Israeli intelligence and the Israel Defense Forces. President Kenyatta
acceded to MacKenzie’s request. Israeli personnel went to Kenya un-
der the cover of businessmen, and thence moved to Entebbe, crossing
the border traversing Lake Victoria. There the Israel officers reconnoi-
tered the situation at Entebbe airport. MacKenzie was later killed by a
bomb planted in his airplane, probably by Ugandan secret agents tak-
ing revenge for his role in assisting the Israelis in the Entebbe episode.MAGEN, DAVID.SeeGROSS AFFAIR.MAGEN, ZVI.Magen replaced Ya’acov Kedmias director of Nativ
in 1999. Under his directorship, Nativ has become a much less clan-
destine organization. In the Israeli high echelons, there have been de-
mands to disband it, since clandestine work for the Jewish population
in the former Soviet Union is no longer necessary, but Magen op-
poses the idea. Some believe that Nativ should perform today as an
Israeli cultural council.MAGIC CARPET OPERATION.The intricate secret airlifting of
Yemeni Jews to Israel. Toward the end of April 1949, the imam of
Yemen agreed to let most of the Jews in his country leave, some
45,000 out of 46,000 Yemeni Jews. From remote corners of the coun-
try, they made their way on foot to an airport where they unobtrusively
boarded Israeli transport aircraft. There were 380 flights. British and
American airplanes were also engaged in the airlift. Most of these im-
poverished and isolated Jews had never seen an airplane, and on land-
ing in Israel they described their flying mode of transport as the
“magic carpet.” Thus Magic Carpet Operation became the name of
this highly complex and dangerous rescue-immigration campaign.
Stanley Epstein, a Canadian Jew who was a pilot in the Magic Car-
pet Operation, stated that he flew his C-46 airplane 270–300 hours a
month. It carried 76 passengers per trip, nearly 30 more than the
number permitted based on average passenger weight and the num-
ber of aircraft exits. The DC-4s also used for this operation were li-
censed to carry 60 passengers, but instead took 150 Yemeni Jews
aboard on each flight.
The Magic Carpet Operation ran from May 1949 to the end of Sep-
tember 1950. Operatives of the Mossad Le’Aliyah Bethwere dis-172 • MAGEN, DAVID06-102 (03) H-P.qxd 3/24/06 7:25 AM Page 172