Two Army Officers, 50 Years Apart, Remembered for Courage and Sacrifice

A Hebrew column links the deaths of Lt. Col. Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu and Lt. Col. Dor Ben Shimon, arguing that both embodied leadership, mission, and willingness to die for Israel’s security. Netanyahu was commemorated on Sunday at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl, 50 years after he was killed in the Entebbe raid to rescue Air France passengers. Ben Shimon was buried on Friday in his kibbutz, Beit HaShita, after being killed in southern Lebanon вместе with three of his soldiers.

The writer describes Netanyahu, known as Yoni, as the eldest son of Tzila and Benzion Netanyahu, brother of Benjamin and Iddo, and a fighter in Sayeret Matkal like his brothers. He says the three were raised in Jerusalem to love the homeland, enlist when needed, and be ready to sacrifice their lives. Citing Ze’ev Jabotinsky, the article presents Yoni as a model of Jewish heroism, a soldier who died abroad at age 30 after serving with distinction and exchanging letters with his family and friends during service.

Ben Shimon, nicknamed Dvash, came from a kibbutz with a different political culture. Three of his brothers were also tank soldiers and another served in Golani. The article recalls that 11 children from Beit HaShita fell in the Yom Kippur War, including poet and composer Yosef Sarig. It says Ben Shimon left behind his wife, also a combat soldier, and their two daughters.

According to the piece, Ben Shimon was killed by a booby-trapped explosive drone that hit his battalion commander tank. The writer says he was known for smiling before every mission and embracing his troops, and that he understood the operation in southern Lebanon without hesitation. The column ends by urging unity, judgment, faith in the righteousness of the cause, and relentless fighting against militants.