por entonces, ¿dónde estaban los soldados?
-Se encontraban aún allí, hablando con los del comando amistosamente.
-¿Después de la primera separación, les llamaron más tarde?
-Nos llamaron para hacernos muchas preguntas. Eramos cinco. Hicieron el interrogatorio los terroristas más mayores los que no vinieron en el avión. Hablaban en inglés. Me preguntaron qué hacía, quién era, qué nacionalidad tenía y dónde vivía. Les contesté que soy francesa, pero que había residido temporalmente en Israel. Sin embargo, ellos nos dijeron a los cinco: «Sabemos todo sobre ustedes. Es mejor que no oculten nada». Insistían en que pertenecíamos al grupo KAPOTE. Yo, al principio, no les entendía.
«¿Ha estado alguna vez en Kiriat Shmone?», me preguntaron. Les contesté que sí, pero como turista. «Sabe que hay Kapotes en Kiriat Shmone ... », me dijeron.
A los israelíes no les preguntaban nada. Una persona fue interrogada ampliamente porque encontraron que llevaba fotos en las que aparecía él en un tanque.
Después que nos separaron empezó a desarrollarse entre nosotros un cierto complejo. El capitán del avión venía de cuando en cuando a vernos para animarnos un poco. A los otros franceses sólo les veíamos al ir al cuarto de baño.
-¿Qué pasó cuando soltaron al primer grupo?
-Yo no ví cómo se marchaban, porque estaba en la otra habitación con los israelíes. Sólo fueron liberados los viejos, las mujeres y los niños. Era un grupo pequeño. Todos fueron escogidos entre la gente de la otra habitación. Realmente no fue un suceso muy alentador para los que nos encontrábamos en la otra sala, ya que a ninguno de nosotros nos dejaron partir. Fue muy duro, para los esposos que se encontraban allí, ver partir a sus mujeres e hijos y tener que quedarse ellos.
La segunda vez que liberaron a otro grupo fue más dura para nosotros, porque obstruyeron la comunicación entre nuestra habitación y la otra y, a partir de entonces, no pudimos saber qué pasaba.“
Renée Karfunkel – jüdisch-US-amerikanische Geisel
Juli 1976, zitiert nach Herbert Kupferberg: Entebbe: The Rescue, The Legend, The Lesson, The Spokesman-Review, 03.05.1981
„The Israeli hostages were wonderful. They kept telling our German captors that we were Americans and should be let go.“
Shai Gross – jüdisch-israelische Geisel (damals 6 Jahre alt)
Interview auf Ynet vom 13.11.2011
ביום השלישי לחטיפה, 29 ביוני, ריכזו החוטפים את הנוסעים הישראלים והיהודים באולם הנוסעים של הטרמינל הישן בשדה התעופה של אנטבה ושחררו את יתר הנוסעים. קברניט המטוס הצרפתי, מישל בקוס, התעקש להישאר עם נוסעיו החטופים. יחד איתו נשאר צוות המטוס.
"הייתה שם סלקציה", מתאר גרוס. "היום אני יודע שהמחבלים עמדו עם הדרכונים שלנו וקראו בשמות אחד אחד בגרמנית והעבירו את היהודים והישראלים לצד אחד ואת הגויים לצד אחר. סבי וסבתי היו ניצולי שואה. ההורים שלי עצמם לא היו ניצולים, אבל בגלל הסיפורים שהם שמעו בבית, הם סיפרו שזה היה הרגע שבו הם הבינו שאולי לא נחזור מפה חיים
Am dritten Tag der Entführung, dem 29. Juni, trieben die Kidnapper die israelischen und jüdischen Passagiere im alten Flughafenterminal von Entebbe zusammen und ließen die übrigen Passagiere frei. Der französische Flugkapitän Michel Bacos bestand darauf, bei den Geiseln zu bleiben. Er blieb gemeinsam mit der Flugzeugbesatzung.
„Es gab dort eine Selektion,“ sagt Gross. „Heute weiß ich, dass die Terroristen unsere Pässe hatten, die Namen nacheinander auf Deutsch vorlasen und die Juden und die Israelis auf die eine Seite schickten und die Nichtjuden auf die andere. Meine Großeltern waren Holocaust-Überlebende. Meine Eltern waren selbst keine Überlebende, aber wegen der Erzählungen, die sie zuhause gehört hatten, sagten sie, dass dies der Moment war, als sie realisierten, dass wir vielleicht nicht lebend zurückkehren würden.“
Arno Hilf – jüdisch-israelische Geisel
Ze'ev Schal: „Mir nach – und wir rannten, rannten: Der Israeli Arno Hilf über die Tage in Uganda.“ In: Die Zeit vom 9. Juli 1976
Dann später, auf dem ugandischen Flughafen Entebbe – Arno Hilf erinnert sich, daß das schlimmste die Trennung der Israelis von den Passagieren anderer Nationalitäten war: „Ich vergleiche das nicht mit den Massenmorde Aktionen der Nazis – wo die Juden auch vorher ausgesondert wurden, getrennt von den anderen. Irgendwie waren wir auf einmal außerhalb der Welt, der Wirklichkeit. (...)“
Dritte Autoren, die selbst nicht anwesend waren: Journalistische Berichte bis Ende 1976
Yehuda Ofer (isr. Journalist und Sachbuchautor)
Operation Thunder: the Entebbe Raid, 1976
S. 46: „The third day of captivity was drawing to a close. Sometime during the evening, as the hostages waited for their meal, the German hijacker came into the hall holding a long list, from which he read out names. After he had rattled off a few it became evident that they were only Israelis.“
S. 47: „Two couples who were not Israeli citizens joined the group of Israelis and those with dual nationality. Both males wore skullcaps and drew the attention of the hijackers while they were still aboard the plane, when they donned tefillin, phylacteries, on their foreheads and left bare forearms. A religious Jew deserved, in the estimation of the terrorists, to be counted among the Israeli citizens even if he did not have the passport of ‘the Zionist state’ in his pocket...“
S. 53 ff.: „The families of the captives back in Israel were gnawed by grave anxiety. Their fears mounted daily and reached the peak on the day the Israeli press announced on their front pages the ‘selection’, Uganda-style. The mother of one of the captives described how she felt in those days of dread: (...) Meanwhile the Committee of Relatives launched energetic action. ‘No, no, I didn't go to the meetings. Why? I don't know. I had already read in the afternoon papers about the “selection” that had been carried out there. I trembled. I thought that this term, “selection”, had disappeared from the world of the Jewish people, and here it had come back. I read how the French people, who were released because they were not Israelis, told of the horrible things they had undergone.’“
