MIVTZA YONATAN

ERETZ HATZVI 

Bechatzi halailah hem kamu
vehiku bik'tzeh ha'olam
kiv'nei reshef chashu hir'chiku of
lehashiv et k'vod ha'adam

El eretz tz'vi
el dvash s'doteiha
el hakarmel vehamidbar
el am asher lo yechesheh
she'et banav lo yaf'kir lezar
el eretz tz'vi shebehareiha
po'emet ir midor ledor
el eretz em bit'vurah
k'shurim baneiha batov uvara.

Bechatzi halailah overet
bis'doteiha/bis'doteinu ru'ach sharav
aravah ilemet tarchin az rosh al asher
im shachar lo shav

El eretz tz'vi
el dvash s'doteiha
el hakarmel vehamidbar
el am asher lo yechesheh
she'et banav lo yaf'kir lezar
el eretz tz'vi shedim'oteiha
nosh'rot al sadeh chamaniot
she'etzbonah vesasonah
hem shtei va'erev beveged yomah.

OPERATION THUNDERBOLT

THE LAND OF DEER 

At midnight they arose
and struck at the edge of the world
like sons of ghosts they hurried to take flight
to return the honor of humanity

To the land of the deer (Israel)
to the honey of her fields
to the Carmel and the desert
to a nation who will not be silent/still
who will not abandon its sons to a foreigner
to the land of deer, in whose mountains
a city beats from generation to generation
to the motherland to whose navel
her children are bound in good and in bad

At midnight passes
in its/our fields a blistering wind
a willow then bows her head for those who
with the dawn did not come back

To the land of the deer (Israel)
to the honey of her fields
to the Carmel and the desert
to a nation who will not be silent/still
who will not abandon its sons to a foreigner
to the land of deer, whose tears
fall on a field of sunflowers
whose sadness and happiness
are criss-crossed across her dress.

Photo of singer Yehoram Gaon & Hebrew words
Larger font Hebrew words


Note:
Note: This song is about Mivtza Yonatan, an operation to rescue hostages from Entebbe airport in Uganda on July 4, 1976. Air France flight 139 from Tel Aviv was hijacked after its Athens stopover, diverted to Libya and ended up in Idi Amin airport.

Originally named Mivtza Entebbe, the mission was later named in honor of Yonatan Netanyahu (brother of the former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) who died in the operation.

In 1977 a movie was made of the mission - "Operation Thunderbolt."

Two books were written on the rescue. Click on the Jewish Australia Entebbe link below for details.


Summary of the movie plot
Entebbe Rescue - Mivtza Yonatan page on Jewish Australia.com
Jewish Agency Operation Entebbe pages

LYRICS
Talma Alyagon Raz
MUSIC
Dubi Zeltzer
SINGER
Yehoram Gaon

Words transliterated and translated by George Jakubovits of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Thanks to Zemerl
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