To Be An Israeli: The Fourth Book in the All My Love, Detrick series

by Roberta Kagan

  He nodded. “When we get back home, let’s put in for retirement. We’ll explain that we want to have a family and…well…all the danger… They’ll understand,” Elan said.

  Nina was tired. The motion of the Airbus made her drowsy. She laid her head on Elan’s shoulder and drifted off to sleep again. She slept until the plane stopped to refuel in Athens.

  The air pressure during the landing hurt her ears. Her ears always popped during air travel. Elan knew this because of all the flying they’d done during their missions. So without even asking, he placed a piece of bubble gum in her hand. She smiled and opened the gum, plopping it into her mouth and chewed hard, moving her jaw around, hoping that her ears would finally pop and release the pressure.

  “It’s too bad there isn’t enough time to get off the plane and see a little of Athens,” she said. “I love spending time alone with you.”

  “We are going to retire and be alone together until you get sick of the sight of me.”

  “Yes, but in Israel, we have so many friends and family. Here, it’s just us…”

  “We’ll take a vacation again. Maybe next year, we can go to Athens or maybe America,” he said.

  “Not if we retire. We’ll have to be very careful how we spend our savings.”

  “Do you want to see America after we retire?” he asked her.

  “Do you?”

  “I got married there.”

  “You never told me that,” she said.

  “You never asked.”

  “What was it like?”

  “Excessive.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Wasteful. Lots of wasted food, I don’t know. I mean, it has its good points, but it’s not Israel. I would never trade living in Israel for America.”

  “Lots of Israelis do. They’re moving there all the time.”

  “That’s because it’s easy to make money. Americans spend money like crazy and buy lots of junk they don’t need.”

  She laughed. “I guess you don’t really have a lot of nice things to say about your ex-wife.”

  “That’s why she’s my ex-wife, and you are my real wife.”

  “Did she buy a lot of things?”

  “Her parents were rich, and they splurged on the wedding because she was an only child. She had no concept of money. But I have no bad feelings toward Janice anymore. We were young, and we were far too different to be a couple. I guess I married her on the rebound.”

  “Rebound from what? You never told me about any other girls that you were serious about.”

  “Yes, well, there was one, but it was a long time ago.”

  “Please fasten your seat belts and prepare to take off,” the flight attendant said over the loud speaker.

  “Wait a minute. I want to know more about this girl.”

  “There is nothing to know. It was over a long time ago.”

  “Elan,” she said, “we don’t keep secrets from each other.”

  “All right, Miss Smarty-pants, did you have a serious boyfriend before me?”

  “Never.”

  “Nobody?”

  “No. I dated a guy I met in the IDF. We dated for a while. It was never serious. He wanted to go to bed with me, and I broke it off. That’s it; that’s all.”

  “She was a girl I met. We were very young…we fell in love… We got engaged, and it just didn’t work out.”

  “Engaged! Oh no, wait a minute…I need to know all about this, Elan. This sounds like it was something that was an important part of your life.”

  “Not as important as you are, sweetheart.”

  “What was her name?”

  “Who?”

  “Elan, the girl who you were engaged to.”

  “Katja.”

  “Katja? That’s not an Israeli name. Was she a Swede?”

  “What difference does it make? It was a long time ago,” he said, sounding more impatient with Nina than he’d ever been before.

  “To me, it makes a difference.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it, please.”

  “Fine,” she said, folding her arms across her chest and turning away from him to look out the window. “If you don’t want to talk about it that means it must have been pretty serious.”

  “Please, Nina, it was over long ago.”

  “You know, Elan, you never gave me a diamond engagement ring?” He could hear the anger in her voice.

  “I didn’t think you wanted one.”

  “Oh? And…why is that?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t think so. That’s all. Do you want one?”

  “Every woman loves beautiful things. Just because I am not an American or a Swede, just because I am an Israeli Mossad agent like you…doesn’t mean I’m not a woman. I’ll bet she had a ring, and your first wife, too.”