S. 56 f.: „It was according to these lights that the Rabin government, as past governments in Israel, determined the principles of its policy – as long as an alternative existed, there could be no surrender to terrorist blackmail. The words ‘as long as there is an alternative’, were as sharp as a double-edged sword. Israel had diverged from this policy on two solitary occasions previously, when it had no other option. It was when Israeli civilian aircraft had been hijacked and landed in hostile countries, and Israel paid the price, the release of terrorists, in return for the freeing of an El Al plane taken to Algeria and the liberation of two Israelis removed from a T.W.A. airliner and incarcerated in Damascus. (...) The Israeli government was bound not to allow the situation to deteriorate (...). On the other hand, would this refusal serve as the green light for the Entebbe gunmen to massacre dozens of Israeli citizens in cold blood?“
S. 71 ff.: „The West German government faced a particularly knotty problem – there were no German nationals aboard the hijacked plane but the captors were demanding the release of six dangerous criminals in return for the freeing of hostages holding other nationalities. The authorities at The Hague did not respond officially. Among the passengers was only one Dutch family, the wife and children of a diplomat who was posted in Indonesia, and they were among the forty-seven people of non-Israeli nationality who had been released at Entebbe and flown to Paris. (...) On Friday morning the Government of Israel learned that 101 captives had been freed at Entebbe and had reached Paris. Those left in terrorist hands in Uganda were holders of Israeli citizenship, dual nationality – Israel and other countries – and a number of Jews of various nationalities. (...) On the one hand, the fact that only Israelis and Jews remained at Entebbe turned the affair into an exclusive problem for Israel, and increased the fear that the terrorists really intended to carry out their threat to murder the hostages. (...) Meanwhile, a high-ranking army reserve officer, Major-General Rechaw’am Ze’ewi, known far and wide in Israel by the nickname ‘[Gandhi]’, who was Special Adviser on Intelligence to the Prime Minister, had been staying in Paris and had gathered valuable intelligence from the released passengers. There were still 109 captives in Entebbe.“
William Stevenson (kan. Journalist und Sachbuchautor)
90 Minuten in Entebbe, 1976
S. 45: »Selekzia« — das hörte man auch jetzt, als die Entführer weitere 101 Geiseln freiließen. Alle, die sie jetzt noch zurückbehielten, waren Juden, dazu die Crew der Air France. Der Pilot weigerte sich zu gehen und überredete seine französischen Kollegen ebenfalls zum Bleiben, damit sie später bezeugen konnten, wohin die Selektion führte.
Ben Porat, Eitan Haber, Zeev Schiff (isr. Journalisten und Sachbuchautoren)
Unternehmen Thunderball: Die Geiselbefreiung in Entebbe, in: Spiegel vom 25.10.1976
Sara Davidson aus Tel Aviv -- sie wollte mit ihrem Mann und den beiden Kindern zu einem Besuch nach Amerika -- stand noch immer unter dem Eindruck der makabren Szene, die sich zwei Tage zuvor abgespielt hatte. Der Deutsche Wilfried Böse, der während des Flugs von Athen nach Entebbe als Chef der Hijacker fungiert hatte, war in der Halle erschienen, ein Megaphon in der Hand. Seine Stimme klang entspannt und beruhigend: "Ich werde jetzt die Namen der hier Anwesenden verlesen. Wenn Sie Ihren Namen hören, stehen Sie auf und gehen hinüber in den Nebenraum. Wir haben ihn für Sie freigemacht, damit Sie nicht so gedrängt zusammensitzen müssen. Es hat nichts mit der Nationalität zu tun." Eine tödliche Stille lag über dem Terminal. "Es hat nichts mit der Nationalität zu tun." Da war keine weitere Erklärung mehr nötig. Die 241 Gefangenen verspürten einen kalten Schauer.
"Hana Cohen", las Böse aus dem ersten blauen Paß. Hana blickte ihren Mann und ihre Kinder an und ging hinaus. Die Selektion hatte begonnen, und sie dauerte fort bis in die Nacht. 49 Männer, Frauen und Kinder blieben in der Halle zurück, alle übrigen, mit ihnen die Mannschaft des Flugzeugs, traten den unheilvollen Gang in den anderen Raum an,[s. Anm.] vorbei an der bewaffneten deutschen Terroristin, die der Prozedur ungerührt zusah. Als Israels Verteidigungsminister Peres am anderen Morgen die Meldung bekam, hatte er Mühe, die Fassung zu bewahren. "Da seht ihr, wohin es mit dem Zionismus gekommen ist", sagte er zu seinen Mitarbeitern. "Da stehen zwei verdammte Deutsche mit Pistolen und wiederholen die Szene der Endlösung: Juden zur Linken, die andern zur Rechten! Sie machen "Selektion" -- mit uns!"
[Anmerkung: Diese Zahlenangaben widersprechen allen Darstellungen der Geiseln. Die israelische Gruppe stellte eine Minderheit aller Geiseln dar (rund 83 von 260), außerdem blieb die Flugzeugbesatzung mit der nichtisraelischen Gruppe in der Halle.]
Entebbe Rescue 1976, (Englische Übersetzung 1977, mit einer Einleitung von Premierminister Jitzchak Rabin)
S. 144–150: “One possibility,” Sara Davidson told [Uzi], (...) “is that the terrorists will separate the Israelis and the Jews from the others.”
She looked across at the men who had finished installing an opening into the next room. Earlier, a Ugandan soldier had nailed two planks over the opening in the shape of a “T.” Only a few hours ago, Michel [Cojot] had asked, in the name of all of them, for more space. Cramped and stuffy conditions were making for enormous discomfort. The open gap in the plywood partition and the chairs and couches which had been carried next door created the impression that their captors had accepted Michel's request. Soon there would be more room, as the passengers spread out over the second hallway.
Suddenly, there was more bustle inside Old Terminal. Wilfried Böse appeared, bullhorn in hand and a faint smile on his face. As always, his voice was relaxed and his words were almost reassuring: “I'm now going to read a list of the people who are here. When you hear your name, stand up and go into the next room. We have opened it up for your comfort, so you won't be so cramped. It has nothing to do with nationality...”
The silence of death itself descended on Old Terminal.
