Netanyahu orders air safety review after attempted crash of Flydubai flight

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday ordered a review of security measures on international flights to Israel, following the attack this week on a Flydubai flight.

Mr. “Netanyahu instructed the director of the National Security Council, Shmuel Ben Ezra, to appoint an official responsible for carrying out a thorough review of all aspects related to the security of foreign civil aviation to Israel,” the Prime Minister's office said in a statement.

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The government under pressure

A Flydubai plane bound for Tel Aviv had to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, after an apparent crash attempt by the co-pilot of the plane which was carrying 174 people, including 166 Israelis.

Benjamin Netanyahu's government has been under pressure for several days, as members of the opposition and the media question possible security failures that led to this attack, which appears to have been narrowly foiled thanks to the intervention of passengers.

Left-wing MPs have thus asked the Attorney General to open an investigation into possible failures surrounding this Flydubai flight, in particular on the possibility that information concerning the identity of the co-pilot was transmitted to Israel, but was not the subject of background checks, as reported by the media.

Israeli media also reported on Sunday that the suspect, questioned in the United Arab Emirates, intended to crash the plane on Israeli soil, and that he had made several flights to Tel Aviv in recent months for scouting purposes.

“Facade survey”

Reacting to the announcement of a “thorough examination” by Mr. Netanyahu on Sunday evening, one of the leaders of the Israeli opposition, Yaïr Lapid, declared on X that it was a “facade investigation”.

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“Just as Netanyahu shied away from the investigation into the October 7 massacre, he is evading again today,” said Mr. Lapid, referring to the unprecedented attacks by Palestinian Hamas in Israel in 2023.

Transport Minister Miri Regev, a close friend of Mr. Netanyahu, under fire from criticism, announced on Sunday that she had met the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Israel to “discuss cooperation in the investigation into the incident which could have ended in a major catastrophe”.

“We agreed to continue our cooperation, strengthen ties in the fields of aviation and transport, and act together to ensure the safety of passengers and flights,” Regev added.

For his part, Gadi Eisenkot, Mr. Netanyahu's main rival for the legislative elections of October 27, affirmed on X that "in a government worthy of the name and properly managed, the Minister of Transport would have submitted her resignation."