  “Why are you trying to pick a fight? I don’t know what’s wrong with you,” Elan said.

  “Nothing is wrong with me, Elan! I just didn’t know we kept secrets in our pasts from each other; that’s all. I thought I knew everything about you, now it seems like I don’t. What else don’t I know, Elan? What else have you kept from me?”

  He glared at her. His first reaction was to be angry. But age had mellowed him, and he’d learned a thing or two over the years. Elan didn’t say a word. He looked away and took a deep breath. Nina was not acting at all like herself. He wondered if she had gotten pregnant in Eilat. Perhaps her hormones were making her crazy? Well, no matter what the reason was that she was so edgy, he would stay calm and refuse to fight. Whatever she wanted to know…he would tell her.

  A commotion at the front of the plane stirred Elan out of his thoughts. People were screaming. Several people had gotten out of their seats and, from where he was, he could see them pushing each other. Elan got up and tried to look over the heads of the other passengers to get an idea of what was taking place, but he couldn’t tell. Then a woman in the back row of the aircraft let out a yelp of terror. Elan turned to look. He saw a man who looked Palestinian holding the woman in a tight grip with the blade of a knife at her throat.

  “Nobody move from your seats,” a nervous male voice with an Arabic accent came over the loudspeaker. “We are taking this plane hostage. You are now under the control of The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”

  Elan looked over at Nina. They were both in disguise, but he wondered if the Palestinian terrorists knew that they were Mossad agents and if their presence on the plane might be the reason for the hijack. Elan wouldn’t have been so terrified if he were alone, but Nina was with him, his Nina. Keep calm, he told himself. You can’t do anything from a state of panic. If you lose your control, you won’t be able to save her. Keep your head, assess the situation, and look for a way to overtake them.

  From what he could see, he determined that there were seven of them. They’d positioned themselves all around the plane. There were too many to try and take them at this point. He’d have to keep his eyes open, watch, and wait like a panther ready to spring at the opportune moment.

  Nina took Elan’s hand and squeezed it. They’d both forgotten the spat they were having before the terrorists had taken over the plane. His heart was pounding hard and fast. His mind was racing. There had to be something he could do. No matter what the cost, he must protect his wife. He had a gun, but it was only one, and there were seven of them. He knew that Nina carried a gun, too. It was all part of being an agent of Mossad. But he didn’t want her to get involved.

  He hoped for the best possible outcome, and that would be that the terrorists would just take the plane and release the hostages. But Elan was an Israeli, and he knew better. They were going to make some outrageous demands on Israel, and Elan was positive that Israel would not negotiate with terrorists.

  “How many of you are Jews? Israelis?” the voice over the loudspeaker said. “Get your passports out now.”

  Elan felt the breath catch in his throat.

  “Admit it, or we are going to find out any
way. And if we find out you’re lying, we’ll make sure it’s the last lie you ever tell.”

  Elan looked at his wife. He could read the questions in her eyes.

  “Jews on one side of the plane, the rest of the passengers get on the other side. When we get to Entebbe, those of you who are not filthy Jews will be released. The rest of you will be at the mercy of the decisions of your leaders in Israel. You’d better hope that they’ll meet our demands.”

  Entebbe? That was in Africa, Uganda, where that insane dictator Idi Amin ruled. What did this have to do with Uganda? Think, Elan, think… Elan knew that Amin was working in conjunction with the Soviets. They had sold him planes. There was no doubt that Amin was insane and very dangerous. God help us, Elan thought as he looked at Nina. The chances of any of them surviving were slim.

  A terrorist with a gun was coming through the aisles and sorting through the passengers. He demanded to see everyone’s passport. Again he repeated, “Jews to one side, everyone else to the other.” When he got to Nina and Elan, the terrorist laughed and pointed the gun at Nina. “These two are Jews if I’ve ever seen them.” He tore Nina’s wig off.