“It has nothing to do with nationality...”
Further explanation was unnecessary. A sudden cold shiver rippled through the captives.
“Hana Cohen,” Böse read from the first blue passport.
Hana heard her name as if in a distant dream. She looked at them, her husband and children, then walked to the opening in the plywood partition. The “T” shaped planks left perhaps thirty inches of free space above the floor. Hana Cohen bent down almost to her knees and shuffled through, as the German girl watched with an evil smile on her face.
“Ezra Almog...”
Wilfried Böse read another name from a blue Israeli passport. Very slowly, Ezra Almog, ex-member of Kibbutz Ein Dor, approached the low opening. [Janet], his wife, watched incredulously, then – before he crawled through – burst into bitter tears. Ezra turned back for a moment to tell his wife: “I want you to swear not to follow me. Stay on this side!” [Janet] Almog held a French passport.[s. Anm. 1] (...)
Next Böse named an American couple. By their dress, they seemed to be very religious Jews. The woman had on the wig worn by Orthodox wives in order not to appear attractive to men other than their husbands. The man was stunned – he wasn't an Israeli. He, like his wife, had been sure that he wouldn't be called. Suddenly the full implication sank in.
“I'm American,” he shouted, “I'm not an Israeli. I have no connection with the Israelis. I have an American passport! I'm not going through there!”
Wilfried Böse lifted a finger toward the opening. The man's protest ceased and the American couple walked as if in a daze over to the “T,” bent down and crawled through. Right behind them were the Belgian couple. (...)
Ezra listened, thought a moment, then walked over to the terrorist who was standing by the “T” and asked him to call his wife. [Janet] Almog bent over and crawled through to join her husband.
An ailing Jewish couple from Morocco also returned to the second hall. The terrorist had agreed to allow them back to the first hall, but without their twenty-year-old son. They opted to stay with him. (...)
At last, the selection was finished. Forty-nine men, women, and children remained in the first hall. All the others, including the aircrew, had made the debasing trip into the other hall. They were now more uncomfortable than before. One hundred and ninety-two hostages were crammed into a room forty feet by eighty.[s. Anm. 2]
[Anmerkung 1: Janet Almog hatte keinen französischen, sondern einen US-amerikanischen Reisepass.]
[Anmerkung 2: Wie in der im Spiegel abgedruckten, kürzeren deutschen Version sind die Angaben zur Gruppengröße völlig falsch. Durch die Verteilung der Geiseln auf zwei Säle hatten tatsächlich alle Geiseln mehr Platz als vorher. Dies ergibt sich eindeutig aus den Berichten der Geiseln.]
Hervé Chabalier (frz. Journalist)
Nouvel Observateur, 12.07.1976
S. 23: „Les interventions auprès du maréchal ougandais semblent porter leurs fruits. Mais les otages restants sont triés, séparés, les Israéliens d'un côté, les non-Israéliens de l'autre.“
Nouvel Observateur, 05.07.1976
S. 26: „Le président ougandais viendra en personne dans le hangar. Des témoins affirment que le commando oblige les otages à l'applaudir lorsqu'il arrive. D'autres s'étonnent de l'accolade qu'Amine Dada donne aux pirates de l'air. Certains s'indignent de le voir assister sans broncher à la séparation, au tri, entre Israéliens et non-Israéliens. Les premiers sont conduits dans un hangar, bouclés, et personne ne sait plus rien de leur sort.“
N.N. (Nouvelliste Sion)
Nouvelliste Sion, 05.07.1976
„Soixante-sept passagers israéliens, douze membres de l'équipage de l'«Airbus» d'Air France et quelques ressortissants d'autres nationalités dormaient ou sommeillaient. Ils en étaient à leur septième jour de détention. Ils en étaient à dix heures de l'expiration de l'ultimatum posé par les terroristes : mort des otages ou libération de 47 détenus palesti (...) Après une course sur le tarmac d'Entebbe, tous les otages - soixante et un Israéliens et vingt et un Français, ainsi que l'équipage d'Air France, dont une hôtesse suédoise - étaient embarqués à bord des transports de troupes israélienms, qui décollaient aussitôt pour Israël, après une brève escale de ravitaillement sur l'aéroport de Nairobi, où quelques blessés, dont un grièvement, étaient laissés pour être soignés“
N.N. (Spiegel)
Entebbe: Die zähen jungen Burschen, in: Spiegel, 12.07.1976
Mittwoch, 30. Juni: Nachdem in Entebbe Juden von nichtjüdischen Geiseln selektiert werden, wächst die Sorge in Jerusalem. Obwohl Idi Amin die Geiseln besucht und ihnen versichert, daß er sich für sie einsetze. Die Angehörigen der Geiseln drängen die Regierung zum Nachgeben.
