Flydubai attack aimed to stain Israel-UAE ties — envoy

There is a strong possibility that the alleged attempt to sabotage a Flydubai flight was intended not only to endanger its passengers but also to damage relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates under the Abraham Accords, according to Israel’s envoy to the Philippines.

In an exclusive interview with DAILY TRIBUNE, Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Dana Kursh said that while the investigation remains in its preliminary stages, authorities are looking into the possibility that the co-pilot who allegedly attempted to sabotage the flight had links to a jihadist terrorist organization.

“I can tell you that although there still is time for investigation, there is a big likelihood that it was a terrorist attack attempt by a jihadist terrorist organization,” Kursh said.

The ambassador said the incident could have had consequences beyond the safety of the 174 people on board, potentially dealing a serious blow to Israel’s relations with the UAE.

“It’s not harming only the 174 passengers, it’s also harming the peace accord, which is called Abraham Accord between Israel and UAE. And this has been signed five years ago,” stated she.

“Unfortunately, if it would have been successful, it would have caused a big blow to the relationship,” the envoy said, noting that the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco normalized relations with Israel under agreements reached in 2020.

Despite the conflict in the Middle East that began in 2023, Kursh noted that UAE carriers Flydubai, Emirates and Etihad have continued operating flights to and from Israel, which she described as a sign of the enduring ties between the two countries.

Mid-air struggle

According to Kursh, preliminary information received by Israeli authorities indicated that an Omani co-pilot allegedly tried to crash the aircraft, sending it into a sudden descent with 174 passengers on board, most of them Israelis.

“At the beginning, what the passengers felt is that suddenly the nose of the plane is coming down and it’s drastically declining,” she said.

Kursh said an Indian crew member was injured but managed to open the cockpit, allowing four Israeli passengers to enter and restrain the alleged attacker.

Another pilot on board then helped stabilize the aircraft before it made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The flight later continued to Israel, where the passengers arrived safely that night.

Terror links under probe

With investigations ongoing, Kursh said Israeli authorities are looking into the background of the Omani co-pilot and examining a possible connection to Iran, although she acknowledged that no direct link has been established.

“Because as you know, Iran, the Iranian regime, not the Iranian people, has been using proxies, different terrorist organizations as proxies, both Hezbollah in Lebanon and, of course, Hamas versus us in the Palestinian region,” said ambassador.

“Unfortunately, based on the history of the Iranian regime, there is a likelihood that they are also part of this plot because they had been calling for the wiping of Israel from Earth numerous times,” Kursh stated.

“They call Israel the little Satan, where they call America the big Satan. They really don’t want us in the Middle East,” she added.

Kursh also said Saudi authorities had taken custody of the alleged attacker and were conducting their own investigation, while Israeli officials remained in direct contact with the countries involved.

“Our leadership is in a direct relationship with all of the relevant stakeholders to get to the bottom of the situation and to be able to really understand how it happened, how it occurred, and most importantly, how we can prevent those kind of circumstances to ever occur again,” she said.

Crew screening under scrutiny

The incident has also prompted questions over security procedures for airline crews, with Kursh pointing to crew screening as one area authorities are examining for possible vulnerabilities.

The ambassador said Israel and the UAE are expected to review security procedures, particularly those covering pilots and other crew members operating flights between the two countries.

“We will just take this couple of days to investigate again what were the loopholes. How can we ensure that the crew is being screened as well?” she said.

Despite the incident, Kursh said she expects Israel’s aviation links with the UAE to continue and expressed confidence in Flydubai, Emirates and Etihad.

“I do believe in the peace that we achieved with Emirates,” she said, adding that she would personally continue flying with the UAE carriers.

Kursh also encouraged travelers, including Filipinos and overseas Filipino workers bound for Israel, not to allow the incident to discourage them from traveling.

“The aim of terrorism is to create a constant fear that will prevent us from doing things. We cannot surrender to extremists who want to take away our freedom and who want to take away our trying to connect one another as people,” she said.