Netanyahu orders a review of the security of flights to Israel after an attack on a Flydubai plane and a closure of the West Bank and Gaza on the occasion of the October 7 anniversary.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a review of security procedures for international flights heading to Israel, following the attack on the co-pilot and captain of a Flydubai plane heading from Dubai to Tel Aviv this week.

The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that Netanyahu "instructed the head of the National Security Council, Shmuel Ben Ezra, to appoint an auditor to conduct a comprehensive review of all security aspects related to foreign civil aviation heading to Israel," according to Agence France-Presse.

The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv came close to disaster on Wednesday morning, when the attacker stabbed his captain.

People on board the plane said in interviews that the captain, who was severely injured, was able to open the cockpit door, allowing a group of passengers and crew members to control the attacker, while two reserve pilots who were on board the flight were able to regain control of the plane, stabilize it, and then land it safely.

CNN revealed, citing sources, that the plane's co-pilot was named Humam Al-Hammami.

The Israeli authorities decided, on Sunday, to impose a closure on the West Bank and close the crossings leading to the Gaza Strip, next Monday and Wednesday, coinciding with the third anniversary of the attacks on October 7, 2023.

The Israeli Minister of Security, Israel Katz, said in a statement that he approved the army’s recommendation to impose a closure on the fifth and seventh of this month, in light of what he described as an “evaluation of the security situation,” and on the occasion of the commemoration of the events of October 7, 2023.

The decision stipulates the exception of specific cases in the West Bank after obtaining approval from the Coordinator of Israeli Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories, in addition to allowing the passage of essential workers in the health sector and cases related to commitments made by Israel before the Supreme Court, and needs related to the contact zone.

The decision also includes closing the crossings leading to the Gaza Strip during the specified two days. This imposes additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinians through crossing points.

The Israeli statement linked the closure decision to an assessment of the security situation, and on the occasion of commemorating the attacks of October 7, 2023, without referring to a specific security incident behind the decision.

Israel imposes closures on the West Bank on occasions and times that the authorities say require tightening security measures. The restrictions include the movement of Palestinians through barriers and crossings, while allowing exceptions determined by the Israeli authorities.

The scheduled closure this week coincides with the organization of ceremonies in Israel to commemorate the third anniversary of the attacks, including a ceremony scheduled for Monday in Jerusalem for the families of those killed in the attacks and the war.

Responsibility for the failure of “Flydubai”

Meanwhile, the file of the attempted downing of the Flydubai plane, which occurred last week while it was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv, has turned into a subject of political controversy, and blaming responsibility for an Israeli “security failure.”

This debate coincided with the approaching Israeli elections scheduled for the end of the month. Hebrew media reported that Israel had previously received a list of the names of the crew and passengers of the Fly Dubai flight. According to security sources, “the bodies in the security institution responsible for monitoring and examining foreign flight crews in Israel, and which were supposed to examine the list, are the Security Department of the Ministry of Transportation and the Mossad.”

According to the security sources, “the two aforementioned agencies are supposed to receive lists of flight crews from abroad coming to Israel, 48 hours before the flight time, and to report any suspicions regarding any of their members.”

The Ministry of Transportation’s Security, Emergency and Cybersecurity Department website stated that among the security department’s tasks is “to determine, develop, adapt and direct security procedures for air transport services to and from Israel, ensuring that they are free of terrorist threats, including conducting security checks for foreign flights that cross or arrive in Israel.”

The General Security Service (Shin Bet) said in this context that it is responsible for the security of Israeli airlines only, in addition to security directives at Ben Gurion Airport, and not for airlines from abroad.

This was consistent with a report published by the Associated Press about what it described as “regional officials,” on Sunday, that “the Emirati authorities had shared with Israel a list of the names of passengers and crew before the start of the (Flydubai) flight,” adding that Tel Aviv had not reported any security observations about the passengers or flight crew.

The UAE Attorney General, Hamad Al Shamsi, announced on Saturday that investigations revealed that the co-pilot of the Fly Dubai plane had attempted to carry out a “terrorist operation.” According to Al Shamsi, “investigations are still underway to uncover all the circumstances of the incident, its motives, and the connections associated with it, in addition to completing technical examinations and examining physical and digital evidence, with the final results being announced as soon as the necessary procedures are completed.”

Netanyahu dedicates the celebrations

Israeli security officials and politicians are seeking to evade responsibility for the “Fly Dubai” incident. While Prime Minister Netanyahu is working to celebrate the passengers' survival "thanks to the Indian pilot and the Israeli passengers," his electoral team sought to promote that the accident proves the importance of his role in Israel's leadership.