N.N. (Nachrichtenagentur NYT News Service)
Detailed Story Of Dramatic Israeli Raid, Sarasota Herald Tribune, 1976
„That evening, the Israeli passengers were separated from the others and sent into a smaller room of the terminal. It was a time of deep worry for them, reminding many of the "selection" process used by the Nazis at the death camps in World War II.“
N.N. (Le Monde)
Le Monde, 03.07.1976
„Tous les passagers de l'Airbus seraient libérés à l'exception des Israéliens et de l'équipage“
N.N. (Nachrichtenagentur JTA)
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 30.06.1976
Most of the Freed Hostages Have Jewish-sounding Names; One is Definitely Known to Be an Israeli
„Most of the hostages freed by the Air France hijackers at Entebbe Airport in Uganda today bear Jewish-sounding names. One of them, definitely known to be an Israeli, was identified as Blind Zuckerhorn, 80, who was admitted to a hospital at Entebbe. They include 33 French nationals, three Moroccan Jews, two Canadians identified as Eric and Carole Taylor and several people whose nationalities are not known. Gilbert Perol, director general of Air France, told a press conference here this evening that a second group of about 50 hostages might be released later tonight and that a second Air France plane has left Orly Airport to pick them up. At least 25 of the hostages already released are men.“
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 05.07.1976
How the Rescue Took Place
„Last Wednesday and Thursday, the hijackers released 148 hostages, most of them Jews of various nationalities. They held 102 persons–about 80 of them „Israelis and a number of suspected Israelis plus the flight crew of the seized French airliner.“
Colin Legum und Eric Silver (The Observer)
zitiert von Associated Press in: Amin linked to hijackers. In: The Spokesman-Review vom 4. Juli 1976
According to passengers who were freed, the operation of sorting out Israelis from non-Israelis among the hostages last week was supervised by Ugandan soldiers
Dritte Autoren, die selbst nicht anwesend waren: Journalistische Veröffentlichungen nach 1976
James Hyslop (Dokumentarfilmer)
Dokumentarfilm Assault and Rescue: Operation Thunderball – The Entebbe Raid, 2013
09:35: „The non-Jewish hostages from the Entebbe hijacking arrive in Paris. [im Bild: der jüdische US-Bürger Murray Schwartz] (...) Leaving the remaining 102 Jewish hostages in the hands of the terrorists and the Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin.“
Jim Nally (Dokumentarfilmer)
Dokumentarfilm Situation Critical: Assault on Entebbe, 2007
15:29: „The German woman inspects the seized passports. She calls out names and directs hostages into the makeshift room. The passengers realise that the terrorists are separating the Israeli hostages from the non-Israelis. In the concentration camps, this process was known as “selektsia,” or selection. (...) The terrorists tell the selected Israelis that, come the deadline, they will be singled out for execution. (...) The terrorists move the Israeli hostages back to the main terminal. (...) In a move that piles even more pressure on Israel, the terrorists release all of the non-Israeli hostages.“
Thomas Ammann (dt. Dokumentarfilmer)
Dokumentarfilm Von Auschwitz nach Entebbe, 2009
05:45: „Doch während in Paris noch um eine diplomatische Lösung gerungen wird, geschieht in Entebbe etwas Ungeheuerliches, etwas, das die Wende im Verhalten Israels bringt und alle weiteren Entscheidungen beeinflusst. Böse und Kuhlmann, die beiden Deutschen, selektieren die Geiseln. (...) Die Szenerie ist gespenstisch: Einige der Geiseln haben die Hölle der deutschen Konzentrationslager erlebt.“
Paule-Hélène Szmulewicz (Journalistin)
Guysen Israël News, 16.05.2005
„Les passagers ayant un passeport israélien sont retenus en otages, tandis que les autres sont rapatriés. Le capitaine français Michel Bacos, suivi de son équipage, décide de rester avec les israéliens.“
N.N. (Israelisches Außenministerium)
1967-1993: Major Terror Attacks
„About 258 passengers and crew were held hostage until all non-Israeli passengers were released.“
Shaul Mofaz (IDF)
NRG.il, 09.05.08
"כששמענו שהמחבלים מבצעים באנטבה סלקציה בין ישראלים לזרים לא היינו צריכים שום סיבה נוספת כדי להבין שהמבצע הזה יתבצע על הצד הטוב ביותר", השיב מופז.
"Als wir hörten, dass die Terroristen in Entebbe eine Selektion zwischen Israelis und Nicht-Israelis vorgenommen hatten, brauchten wir nichts Weiteres mehr um zu verstehen, dass diese Operation die beste Option war." sagte Mofaz.
Muki Betzer (1976 Vizekommandeur der IDF-Spezialeinheit zur Befreiung der Geiseln)
in: Jerusalem Post, 04.07.06
„Betzer spoke passionately about the need to remember the rescue. "The hijackers separated the Jews from the non-Jews, which reminded us of the Holocaust," said Betzer, his eyes hardening. "We have to remember we are one people with one destiny, and we share this anywhere in the world."“
Schimon Peres (1976 Verteidigungsminister)
im Dokumentarfilm Operation Thunderbolt: Entebbe, (2000), ab 14:12 „I can't describe. The minute I heard that Germans are dividing the passengers between Jews and non-Jews, this was the most emotional moment, in my own consideration. I said: ‘My god, you are going to have a small Holocaust in this plane.’“
Eberhard Piltz (dt. Journalist)
„Operation Donnerschlag“: Auschwitz in Entebbe? Ein israelischer Film mit antideutschem Akzent, in: Die Zeit vom 8. April 1977
Doch um diese Botschaft auch für den letzten Betrachter unmißverständlich zu machen, gerät der Film emotional auf die schiefe Ebene. Die Tatsache, daß zwei Terroristen Deutsche gewesen sind, bietet Anlaß, ständig an die Vergangenheit, an die Schuld der Nazis zu erinnern. Von den Entführern werden allein diese Deutschen deutlich hervorgehoben; ihre arabischen Komplizen tauchen lediglich als Randfiguren auf. Nicht das Verbrechen allein macht diese beiden Gangster so hassenswert – daß sie Deutsche sind, ist die eigentliche Ungeheuerlichkeit. So wird unterschwellig der Terroranschlag als Fortsetzung der Judenverfolgung Hitlers dargestellt.
Natürlich erinnert die Selektion zwischen jüdischen und nichtjüdischen Gefangenen in Entebbe durch die beiden deutscher Terroristen fatal an die Rampen von Auschwitz. Nur wenn damit allein die emotionale Begründung für aktuelles Verhalten gegeben wird, wirkt es wie eine Flucht zurück, um der notwendigen Auseinandersetzung mit den Gegebenheiten des Nahost-Konflikts auszuweichen. Der Film produziert damit erneut ein Klischee, in dem viele Bürger Israels gefangen sind.
Philip Ross (US-am. Journalist)
New York Magazine, 1976
S. 27: „That same day, the terrorists had separated from the others the 59 Israeli passengers and those with dual nationalities or Jewish-sounding names. As one of the Arabs shouted, "Israelis to the right!" and with the German man and woman looking on, many of the older Jews began to weep. Their memories went back 35 years to the Nazi guards who met their trains at the concentration camps. The Jews they told to step to the right had been taken directly to the gas chambers. (...)
There was no need for Jocelyne Monier to have been here in the first place. She was French and Christian. But when the terrorists had begun freeing the non-Jews, she had chosen to stay behind with her Jewish boyfriend. Others had begged to be let go. Neither she nor her boyfriend would do so.“
N.N. (Los Angeles Times)
LA Times, 1986
„During a week of high tension, the hijackers separated out their Israeli hostages, releasing most of the others. Three West Bank Arabs were also held.
Former hostage Ilan Hartuv recalls the last few seconds of Wilfried Boese's life, when the West German terrorist, knowing he and his companions were under attack, burst into the room where his mostly Jewish prisoners were held and leveled his submachine gun at them.
