HAMMER: Flydubai terror scare shouldn’t derail Abraham Accords progress

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Terrorists want nothing more than to prevent peace.

It’s why they fly planes into buildings, don explosive vests and rain indiscriminate missiles on civilian populations.

The response to such terrorism isn’t to cower. It is to lead with boldness, courage and, sometimes, outright heroism.

The world just saw precisely such heroism in the high drama aboard Flydubai Flight 1073, from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

There was the Indian national pilot, Smit Machchhar, who, though bleeding badly after he was brutally stabbed by his terrorist Omani national co-pilot, had the presence of mind to open the cockpit door as the plane nosedived 10,000 feet a minute.

There were the ordinary Israeli citizens — and above all, new national hero Yaniv Hayoun — who, Todd Beamer-style, swiftly rushed the cockpit and subdued the terrorist in a chokehold (yes, really).

There were the two off-duty pilots — reportedly British, South African or New Zealander in nationality — who were able to glide the plane to a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

There was the Emirati flight crew, which handled the madness with aplomb, preventing chaos in a terrified cabin and ensuring the safety of all passengers. Israeli activist Hillel Fuld quoted a military pilot on X: “In virtually every historical incident where an airliner got anywhere close to these speeds, the tail ripped off the entire back of the plane.”

His presence is felt and seen

In the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible, God is not mentioned once. This is deliberate. His name doesn’t need to appear: His presence is felt and seen —
everywhere.

It was the same way aboard Flydubai Flight 1073. Some have reacted to this mesmerizing story in knee-jerk fashion. They have leapt to call for the full cancellation of all direct flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates — and perhaps a downgrading of ties between Israel and the Arab world, more generally. The instinct is understandable. The anti-Israel press downplayed the harrowing affair as a “pilot altercation,” but the fact is, a Muslim pilot tried to crash a plane full of Jews. That looks like terrorism. That’s certainly what the Israelis think happened.

Attacks must not derail peace

But terror attacks and near-terror attacks must not derail peace. To allow peace to be derailed is actually to do the terrorists’ bidding.

The Abraham Accords, those dynamic 2020 peace agreements that normalized Israeli relations with the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, must go on.

Indeed, they must expand.

Many predicted the Abraham Accords would die after the Hamas savagery of Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza. They didn’t.

On the contrary, the accords are stronger today. The Iran conflict, which has seen the Islamic Republic strike the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, has sent an unmistakable message: The Sunni Gulf states’ threat isn’t Jerusalem. It’s Tehran.

That’s why, just days before the near catastrophe aboard Flydubai Flight 1073, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Abu Dhabi to meet with representatives from eight different Arab countries.

Prior to that confab, Netanyahu rendezvoused directly with Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed. It was the first time such a bilateral meeting was publicly verified by both countries. Perhaps, then, the attempted terror attack timing isn’t a coincidence. The rumour mill has also been swirling that Kuwait might soon join the Abraham Accords.

It’s not hard to see what is going on here.

Before the Oct. 7 pogrom, Saudi Arabia — the de facto leader of the Arab world — was on the precipice of making peace with Israel. Netanyahu dedicated much of his September 2023 address to the United Nations General Assembly to the topic. Around the same time, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Fox News’ Bret Baier: “Every day we get closer” to normalization with Israel. Peace seemed imminent. One of Hamas’ aims with its massacre was to derail Israeli-Saudi normalization. In that, Hamas was successful — for now.

Hamas won’t be successful

In the long run, Hamas won’t be successful. Despite the setback, the House of Saud still knows that peace with Israel is an inevitability.

We cannot allow this week’s would-be terrorist co-pilot to be successful, either. This is not the time to pump the diplomatic brakes.

We might have to brace ourselves for additional attempted terror attacks, as cynics once again try to stop peace. Israel is undoubtedly prepared for that. The Arab states should prepare too. Israel should also re-evaluate its aviation procedures. Perhaps Israeli authorities can help vet inbound and outbound commercial pilots.

But the pursuit of regional peace must go on. There would be no greater tribute to the heroes of Flydubai Flight 1073.

– Josh Hammer is a senior editor-at-large for Newsweek

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