Netanyahu calls UAE President bin Zayed over flydubai flight security

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed, about the security of aircraft following an incident on a flydubai flight earlier in the day. Ynet reported that Netanyahu told one of the passengers who subdued the crew member involved that he had been in touch with the Emirati leader, and quoted the prime minister as saying: "We said we would put the whole matter of security in order."

Israeli outlets also reported that Netanyahu was expected to speak soon with US President Donald Trump. The Times of Israel, citing an Israeli official speaking to Channel 12, said that call was due within the hour. N12, the news arm of Channel 12, described the conversation with bin Zayed as concerning the security of planes, and News.co.il likewise reported both the Emirati call and the expected call with Trump.

What is known about the flight

The reports describe the incident in different terms. The Times of Israel said the copilot of the flydubai plane had allegedly tried to take control of it and bring it down. Ynet described the person as the pilot and called the episode an attempted terror attack, saying passengers on board neutralised him. The Times of Israel liveblog separately referred to an Israeli passenger who stopped the plane from nosediving and who credited a television programme, Air Disasters, with teaching him how to respond. The reports available here do not reconcile the pilot and copilot descriptions, and this article does not attempt to.

flydubai is an airline based in Dubai, one of the emirates that make up the UAE. Mohammed bin Zayed, often referred to by his initials MBZ, is the country's president.

Immediate steps on flights to the Emirates

According to Ynet, the transport minister, Regev, is demanding that flydubai flights be halted until the investigation into what the report characterises as a failure on the flight is complete. At the same time, Ynet reported, the Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security service, gave Israeli airlines temporary approval to fly to the UAE. Ynet framed this as a provisional arrangement under which the Israeli carriers will operate flights to the Emirates for now.

The reports do not explain the relationship between these two moves, for example whether Israeli airlines are meant to replace flydubai services on the same routes, or how long the temporary approval is intended to last.

Diplomatic contacts around the incident

The prime minister's call was one of several high-level contacts reported during the day. The Times of Israel liveblog listed an entry saying Foreign Minister Sa'ar had spoken with his Emirati counterpart, and that the two agreed to work together against what the entry called "extremist elements". Another entry in the same liveblog reported Huckabee saying that, with the hijacking foiled, the United States took greater pride in describing Israel as a "true partner".

Taken together, the reports show Israel engaging both the UAE and Washington within hours of the incident. What Netanyahu and bin Zayed specifically agreed beyond the general commitment to address security has not been described in any of the reports.

How the reports compare

Five organisations reported the call with bin Zayed: Ynet, political commentator Amit Segal, News.co.il, N12 and The Times of Israel. Amit Segal quoted Netanyahu in terms matching Ynet's version of the remark about putting security in order. The Times of Israel attributed its account of the call to Hebrew media and its account of the planned Trump call to an Israeli official. The details about Regev's demand and the Shin Bet approval come from Ynet alone among these reports.

What the reports do not say

• Whether the person at the controls was the pilot or the copilot, and what his identity or motive was.
• How many people were on the flight, where it was flying from or to, and whether anyone was hurt.
• What concrete security measures, if any, Israel and the UAE agreed on.
• Whether the call with Trump took place and what was discussed.
• Whether flydubai flights to Israel have actually been suspended, and how long the temporary approval for Israeli airlines will remain in force.
• Who is conducting the investigation Regev referred to.