But instead of firing, Boese touched his forehead--recalling, Hartuv is convinced, the words of a hostage, a death camp survivor, who had told the avowed leftist hours earlier that he was no different from his Nazi ancestors. Finally, the hijacker told his hostages to move back. Then he turned to face the hail of Israeli gunfire that killed him.“
Gerd Koenen (dt. Sachbuchautor)
Das rote Jahrzehnt: Unsere kleine deutsche Kulturrevolution 1967–1977. 2012
S. ?: „Drei Jahre später machten Böse und Kuhlmann (mit Hilfe von RAF und 2. Juni) genau die Aktion, an der Margrit Schiller schon 1973 hätte teilnehmen sollen: Im Rahmen eines deutsch-palästinensischen Kommandos kaperten sie eine Passagiermaschine der Air France mit zahlreichen israelischen Passagieren an Bord, die sie auf dem Flughafen von Entebbe (Uganda) zu selektieren begannen und nacheinander zu erschießen drohten. Ziel: die Freipressung von 53 Gefangenen in Israel, Deutschland und einigen anderen Ländern.
Wie der Weg von Auschwitz nach Entebbe, vom »zutiefst moralischen« Antifaschismus zum mordbereiten »Antizionismus« führte – ein Weg, der für alle deutschen Terroristen, jedenfalls in den siebziger Jahren, zum geheimen Gravitationszentrum ihrer Aktionen wurde –, hatte Ulrike Meinhof selbst in einer frühen RAF-Schrift paradigmatisch vorgeführt.“
André Moncourt und J. Smith (Sachbuchautoren)
The Red Army Faction, a Documentary History: Volume 1: Projectiles for the people, PM Press, Oakland 2009
S. 438: „The hostage-taking was a drawn out affair, in part because so many governments were involved. After a week of holding all 260 passengers and crew, the guerillas arranged to release the non-Jewish passengers.(Fn 65: To this day the point is debated in the radical left as to whether the guerillas' intention was to single out Jews or Israelis. The editors are unable to fully examine the question of intent in this context, however the fact of the matter is that both Israeli and non-Israeli Jews were held back. Yossi Melman, "Setting the record straight: Entebbe was not Auschwitz," Haaretz July 8, 2011.) (...) Many observers eventually concluded that the perceived singling out of Jews represented a political defeat far greater than any military failure. Certainly, Entebbe provides a stark example of the inability some leftists had in recognizing or rejecting antisemitism.“
Ido Netanyahu (isr. Sachbuchautor)
Yoni's last battle, 2011 S. 37f:
„All those who had been freed were non-Israelis. In fact, as early as Tuesday the terrorists had shown that they distinguish between the Israeli and non-Israeli passengers. First, they divided the hostages into two groups. The Israelis, along with several Orthodox Jews from other countries who could be identified by their skullcaps or kerchiefs, had been put in the smaller of the terminal's two passenger halls, while the other passengers had remained in the large hall. The terrorists had put a beam across the opening between the two halls, and they had forced the Israelis to stoop under the beam to get to their new quarters. Although some Jews remained in the large hall, it wasn't clear whether the terrorists were fully aware they were Jewish. The implications had become clear to the hostages on Wednesday, when the gunmen began releasing some of the hostages from the large hall. Wednesday night the first group of forty-seven hostages, mainly children and the elderly, were freed and flown to France on a French-chartered plane. The rest, about 100, were freed and flown out on Thursday morning. At Entebbe remained 94 Jews, almost all Israelis, along with the twelve members of the Air France flight crew, including the captain, Michel Baccos.“
Benjamin Netanjahu und Ido Netanyahu
im Nachwort zu The Letters of Jonathan Netanyahu, Gefen Publishing House, 2001, S. 280
That morning, however, with the ultimatum nearing its deadline and with no acceptable rescue plan available, the government of Israel decided to negotiate with the terrorists, stating its willingness to release terrorists for hostages. By then, most of the non-Israeli hostages had been released and flown from Entebbe to Paris. Of the 106 hostages remaining in Entebbe, most were Israelis. (...) With the release of the non-Israeli hostages, important information started to come in on the state of affairs in the old terminal at Entebbe. Such information was crucial for planning any rescue, and so the military option had acquired momentum.
Henryk M. Broder (dt. Journalist und Sachbuchautor)
Ihr bleibt die Kinder eurer Eltern – „Euer Jude von heute ist der Staat Israel“: Die neue deutsche linke und der alltägliche Antisemitismus in: Die Zeit vom 27.02.1981
Kein Linker hat sich empört, daß es junge Deutsche waren, Nachkriegskinder, die in Entebbe eine Selektion jüdischer Passagiere durchführten. Ihr habt Euch erst aufgeregt, als ein israelisches Kommando die Geiseln befreite. Da habt Ihr Kondolenztelegramme an „Seine Exzellenz Idi Amin“ geschickt und die „Verletzung der staatlichen Souveränität Ugandas“ aufs schärfste verurteilt.
