US Ambassador to Israel against News 12
US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, rejected reports on News 12 and other media outlets that the attempted hijacking of a Flydubai plane could jeopardize the visa waiver for Israelis. Huckabee clarified that there is no change to the waiver and called the reports "fake."
US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, today (Wednesday) strongly rejected reports published on News 12 and other media outlets that the attempted hijacking of a Flydubai plane could endanger the visa waiver for Israelis entering the United States. Huckabee clarified: "Contrary to the fake publications in the media channels, there is no change in the visa waiver for Israelis flying to the US." The original report on News 12 claimed that an American delegation was expected to arrive in Israel to examine whether the country still meets the conditions of the waiver program, following the failures exposed in the Flydubai affair. The background is the failure that allowed the co-pilot suspected of planning to hijack the plane to enter Israel as part of the flight crew. The affair led to mutual accusations regarding the division of responsibility for checking crew members and passengers on incoming flights. Huckabee clarifies that from the US perspective, there is no change in the status of Israelis under the waiver.