  Then he ran his hands over Nina and Elan and found their weapons. He hit Elan across the face with his pistol, and blood squirted across the plane. A woman screamed, and then a baby began wailing. Elan was sure that he could kill this terrorist with one blow. However, he knew if he did that, one of the others would kill him. But more importantly, what would they do to Nina? There would be six of them left. She couldn’t fight all six alone without him, and they would take their revenge upon her. Elan tried to control the shudder that slinked up his spine.

  “Sit down, here,” the terrorist said.

  Nina was shaking. She wanted to reach up and touch Elan’s face, but she dared not. If only she could feel the warmth of his skin, she could face death more easily.

  Elan decided it was best not to retaliate in any way for the blow to his face. Instead, he took Nina’s hand and went over to the other side of the plane where the Jews were being kept. He had to exercise self-control, strong control. He must do nothing, no matter what happened until he saw the perfect opportunity to take the terrorists. There was no doubt Nina was thinking the same thing.

  CHAPTER 72

  On the afternoon of June 27th, 1976, a call came in, to the offices of Yitzhak Rabin, the prime minister of Israel. “The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, with the help of the Red Army Faction, has taken hostage the passengers of a French Airbus on its way from Israel to Paris. They are planning to free the prisoners who are not Jewish or Israeli, but they say that unless we release fifty-three of their members and pay five million dollars, they will kill all the Jews.”

  “Oh my God,” Rabin said, “who are the terrorists that they want released? Are they imprisoned here in Israel?”

  “Some, yes, but some in other places, too.”

  “We have to think of something. How much time do we have?” Rabin asked.

  “Forty-eight hours.”

  “Call for the minister of defense. Have him in my office within the hour.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  CHAPTER 73

  Less than a half hour had passed, and LTG Mordechai Gur arrived at the office of the prime minister. “Shalom.”

  “Shalom, General, sit down, please,” Prime Minister Rabin said. “Have you been briefed on the situation at hand?”

  “Not completely.”

  “Here is what we know. A French Airbus has been taken hostage by a Palestinian terrorist group. They have released all non-Jewish and non-Israeli hostages. The rest are being held in Uganda at the airport. We have forty-eight hours to liberate fifty-three terrorists, or they will begin to kill the hostages.”

  LTG Gur took a deep breath. He rubbed his chin in thought. “Then the first thing we have to do is buy some time,” he said. “Then we’ll come up with a plan to rescue the hostages.”

  The Prime Minister nodded in agreement. “We will tell them that we will enter into negotiations with them. See if we can get a little time.”

  “It will be done,” the general said.

  LTG Gur was allowed to speak directly to the hostages and the terrorists at the same time. He told all of them that he was in the process of arranging the release of the prisoners and that Israel would meet the demands of the group known as The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. But LTG Gur needed more time, he explained, because only some of those the Palestinians wanted released were imprisoned in Israel. Others were in prisons all over the world. LTG Gur pleaded for time to speak to heads of the other governments who had control over the remaining prisoners.

  The terrorists on the plane discussed the situation among themselves and made a decision: LTG Gur was given until Sunday, July 4th to deliver the Palestinian captives.

  CHAPTER 74

  “I’m sorry for everything I said before this began, all that stuff about secrets. And I’m really sorry for trying to pick a fight,” Nina whispered to Elan, as she sat against the wall in the tiny room in the airport in Uganda.

  Elan nodded. “Me, too.”

  “In case we die here, I want you to know that I love you,” Nina said, her hand unconsciously rubbing her belly.

  “I know. I love you too, and there is no one else in my heart. You never have to worry about that,” Elan said. He watched Nina rubbing her belly, and he knew. She must be pregnant, he thought. God, why here, why now? Why this? He felt helpless. The woman he loved was sitting beside him, along with about one hundred other hostages, and he could do nothing to help.

  The terrorists had them at gunpoint. If he so much as moved, he was sure to be shot. It made him angry. If he was not so in love with Nina, he might have been foolish enough to fight back. But instead, he sat quietly, burning inside with rage.