Interview in Cicero, 2009
„1976, Entebbe, die Entführung einer Air-France-Maschine auf dem Flug von Tel Aviv über Athen nach Paris nach Entebbe, die anschließende Erstürmung des Flughafens und die Befreiung der Geiseln durch ein israelisches Kommando. Da bin ich eigentlich erst aufgewacht. An diesem Tag hat die erste Selektion von Juden und Nichtjuden nach dem Kriege stattgefunden, mit Hilfe einiger deutscher Terroristen, weil die eigentlichen Entführer, die Palästinenser, zu blöd waren, Namen wie Goldberg oder Goldmann als jüdische Namen zu identifizieren.“
N.N. (ABC)
ABC, 1977
„Ese día antes de la cena comienza la selección: todo aquel que tenía pasaporte israelí ha que dejar el salón central y pasar a un cuarto lateral. El recuerdo del nazismo se hace latente en la sala. Era ésta la operación previa a la muerte en los campos de exterminio: judíos a la derecha.“
Moshe Zuckermann (isr. Historiker)
„Die Fallbeispiele: Gerüchte und Mythen statt Fakten und Begründungen, in: Hintergrund vom 30.09.2011
(...) Als Beispiel für den Antisemitismus der deutschen Linken in der BRD wird u.a. das Folgende angeführt: „1976 entführte ein palästinensisch-deutsches Kommando ein Flugzeug nach Entebbe und selektierte die Passagiere in Juden und Nicht-Juden.“ Man liest „deutsches Kommando”, „Juden”, „Selektion” und erschaudert. Nun konnte man aber am 3. Juli 2011 in der israelischen Tageszeitung Haaretz lesen, dass Ilan Hartuv, eine der Geiseln an Bord der entführten Maschine und Sohn der von Idi Amins Schergen ermordeten Dora Bloch, dem „Mythos“, dass die „Terroristen Juden von Nicht-Juden in einer Weise getrennt haben, die an die von den Nazis an den Juden in den Vernichtungslagern vorgenommenen Selektionen gemahnen“, ein Ende setzen möchte: Es habe keine Selektion der Juden gegeben, „Entebbe war nicht Auschwitz“. Die Terroristen hätten anhand der Pässe die Israelis von den Nicht-Israelis getrennt; eine Selektion in Bezug auf Juden hätte es nicht gegeben. Die deutsche Terroristin Brigitte Kuhlmann habe sich zwar wie eine hysterisch brüllende „Nazifrau” aufgeführt. Anders aber ihr Terrorkollege Wilfried Böse: Als ihm einer der Entführten, die KZ-Nummer auf seinem Arm zeigend, sagte, es sei ein Fehler gewesen, seinen Kindern zu erzählen, es gebe ein anderes Deutschland, habe dieser – „erbleichend und zitternd“ – erwidert: „Sie irren sich. Ich habe in Westdeutschland Terroranschläge verübt, weil das herrschende Establishment Nazis und Reaktionäre in seinen Dienst aufgenommen hat. (…) Meine Freunde und ich befinden uns hier, um den Palästinensern zu helfen, weil sie der Underdog sind. Sie leiden.” Das hatte etwas mit den terroristischen Irrwegen jener Generation zu tun, die gegen den allzu wohlfühlig-wirtschaftswunderlichen Übergang vom NS-Grauen in die „Normalität“ der alten Bundesrepublik aufbegehrte; das verband sich mit einer aus Solidarität mit den Palästinensern allzu kurzschlüssig erwachsenen Israelfeindschaft; mit Antisemitismus per se hatte das sehr wenig, wenn überhaupt etwas, zu tun.“
Eve Nagler (US-amerikanische Journalistin)
Entebbe And Beirut: 1976 Hostages See Similarities. In: Toledo Blade, 1. Juli 1985
At first, all 244 passengers and 12 crew members were held in the same room in an old airline terminal. Then the hijackers – two Arabs and two Germans – separated the passengers. One passenger on the ill-fated Air France flight nine years ago was Sarah Davidson, who with her husband and two sons was en route to a coast-to-coast tour of the United States. In an interview last week, she described the hijacking from her diary which she shared with The Blade: “The Arab [hijacker] who was talking was making a mess out of the pronunciation, yet we could begin to identify the list – all Jewish names. (...)” The were taken to “the Israeli room,” as the hostages were later to sourly call it. This was a room adjacent to the main hall were conditions were considerably worse – full of incessant black flies and only a dirty floor to sleep on initially. The hostages ordered there were all the Israeli passengers, dual citizens with Israeli papers, plus six Jews from other countries, including an American couple. Two days later, they moved back to the central hall after 147 other passengers and some of the crew were freed. Reports that passengers on the TWA plane in Beirut with Jewish-sounding names were separated from the others sent chills down the spines of those who remember their own “selection” at Entebbe.
N.N. (Associated Press)
Former child hostage recalls ordeal of captivity. In: The Hour, 10. Mai 1990
The aircraft was first taken to Benghazi, Libya and then flown to Entebbe. Non-Israeli passengers were freed and hijackers demanded the release of Arab prisoners in exchange for the rest.
Simion Vinokur (israelischer Dokumentarfilmer)
Dokumentarfilm Yoni: The Life of Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Netanyahu, 2002 (ab 40:07)
The German and Arab terrorists separate the Israelis from the non-Israeli hostages, adding to the group of Israelis some non-Israeli Jews. On Wednesday, they start freeing non-Israeli hostages. A Jewish woman from France said afterwards: “I heard a loud cry in German: ‘Jews to the right!’ And I thought: ‘What's the sense of having a state of Israel if this kind of thing can recur today?’”
Eyal Sher (israelischer Dokumentarfilmer)
Dokumentarfilm Operation Thunderbolt: Entebbe, (2000), ab 13:32
An hour after issuing their demands, the terrorists take an ominous step. [Ilan Hartuv:] "They broke a cardboard or plywood wall, they arranged a kind of door and they called names. The minute they began to call, we began to know it was all Israelis." [Off-Sprecher:] Hostages are separated into two groups: Jews and gentiles. The sight of Germans segregating Jews revives chilling memories of Nazi Germany. A young medical student writes in his diary: "The Feeling here is like an execution." (...) [Off-Sprecher, zu Holocaust-Archivbildern:] One hostage, concentration camp survivor, later recalls: [Off-Sprecherin, immer noch Holocaust-Archivbilder:] "I felt myself back 32 years, when I heard the German orders and saw the waving guns. I imagined the shuffling lines of prisoners and the harsh cry: 'Jews to the right!' I wondered: 'What good is Israel, if this can happen today?'" [Off-Sprecher:] Wednesday, June 30th: At Uganda's Entebbe airport, 256 passengers and 12 crew members from Air France flight 139 begin their fourth day as prisoners. Palestinian terrorists have threatened to execute their hostages one by one if their demands are not met. Despite assurances by French officials that they would not negotiate a separate release of French hostages, they facilitate the release of 47 non-Israelis. Refusing to leave his passengers behind, Captain Bacos asks his crew to take a courageous stand: [Michel Bacos:] "I told them our duty is to stay with the passengers, no matter what happens. If someone disagrees with me, just tell me. All of them agreed to stay until the end, to do our duty." (...) [Off-Sprecher:] On Thursday morning, the hijackers free 101 hostages, leaving only the flight crew and 107 Jews as captives. In Israel, newspaper headlines scream a word long associated with the Holocaust: selektsia – the selection of Jews. General Dan Shomron, later Israel's highest-ranking officer, commanded the paratroop and infantry forces. [Dan Shomron:] "I thought to myself: 'Here is this selection again. But now there is the Israel Defense Force with its long-reaching arm and top soldiers. Can we sit quietly on the sideline? It seems simply impossible.'" [Off-Sprecher:] France, its own civilians now safe, assumes a low profile. The United Nations, long dominated by Third-World countries hostile to Israel, stands mute. Israeli leaders know they can rely only on themselves.
wissenschaftliche Darstellungen (mit Quellenangaben)
Freia Anders und Alexander Sedlmaier (dt. Historiker)
Freia Anders / Alexander Sedlmaier: "Unternehmen Entebbe" 1976: quellenkritische Perspektiven auf eine Flugzeugentführung. In: Jahrbuch für Antisemitismusforschung 22(2013).
