Stating that Netanyahu is preparing the ground for a war that could postpone the Israeli general elections to be held on October 27, Ehud Barak noted that "Everything necessary should be done to stop Netanyahu."
Barak criticized Netanyahu in harsh words, arguing that he "lied while breathing, eating french fries and leaving the restaurant without paying the bill."
'HE IS PLANNING A NEW WAR'
Emphasizing that the Israeli Prime Minister is in a difficult situation before the elections to be held on October 27, Barak stated that the Tel Aviv administration wants to escape from the ballot box.
Barak argued that Netanyahu was planning to start a new war in the Middle East and said, "Netanyahu is preparing the infrastructure to go to war in a way that will postpone the elections."
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak
Barak's statements came at a time when discussions about the use of security issues in the election campaign intensified in Israel. Netanyahu warned earlier this week that Israel could face attacks ahead of the election and held consultations with senior security officials on developments on many fronts. Netanyahu also threatened to retaliate against whoever was behind the incident involving Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.
Stating that it is being investigated whether the attacker acted on the instructions of another party, Netanyahu said, "Whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price."
FLYDUBAI INCIDENT HAS BEEN ON THE AGENDA OF THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN
The Flydubai incident became a theme of the election campaign, with opponents accusing Netanyahu of using security issues to strengthen his position in the campaign. Barak's statements came at a time when Israel continues its military operations on many fronts, including the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria.
In August, Barak accused Netanyahu of trying to reach election day in an environment of increasing security tension and public fear, and argued that the escalation on some regional fronts was linked to election calculations. The election to be held on October 27 will be Israel's first general election since the events of October 7, 2023. Opposition parties have intensified their coordination to replace Netanyahu's government through the ballot box.
Netanyahu met with Yaniv Hayoun, one of the passengers on the plane, after the Flydubai incident.
ISRAELI DELEGATION GOES TO UAE
It was reported that a delegation from Israel went to the United Arab Emirates to investigate the Flydubai plane that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia while flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
In the news in Yedioth Ahronot newspaper, it was stated that the Israeli investigation delegation reached the UAE in the evening. It was stated that the Israeli delegation was sent to the UAE to support the investigation into the Flydubai plane.
Meanwhile, Israeli state television KAN reported that Saudi Arabia and the UAE rejected Israel's request to participate in the official investigation regarding the Flydubai plane. It was stated that Saudi Arabia was conducting an investigation because the plane made an emergency landing on its own territory, the UAE was investigating because the plane was operated by Flydubai, and Israel would not be included in the official investigation.
TEL AVIV RECEIVED THE PASSENGER AND CREW LIST IN ADVANCE
It was reported that Israel received the list of passengers and crew on the Flydubai plane, which had to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia during the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, 2 days in advance. In the news in Haaretz newspaper, it was stated that the Israeli Ministry of Transport and the foreign intelligence service MOSSAD had previously received the list, which included the co-pilot, an Omani citizen, who allegedly tried to deliberately crash the Flydubai plane.
In the news, it was stated that the passenger and crew lists reported by airline companies to the countries include the full names and citizenship information of the people, and it was pointed out that it should be clearly seen in the list that the co-pilot is an Omani citizen. While the Israeli Tax Authority admitted that it had received the list of passengers and crew of the Flydubai plane, the Ministry of Transport did not respond to questions about whether the lists in question had been received and examined.
Israeli security sources informed that the institutions responsible for examining foreign airline crews landing in the country are the Ministry of Transport and the foreign intelligence service Mossad. Stating that the responsibility belongs to the Ministry of Transport on paper, security sources emphasized that the Ministry does not have the capability to carry out such an investigation, but MOSSAD has the intelligence capacity in question.
ŞİN-BET: FOREIGN AIRLINE INSPECTION DOES NOT REACH OUR DUTY
In the written statement made by Shin-Bet, Israel's domestic intelligence service, it was stated that the institution is only responsible for the security of Israeli airline companies and Ben-Gurion Airport, and that the inspection of foreign airline companies is not within its scope of responsibility.
The agreement made for Flydubai to use Israeli airspace requires all pilots serving on flights to be citizens of countries that have normalized relations with Israel. Oman is not among these countries. While the claim that the co-pilot is Omani raises questions, The Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted Israeli officials as saying, "This situation is a clear violation of the agreement and Shabak should investigate the issue immediately." The newspaper noted that for this reason, Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev appealed to Shabak and requested the immediate suspension of all Flydubai flights landing and taking off from Israel.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FLYDUBAI INCIDENT
Israeli media had announced that the plane departing from Dubai to Tel Aviv sent first the general emergency code "7700" and then the code "7500", indicating that the plane had been hijacked, while it was sailing in Jordanian airspace. Channel 12 television stated that the incident resulted from a fight between two pilots flying the passenger plane, and claimed that the co-pilot on the plane was Omani and tried to crash the plane by stabbing the other pilot.
The news report claimed that the co-pilot, who was claimed to be an Omani citizen, stabbed the captain pilot several times, and it was claimed that the cabin crew and some passengers entered the cockpit and interfered with the co-pilot. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that "there were signs that one of the pilots attempted to crash the plane", UAE-owned airline Flydubai reported that the cause of the fight that broke out in the cockpit of the plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv was unclear.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Saudi Arabia also announced in its statement that in the first investigation carried out with the participation of a security team from the UAE, it was determined that the co-pilot attacked the captain pilot and both of them were injured in the incident. It was noted that after the completion of their treatment, the pilot and co-pilot left Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi, accompanied by the UAE security team.
