Sources close to the United Arab Emirates criticized Israeli officials for calling potential flights from the UAE to Israel “rescue flights” and “exploiting the attack for political purposes” after Wednesday’s incident involving a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, a UAE source told The Jerusalem Post over the weekend.
“In Israel, they are talking about ‘rescue flights’ from the Emirates. ‘Rescue flights’ is a term used for a country where it is dangerous to be. That is simply not the case,” the source said.
The source said the UAE had agreed to Israeli requests for additional security measures following the incident and that flydubai had also agreed to operate flights to Israel under revised procedures.
“Everything Israel asked for, the UAE said ‘yes,’” the source told the Post. “Flydubai agreed to fly to Israel under different protocols, similar to those used by Etihad, but the Israelis said ‘No.’”
A senior Israeli official responded to reactions from Emirati officials criticizing the use of the term “rescue flights,” saying that “the return of Israelis from the UAE has never been defined as a ‘rescue operation.’”
“The use of the term by private companies is not related to the state. Israelis staying in the Emirates are not stranded and do not need rescue.”
UAE reactions to Israel's handling of Flydubai incident
In a separate report, Ynet cited a source close to the UAE government as saying that Israel was “exploiting the attack for political purposes” by delaying the return [to Ben-Gurion Airport] of flydubai flights, adding, “The elections are managing the event, not logic.”
“They are talking about ‘rescue flights,’ as if there is a war in the country,” the source said, adding that the UAE was willing to tighten procedures and conduct additional checks on flight crews.
“If passengers can be put on an Arkia flight, why not on a flydubai flight?” the source queried, according to Ynet.
While the source acknowledged, “It is clear that there was a malfunction,” it claimed that Israel did not fully understand the significance of the incident for the UAE.