S.289-290: „Obwohl die Interpretation der Quellen durch Fälle doppelter Staatsbürgerschaft unter den Geiseln erschwert wird, scheint doch evident, dass die sogenannte Selektion von Entebbe nicht in der Art und Weise stattfand, wie sie für gewöhnlich referiert wird. […] Es ist möglich, dass einzelne Geiseln ohne israelischen Pass gegen ihren Willen festgehalten wurden, und es ist wahrscheinlich, dass es auch zu besonderen Übergriffen gegen orthodox gekleidete Juden kam. Unzweifelhaft ist, dass israelische Staatsbürger und damit auch Juden, festgehalten und mit dem Tode bedroht wurden. Zahlreiche Juden unter den übrigen Passagieren wurden jedoch freigelassen. Letzteres wird in der Regel verschwiegen und in das Bild der „Auschwitz-ähnlichen“ Selektion und die problematische Analogie zwischen dem eliminatorischen Antisemitismus der Nationalsozialisten und dem Antizionismus der militanten Linken überführt. Dies zeigt, wie sehr die gängigen Narrative und ihre Details, bin hinein in wissenschaftliche Texte, Teil komplexer Deutungskämpfe um politische Legitimation waren und sind. Während die Erfahrungen, Assoziationen und Ängste der Opfer der Kritik enthoben sind, muss die politische Instrumentalisierung der Opferperspektive stets quellenkritisch hinterfragt werden.“
Saul David (brit. Historiker)
Saul David: Operation Thunderbolt: Flight 139 and the Raid on Entebbe Airport, the Most Audacious Hostage Rescue Mission in History. Hodder & Stoughton, London 2015, S. 103–109
„For much of the afternoon Michel Cojot, the pilot Bacos and some other passengers had been pestering the two most approachable terrorists – Böse and the Peruvian – to relieve the overcrowding in the large hall by giving the hostages access up the barricaded staircase to the second floor. They refused to allow that, but they did instruct Ugandan airport employees to knock a hole through the left-side wall of the large hall, behind the former tourist shop, into a smaller room – formerly a waiting hall – beyond.
Night was falling as the workmen put the finishing touches to the jagged breach in the wall: a wooden ‘T’ nailed across the opening to restrict rapid movement. Cojot and others were about to pass through this awkward gap when Böse, Jaber and the other terrorists entered the departure lounge. ‘We’re separating you,’ said Böse matter-of-factly through the megaphone, ‘but not because of nationality, there’s no connection between that and the separation. I’ll call out the names and whoever hears their names will go into the other room. Really, we’re doing this so that you won’t be crowded. It has nothing to do with nationality.’
The first name to be called was Emma Rosenkovitch, followed by Noam Rosenkovitch and Ella Rosenkovitch. Then more Israeli names, sparking a deep fear in many that – as in previous hijackings – Israelis were being singled out for ‘special treatment’. The psychological consequences were ‘disastrous’, and very quickly Böse’s voice was ‘muffled by fearful cries, sobbing and protestations’.
Emma’s more immediate concern, however, as she crawled through the low and narrow opening with her children, was for her husband Claude. His name had not been called and she feared that, as an army reservist – like most Israelis under forty – he might be killed out of hand. She had to wait thirty long minutes before he was finally allowed through to join her.
By then more than eighty mostly Israeli names had been called. ‘The feeling,’ noted Moshe Peretz in his diary, ‘is like an execution.’ For Akiva Laxer, the shame of being forced to bend down as he passed into the other room was ‘the worst feeling’ of his life and he understood for the first time ‘what it meant to be a hostage’. Sara Davidson also resented this deliberate humiliation of the Israelis, particularly as one of the Palestinian terrorists was standing by the gap ‘armed and ready’. She noted in her diary: ‘The German reads the names over a [megaphone] and everyone who hears his name goes to the exit, and grinds his teeth and crawls under the “T”.’ Soon Kuhlmann took her turn guarding the gap, prompting Davidson to comment: ‘Tough. Wicked.’
Even those of dual nationality – like Jean-Jacques Mimouni and Dora Bloch – were sent next door: though born in Jaffa, the daughter of a famous Zionist pioneer called Yosef Feinberg, Dora had married naturalized Welshman Aarhon Bloch in Palestine in 1925 and was travelling with both her Israeli and British passports. Her son Ilan, though also of dual nationality, had brought only Israeli identity papers. The were both on Böse’s list.
Not everyone living in Israel was identified. Since moving to the Middle East, Dr David Bass had become a reserve medical officer in the IDF; but because he was travelling on his US passport his Israeli links had been overlooked. The same went for a twenty-six-year-old French-born welder called Nahum Dahan who was accompanying his mother: she had an Israeli passport and was on Böse’s list; as his was French he was not. Two elderly sisters were also separated because one was a naturalized Israeli and the other not, causing the former to collapse in hysterics. But there were no deliberate exceptions, and as the protests grew the terrorists made ‘more and more menacing gestures’.
To try to calm the situation, the pilot Michel Bacos took the megaphone from Böse. ‘It is we who have asked our guards for more space,’ he said. ‘All they did was grant our request, so there is no cause for alarm.’ His words had little effect and Cojot was not surprised. In his view, Bacos had failed to understand ‘that it was not more space but the criterion of separation that was the problem’.
Once the separation of the Israelis was complete, six Orthodox Jews were sent to join them, the men easily identifiable by their little black scull caps: two seventeen-year-old Brazilians wearing checked shirts, Raphael Shammah and Jacques Stern, who had just completed a year of studies in a Jerusalem yeshiva; the Belgian couple Gilbert and Helen Weill, the former having led many of the prayer groups; and a young American couple from New York, a twenty-year-old stockbroker and his twenty-five-year-old wife. This latter couple were nearing the end of a three-week vacation in Europe and Israel when they boarded Flight 139 to Paris. Like the Weills and the two Brazilians, they did not have Israeli identity papers, and their addition to the list was probably because, as the US embassy in Paris later put it, they ‘appeared very Orthodox, ate only Kosher food and were seated with the Israelis aboard the plane and remained with them on the ground because the commandos permitted them to prepare Kosher food’. In other words they were associated with the Israelis, even if they had no direct connection beyond their deeply held religious faith.
