Sources close to the UAE criticized Israeli officials for labeling potential flights from the UAE to Israel as “rescue flights” and “exploiting the attack for political purposes” after Wednesday’s incident involving a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, an Emirati source said. The Jerusalem Post Friday.
“In Israel, there is talk of ‘rescue flights’ from the Emirates. ‘Rescue flights’ is a term used to refer to a country where it is unsafe to be in. This is simply not the case,” the source said.
The source said the UAE had accepted Israeli requests for additional security measures following the incident and that Flydubai had also agreed to operate flights to Israel under revised procedures.
“Everything Israel asked, the UAE said ‘yes,'” the source told Job. “Flydubai agreed to fly to Israel under different protocols, similar to those used by Etihad, but the Israelis said ‘no’.”
A senior Israeli official responded to reactions from UAE officials criticizing the use of the term “rescue flights”, saying: “The return of Israelis from the UAE has never been defined as a ‘rescue operation’.”
“The use of this term by private companies has nothing to do with the state. Israelis staying in the Emirates are not stranded and do not need to be rescued.”
UAE reactions to Israel’s handling of the Flydubai incident
In a separate report, Ynet cited a source close to the UAE government as saying that Israel was “exploiting the attack for political purposes” by delaying the return of Flydubai flights, adding that “elections manage the event, not logic.”“.
“They are talking about ‘rescue flights’, as if there is a war in the country,” the source said, adding that the UAE was willing to strengthen procedures and carry out additional checks on flight crews.
“If passengers can be boarded on an Arkia flight, why not on a Flydubai flight? the source said, according to Ynet.
The source acknowledged that “it is clear that there was a dysfunction,” while asserting that Israel did not understand the importance of the incident for the UAE.
The comments come after the co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 allegedly attacked the captain and attempted to take control of the plane. Passengers and crew overpowered the co-pilot before a Flydubai reserve crew traveling on the plane landed the plane in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The Omani co-pilot was arrested by Saudi authorities and then transferred to the United Arab Emirates.
“Dangerous terrorist act”
The UAE President’s diplomatic adviser, Anwar Gargash, called Friday’s incident a “dangerous act of terrorism.”
The official UAE News Agency reported that Emirati authorities had opened an investigation into the incident to establish its circumstances and motives and determine whether it was linked to terrorist activity, involved pre-planning or was directed by another party.
An Israeli government official said Reuters that Israeli investigators would participate in the UAE-led investigation alongside Emirati authorities to determine what happened and examine the suspect’s motivations and background.
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