Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed on Wednesday following a serious incident aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Israel and security concerns that arose in its aftermath, an Israeli source told Walla.
Netanyahu referred to the conversation, saying: “I spoke with bin Zayed and we agreed to arrange the security issues.”
The conversation came after an incident aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, during which one of the pilots stabbed his colleague, and the aircraft began losing altitude. Passengers and crew members subdued the attacker, and the plane ultimately landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, Netanyahu said that the pilot “apparently tried to crash the plane with its passengers on board,” although the motive behind the act is still under investigation.
The incident raised questions regarding security arrangements on flights departing from Dubai to Israel. Earlier on Wednesday, the UAE approved allowing Shin Bet security personnel to conduct inspections at Dubai Airport in the coming days, a move that will temporarily allow Israeli airlines to continue operating flights to the country.
Netanyahu, bin Zayed met just days prior in the Abu Dhabi
The conversation between Netanyahu and bin Zayed took place only days after the two leaders met in the UAE. Netanyahu arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday and met with the Emirati president.
The Prime Minister’s Office said afterward that the visit focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and addressing regional challenges.
The UAE’s official news agency, WAM, confirmed the meeting and said that bin Zayed welcomed Netanyahu and that the two discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen and develop them.
The meeting lasted several hours, and Israeli officials said Iran was at the center of the discussions. Netanyahu was accompanied, among others, by senior Israeli security and policy officials.
Now, less than three days after that meeting, the unusual incident aboard the Dubai flight has returned security cooperation between the countries to the center of the agenda, as both sides work to arrange security measures surrounding flights between the UAE and Israel.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar spoke over the phone on Wednesday evening with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Sa’ar updated his Emirati counterpart on the return of the Israeli passengers. The UAE foreign minister said he was pleased that all the Israeli passengers had returned home safely.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.
