Opposition demands Knesset debate on warnings that preceded flight from Dubai

Opposition Knesset members on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee demand that committee chairman Boaz Bismuth convene an urgent discussion following the Flydubai flight incident and reports of early warnings by the Shin Bet chief about security risks on flights from the United Arab Emirates. The MKs seek to examine the handling of the warnings and the chain of decision-making that preceded the flight.

Opposition Knesset members serving on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee have issued an urgent demand to committee chairman MK Boaz Bismuth to convene a special discussion with the participation of the Shin Bet chief, following the Flydubai flight incident and reports of early warnings from him about severe security problems on flights from the United Arab Emirates. Among the petitioners: MK Efrat Rayten (The Democrats), Ram Ben Barak (Together), Hili Tropper (Zionist House, Yashar!), and Oded Forer (Yisrael Beiteinu). The MKs emphasized that the report on Channel 12, according to which the Shin Bet chief had been warning for weeks about a real and unique risk on flights from the Emirates, requires an immediate inquiry. In their words, last night's incident, in which flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv broadcast squawk code 7500 and was diverted for an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after an incident in the cockpit, could have ended in a heavy disaster. The MKs demand an examination of the chain of decision-making, whether the warnings were conveyed to the relevant parties in the Emirates, and whether sufficient steps were taken to secure the flights.