Two cinemas were heavily damaged by explosions during the showing of “Operation Thunderbolt,” an Israeli film depicting the rescue of hostages at Entebbe Airport. There were no casualties at either cinema, one in Berne and the other in Zurich.
Prior to the explosion in Zurich, police received an anonymous telephone call that a bomb had been placed in the theater. Police evacuated the promises before the explosion occurred. In Berne, police received an anonymous letter stating: “The Israelis are all assassins who want to eliminate and destroy Palestinians. It is sad that a film praising Israeli soldiers is being screened in Switzerland. Many people here are opposed to the showing of this film.”
As a result of the two incidents, cinema owners have decided to stop showing the film and distributors have announced that they will no longer publicize it.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
