The Flydubai event has shown that Israel, despite the worldwide attempts to isolate the Jewish state, still has its friends, beginning with the U.A.E. More on this story, by former Hudson Institute Fellow Mike Watson, can be found here: “Israel’s Growing Allies on the Ground—and in the Sky,” by Mike Watson, Washington Free Beacon, October 3, 2026:
…A different set of images portrayed a more important reality this week. When an Omani terrorist attempted to hijack an airplane bound for Israel from Dubai, an improvised multinational coalition sprang into action. This was largely the work of brave individuals, but it illustrates the larger forces affecting Israel’s foreign policy. The Jewish state faces many enemies, but a growing number of countries are attracted to it because of Israel’s battlefield prowess, technological skill, and shared values.
The terrorist aimed to kill Jews, but his first target was an Indian. The pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, fought off his treacherous copilot long enough to open the cockpit door. Israeli passengers then rushed their would-be murderer, subdued him, pulled the Boeing 737 out of its fatal dive, and stabilized the stricken aviator. The plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia, where medics tended to the injured civilians until another plane brought them to Tel Aviv.
Much like Captain Machchhar and his passengers, Israel and India are becoming a dynamic duo. Although India still expresses plenty of sympathy for the residents of the West Bank and Gaza, the Jewish state’s value is too obvious to miss for a country with hostile neighbors and severe terrorist threats. India is Israel’s top destination for defense exports, and it has reciprocated with nearly 3,000 shipments of defense equipment and components since October 7. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in February, he and Netanyahu announced a bevy of agreements on technological cooperation and that a free trade agreement is in the works. Together, they form one half of the I2U2, a quadrilateral that includes the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Of course, the flight only occurred because of Israel’s relationship with the UAE, which has deepened because of the immense damage Iran is inflicting across the Middle East. In fact, as the pinstriped diplomats stormed down the aisle at the U.N., the Emirati delegation remained….
There are two more powerful forces revealed in the airplane story. Former Top Gun pilot Matthew Buckley told Fox News that the dive “exceeded the max operating speed of this aircraft by at least 100 knots,” which “ripped the rudder off this tail.” In addition to heroes onboard, the passengers owe their lives to the anonymous workers in Renton, Washington, who made one heck of a plane.
In fact, the story of the co-pilot, identified as an Omani citizen who had studied aviation management in the UK and had earlier announced his intention to “kill Jews” was so appalling, and the details of the rescue so riveting, including the four Israelis who stormed the cockpit, and one of whom — a plumber whose only knowledge about planes came from cockpits he had seen on television movies — managed to right the plane as it dove toward the ground, that the coverage of Israel in the media has been noticeably more sympathetic. Might it be that such a change in the media’s treatment of the Jewish state will hold?
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