President Museveni has hosted Gilbert Weill, one of the survivors of the 1976 Entebbe hijacking, together with his family and friends at State House, Entebbe.
Weill, ( 78), was received by President Museveni on special invitation as part of a return visit by former hostages to the scene of the 1976 hijacking and rescue operation that captured global attention.
The delegation of Israeli and Belgian ex-hostages of the 1976 hijacking incident had ealier visited the old airport terminal at Entebbe International Airport, nearly 50 years after they were held there during the hijacking incident that ended in a dramatic rescue operation.
They were accompanied by Uganda’s Ambassador to Belgium, H.E. Mirjam Blaak Sow, among other officials.
The visit comes just weeks after Uganda hosted another group of former hostages, reflecting growing people-to-people connections and renewed ties between Uganda, Israel, and Belgium.
President Museveni welcomed Weill and his family and told them about Uganda’s development journey since the incident . Museveni narrated to the visitors the Uganda’s five year bush war -liberation and the transformation that has taken place for the last 40 years since the NRA/NRM came to power .
Museveni said that the rescue operation greatly weakened former President Idi Amin’s grip on power and eventually led to his overthrow .
Museveni used the occassion to invite investors from Israel and Belgium to come and set up industries in Uganda to ensure value addition to the many minerals and raw products in Uganda .
“There is a lot of potential here,” the President stressed -noting vast opportunities for investment in the European markets and African continent.