Suddenly aware of the potential danger of his and his wife’s inclusion, the stockbroker shouted: ‘I’m American. I’m not Israeli. I have no connections with the Israelis. I have an American passport! I’m not going through there!’
His pleas fell on deaf ears and Emma Rosenkovitch, for one, ‘felt a certain contempt’ for him, though she could understand the American’s predicament.
Only one person volunteered to join the Israelis: twenty-six-year-old Janet Almog, the American-born wife of Israeli Ezra Almog. A pretty dark-haired native of Madison, Wisconsin, Janet had fallen for Ezra – a dead ringer for tennis star Jimmy Connors – during a summer stint as a volunteer on the Ein Dor Kibbutz in Israel. They had married soon afterwards and were en route to the United States to visit her parents – Janet’s first trip back for two and half years – when the hijacking occurred. Thanks to his military training, Ezra took the shock of captivity in his stride. Janet had not coped so well and when her husband’s name was called and not hers she dissolved into tears. Ezra, however, was firm. ‘I want you to swear not to follow me. Stay on this side!’
Dora Bloch had tried to soothe Janet by saying her husband was right and it was best for her to remain. But the young American would not have it. ‘I can’t live without him,’ she sobbed, ‘and he told me not to follow him.’
Minutes later Bloch herself had been called through and, because of her age, she was spared the humiliation of the low entrance and instead taken outside by a terrorist and through the Israeli room’s exterior entrance. There she told Ezra Almog she had changed her mind. ‘You meant well,’ she said, ‘but you must take your wife with you. She won’t be able to stand it without you.’
Ezra tried to protest. ‘At least this way one of us will get out of here. There’s no point in her being here with me. Perhaps they’ll let her out …’
‘No,’ said Bloch, firmly. ‘She must be with you.’
At last Ezra relented. He spoke to the Palestinian terrorist guarding the entrance and was delighted when Janet was allowed through. They embraced in tears.
The rectangular room the eighty or so Israelis had been moved to was much smaller than the main hall next door: still forty feet from front entrance to back wall, but barely twenty-five feet wide, its size made tinier still by a temporary side wall of cardboard boxes. It, too, was dusty and unclean, with rows of seats its only furniture. ‘The terrorists warn us that [the boxes] are full of explosives,’ noted Moshe Peretz in his diary, ‘and if touched will go off. At first we are frightened, but in time the fear wears off and people hang their shirts over the boxes. While we are getting organized one of the hostages goes up to a terrorist and asks for a cushion for his baby. The terrorist strikes him violently with the butt of his revolver.’
Back in the departure lounge, many of the 170 or so non-Israelis were feeling just as indignant, particularly Jews like Julie Aouzerate who were reminded of Nazi practice during the Second World War. ‘It was a terrible scene,’ she recorded, ‘that thick German accent and the selektzia.’ It was inevitable that some of the hostages, particularly concentration-camp survivors, would be reminded of the selection process used by the Nazis: to be sent one way to live; the other to die. But, as Ilan Hartuv and others were later quick to point out, this was never a simple division of Jews and non-Jews. Many non-Israeli Jews like Julie Aouzerate, Michel Cojot and Peter and Nancy Rabinowitz remained in the original room. Appalled by the separation, Nancy had thought about joining the Israelis as a sign of Jewish solidarity and to show moral support; but Peter persuaded her to remain where she was.
Claude Moufflet and others felt so bad for the Israelis that they spontaneously picked up mattresses to take through to them. But they were stopped by the pair now guarding the entrance – Kuhlmann and Khaled – and told to pass the mattresses over the ‘T’, which they did. It was while he was helping to distribute the mattresses that Akiva Laxer was struck in the back with a savage blow from the butt of Jaber’s pistol, knocking him off his feet and leaving him shocked and winded. Following this unprovoked and unexplained attack by the violent and clearly anti-semitic Jaber, Laxer decided that it was dangerous for an Orthodox Jew like himself to be noticed and henceforth kept a lower profile.
A number of Israelis, meanwhile, had tried to re-enter the departure lounge with the excuse of going to the toilet. They, too, were halted and escorted individually by Kuhlmann, pistol in hand.
Moufflet now knew for certain that the separation was ‘not just by hazard’, but rather was ‘corresponding to a very precise objective’. He felt duped, and promised himself that he would make another attempt to get access to the Israeli room the following day when the surveillance might be ‘less rigorous’.
Cojot also realized the importance of ‘free movement’ between the two rooms and extracted an assurance from Böse that it would not be hindered. In the event, this promise was never honoured. Suspecting that it might not be, Cojot suggested to Bacos and the flight engineer Lemoine that ‘two or three of the twelve members of the crew might ask to be assigned to the room with the Israeli passengers’ to offer moral support. Both asked for time to think about it and consult the other members of the crew. It was not until the following morning that Lemoine came back with a reply that won Cojot’s respect for its candour if not its courage. ‘We have wives and children,’ said Lemoine, almost apologetically. ‘If there is any shooting it will be in there first. We are not heroes, we prefer to remain here.’
Reminded of Cojot’s suggestion, Bacos’ response was blunter. ‘It’s not worth the trouble. We’ll visit them often. It’s no use complicating things.’ He, other members of the crew and a few passengers did indeed pay frequent visits to, as Cojot put it, the ‘people of the ghetto’. But the opportunity for the crew to make an important statement to the terrorists – that we will voluntarily share the fate of the Israelis, come what may – was lost.
Two occupants of the Israeli room were allowed back across, however, thanks to the efforts of Ilan Hartuv and Yitzhak David. They had tried to get all six non-Israeli Orthodox Jews returned by reminding Böse and the Peruvian of their earlier argument that they had nothing against Jews, only Israelis. ‘We know,’ came the reply, ‘we didn’t want to put them into your room but the German woman insisted.’
Later, Hartuv tried again on behalf of the young Brazilians ‘They’re both from Brazil and only came to Israel for a year to study in a yeshiva, a theological seminary. So maybe you’ll take them back into the other room?’
‘I know Portuguese,’ replied the Peruvian. ‘I’ll go and speak to them and if the story you tell me is true I will put them back in the main room.’ He honoured this promise, and before the day was out the Brazilians had been moved.“