  Nina had tears in her eyes. “Do you think they know who we are?” her voice barely a whisper.

  “No. If they knew, they’d be using us as bait to force Israel to bend to their will. They think we’re just Israelis.”

  “Well, that’s good, I suppose…”

  “Yes, let’s hope so…”

  “Shut up over there, you two. There will be no talking,” shouted one of the terrorists, a young man in his twenties with thick, black, wavy hair, wearing a green shirt and dark pants that were too big for his skinny frame.

  Most of the women were crying. Some of the men were too. Elan looked around him, and as always, he was reminded that this was why the Jews needed Israel. This was what it meant to be an Israeli.

  CHAPTER 75

  Israel’s Prime Minister Rabin was awaiting the arrival of Lieutenant General Mordechai Gur, Major General Yekutiel “Kuti” Adam, Brigadier General Dan Shomron, and Minister of Defense Shimon Peres. He had received a call early that morning of July 1st, informing him that they worked without rest until they had devised a plan that they felt was feasible. Although he appeared calm, the Prime Minister was worried. He hadn’t slept for more than fifteen minutes since the hostages were taken, and now he drummed his fingers on the desk. No matter how genius the plan was, the Prime Minister knew it would be risky. However, as always, Israel was left with no choice but to take a monumental risk.

  “Sir, everyone has arrived. May I show them in?” the prime minister’s secretary asked.

  “Yes, thank you, and bring in a pot of coffee. I expect this to be a long meeting.”

  “Shalom, gentlemen, and thank you for coming,” the Prime Minister said. “General Gur, have you been successful in convincing Ida Amin to release the hostages?”

  “Mr. Prime Minister, he will not help us.”

  “Then we have to seek a military solution.”

  “General Adam says that they have an idea,” Defense Minister Peres said.

  “Yes, we have, we think it will work,” MG Adam said. “Since it was General Shomron who put this all together, I will let him tell you.”

  “Go ahead, General…”

&nb
sp; BG Shomron cleared his throat. “Mr. Prime Minister, we have a great and unexpected advantage. The airport in Entebbe was built by an Israeli construction firm.” He placed a stack of papers on the table. “Here are the blueprints. From these documents, we can find the locations of the entrances, and from there, we can determine the room where the hostages are being held.”

  The Prime Minister picked up the papers. “How can we be sure which room the Palestinians are holding them in?”

  “Because we have already been in contact with the non-Jewish hostages who were released. They’ve told us everything. We know how many terrorists there are, what they look like, how many weapons they have, and how and where they and our people being held are positioned.”

  The Prime Minister took a deep breath. He lifted the papers and held them to his chest. “Praise God. We might have a chance of saving them.”

  “We will need four Hercules C130s, two of them to bring in the soldiers, one to destroy the MiGs that are stationed nearby, and the other to carry the jeeps and the Mercedes. Once we have landed, we will use the two jeeps to carry our soldiers and a black Mercedes that is an exact copy of the one owned by Idi Amin. This way, if we are spotted, the terrorists will think that Amin has arrived with his soldiers.

  I will also need two Boeing 707s, one to act as a forward command post, the other we will land in Nairobi where it will wait, in case it is necessary to act as an airborne hospital after the rescue has taken place. I have already spoken to Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu, and he has agreed to lead the mission. Colonel Netanyahu will need two hundred of our best soldiers and plenty of arms and ammunition. It’s not a guarantee, by any means, but we have a shot,” BG Shomrom said.

  Prime Minister Rabin furrowed his brow in thought. “Now for us, our advantage is the element of surprise. The terrorists are expecting negotiations. I feel that it is best that until the mission is underway, we do not tell anyone other than those who absolutely must be informed. In order for this mission to work it must remain top secret. In fact, I feel it is best that we do not even inform the Israeli cabinet until we’ve had a test run of the plan and are fairly sure it might work.”