The prominent Israeli writer, Ben Caspit, commented in a post on “X”: “Now, we can determine with certainty: there was an oversight here. A major failure. The pilot (...) found himself flying a plane containing 174 Israelis to Israel. This is not the first time. The failure is primarily at the professional level: Mossad, Shin Bet, the Ministry of Transportation, Roman Goffman, David Zinni and other officials in Likud, and Transportation Minister Miri Regev, who appointed them to their positions. In a healthy, normal state, the political leadership would also bear responsibility for such a failure, but not with us. Here, Regev will continue to sniff the air outside, while Netanyahu can continue to take pictures and record films with the surviving heroes, and ignore the fact that they had to save themselves; Because he failed. "He failed for the hundredth time in his duty."

Ben Caspit stated that “Israel went through a similar experience in 2002; At that time, two gunmen from Kenya tried to blow up an Israeli civilian plane with two Strela shoulder-fired missiles after it had taken off. Accordingly, several studies and consultations were conducted, and a series of new laws and procedures were developed, based on the conviction that wherever there are Israelis and aircraft heading to Israel, there is a risk of bombing.”

In 2023, the Israeli Knesset approved a draft law that stipulated the establishment of a center that would pre-screen the lists of names of passengers and crew members arriving to Israel. A unit for examining passenger lists was established within the tax authority, and it is supposed to transmit the information it receives to representatives of the Shin Bet, the police, and the Mossad to examine the lists. In 2024, State Comptroller Netanyahu Eagleman issued a report in which he warned that security measures on Israeli aircraft, on the one hand, and on foreign aircraft flying to Israel, are insufficient to provide security.

In light of all these facts, the government does not bear responsibility, and the media began to accuse Netanyahu and his minister, Regev, but sources close to him accused the security services of negligence - as on October 7 - and evading responsibility, and placing it on the political leadership.

Hebrew media reported that “political sources in Abu Dhabi informed them that the UAE is angry because of the Israeli government’s haste in issuing rulings and its exploitation of the issue in the electoral battle, while it is a huge security issue related to the fight against terrorism, and it requires all interests to prevail and be subject to this interest.”

The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority reported on Sunday that a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, in an incident that reflects the continued security risks in one of the most important sea lanes for global energy supplies, despite the relative calm that the region has witnessed in recent weeks.

Despite the repeated targeting of ships in the waterway, the United States has not launched strikes on Iran since September 1, an indication of a relative decline in direct military confrontation, without this meaning a decline in the risks threatening navigation.

The incident coincides with American military movements in the region, and the arrival of the aircraft carrier "George H. W. Bush" to Thailand, months after its participation in supporting American operations in the Middle East.

The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority said in a statement that the tanker was hit by an unknown projectile that damaged the engine room, stressing that all crew members are fine. The authority did not provide additional details regarding the date of the accident or the identity of the ship, including the flag it was flying, or whether it was an oil or liquefied natural gas tanker.

The incident comes in light of continuing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which before the outbreak of war, about a fifth of the world’s supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas passed, making it a vital artery for global trade, and one of the most prominent axes of confrontation between Iran and the United States.

Since the outbreak of the war in late February, Iran has asserted its control over the strait, obstructing navigation traffic in it, while Washington imposes a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

In a move that reflects the scale of the US naval deployment over the past months, the US aircraft carrier George H. W. Bush arrived on Sunday in the waters off the tourist island of Phuket in southern Thailand, carrying about 4,800 personnel, to spend a period of rest and recreation after months of supporting US operations in the Middle East.

The carrier is expected to anchor off the coast, while its crew members will descend to land through the deep-water port of Phuket, to spend a period extending from the fourth to the ninth of October (October), according to what was reported by local media.

Media reports indicated that the Nimitz-class carrier was active in the Arabian Sea during the conflict with Iran. Her visit to Thailand came after the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln stopped for five days in the port of Laem Chabang in the east of the country last month, carrying about five thousand sailors and marines.

Thailand is the only treaty partner of the United States on the mainland of Southeast Asia, which gives American military visits to it a dimension that goes beyond logistical and recreational aspects.

The deployment of the "George Washington" near the Strait of Hormuz, on a mission whose end date was not specified, came as a surprise to its crew members, who were transferred from Japan at the end of August to relieve the burden on another American aircraft carrier.

The carrier resembles a floating city, as it includes about five thousand people who are divided into various tasks, from administrative work and daily services to managing complex air operations. Crew members work in a system that requires precise coordination, especially on the flight deck, where the movement of aircraft, equipment and personnel is intertwined in a highly dangerous environment.

While the crew members await a rest period in Thailand, their return to military duties remains linked to developments in the situation in the Middle East, as tension continues in the Strait of Hormuz, despite the decline in the frequency of direct strikes, and the safety of maritime navigation remains one of the most prominent challenges in the region.