When Benajamin Netanyahu and his Likud ally and Defense Minister Israel Katz instantly blamed jihadist terror for the FlyDubai incident, they drowned out an initial assessment by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and his top commanders that ruled out hijacking as the motive behind the altercation.
14 hours later, Saudi and Emirati state media are still avoiding reference to the incident as a terror attack. They seem to be awaiting the outcome of the Saudi interrogation of the co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the pilot, and the investigation of his motives. Even Donald Trump is entertaining doubt, proclaiming that the stabber was "perhaps a terrorist or a wack job."
"This is the story that I heard. I don't know if it's true," Trump added after recounting the Israeli government's storyline.
But Netanyahu is determined to consolidate the narrative he spun out moments after the in-air melee was first reported. And he's attempting to merge it with the theatrical message he delivered the day before, when he stood before an F-35 and warned of imminent attacks from Israel's enemies. But as one of his rivals, Yair Lapid, pointed out, Netanyahu said nothing in that warning about hijackings or any potential aerial "terror."
The FlyDubai incident was absolutely fortuitous for Netanyahu, materializing as he weathered a barrage of bad press about his negligence on October 7, 2023. In the midst of his most consequential and likely final campaign for re-election, Netanyahu is essentially taking credit for an Entebbe sequel, stopping the terrorist in the cockpit, and preventing a 9/11-style attack on Tel Aviv's Azrieli Center.
Mike
14 hours later, Saudi and Emirati state media are still avoiding reference to the incident as a terror attack. They seem to be awaiting the outcome of the Saudi interrogation of the co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the pilot, and the investigation of his motives. Even Donald Trump is entertaining doubt, proclaiming that the stabber was "perhaps a terrorist or a wack job."
"This is the story that I heard. I don't know if it's true," Trump added after recounting the Israeli government's storyline.
But Netanyahu is determined to consolidate the narrative he spun out moments after the in-air melee was first reported. And he's attempting to merge it with the theatrical message he delivered the day before, when he stood before an F-35 and warned of imminent attacks from Israel's enemies. But as one of his rivals, Yair Lapid, pointed out, Netanyahu said nothing in that warning about hijackings or any potential aerial "terror."
The FlyDubai incident was absolutely fortuitous for Netanyahu, materializing as he weathered a barrage of bad press about his negligence on October 7, 2023. In the midst of his most consequential and likely final campaign for re-election, Netanyahu is essentially taking credit for an Entebbe sequel, stopping the terrorist in the cockpit, and preventing a 9/11-style attack on Tel Aviv's Azrieli Center.
Mike
