Celebrating 80 years ...

The Aug. 9, 1968, issue of the Jewish Western Bulletin carried the first of two stories on the hijacking of an El Al flight by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). It was the first time that a Palestinian group had carried out such an act.

El Al Flight 426, a Boeing 707 carrying 10 crew and 38 passengers, was flying from Rome to Tel Aviv when it was taken over by three members of the PFLP. The aircraft was diverted to Algiers by the hijackers and, while the female crew and passengers were released by the Aug. 9 JWB article, the plane remained “in possession of Algeria, together with all the male members of its crew and all Israeli males who were on board.”

Negotiations with the hijackers lasted for 40 days and the Aug. 23, 1968, JWB cover article, datelined “Algeria,” could only report, “Informed sources here stated early this week that the 12 male crew members and Israeli passengers ... will be released as soon as the Algerian authorities complete their investigation.” According to the article, a planned boycott of Algeria by the International Federation of Airline Pilots Association was cancelled at hearing this news, a decision that was “strongly criticized” by Israeli government sources, “while the ‘hard facts’ remained that Algeria still held the 12 men and the plane.”

The 12 Jewish men, who were held captive for a total of five weeks, were released only after Israel agreed to hand over 16 convicted Arab terrorists.

Over the next months, the PFLP staged airport or aircraft attacks against El Al in Athens, Zurich and Munich.