Archive · 1 Oct 2026
Netanyahu Uses Flydubai Incident to Shape Israel’s Election Campaign
Israel’s election is only weeks away.
A Flydubai plane carrying 170 mostly Israeli passengers reportedly faced an attempted hijacking.
The pilot and several passengers helped stop the danger.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised one passenger, Yaniv Hayun, for his bravery.
Netanyahu is using the incident to say he can protect Israelis.
His opponents say he is using fear to distract people from questions about the October 7 attack.
Netanyahu says security officials failed to warn him properly before that attack.
His main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, leads a group of parties that wants to replace him, but forming a government may be difficult.
The October 7 attack and the Gaza war remain central issues in the election.
A Flydubai flight carrying 170 mostly Israeli passengers faced an apparent attempted hijacking before landing in Israel.
The chief pilot and passengers, including Yaniv Hayun, helped prevent what the article describes as a potential disaster.
Benjamin Netanyahu praised Hayun publicly and used the incident to reinforce his image as Israel’s security protector.
Netanyahu’s opponents accuse him of exploiting security fears while avoiding responsibility for failures surrounding the October 7 Hamas attack.
Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar! Party leads the opposition bloc in polls, but coalition-building could remain difficult after the October 27 election.
- Who
- Benjamin Netanyahu, the passengers and chief pilot of a Flydubai flight, passenger Yaniv Hayun, and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot are central figures.
- What
- An apparent attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight has become part of Israel’s election campaign.
- When
- The incident occurred weeks before Israel’s general election on October 27, shortly before the third anniversary of the October 7 attack.
- Where
- The flight was traveling from Dubai to Israel, and Netanyahu later met Hayun at Ben-Gurion International Airport.
- Why
- Netanyahu is using the incident to emphasize security and portray himself as Israel’s protector, while opponents argue he is deflecting criticism over the October 7 failures.
Netanyahu’s Security Argument
Opposition’s Accountability Argument
Use of the Flydubai incident
Netanyahu’s Security Argument
Netanyahu presents the suspected terror incident and the passenger response as evidence that security threats remain urgent and that he can protect Israelis.
Opposition’s Accountability Argument
Opponents say Netanyahu quickly turned the incident into campaign material and used it to shift attention away from his record.
Responsibility for October 7
Netanyahu’s Security Argument
Netanyahu argues that security officials failed to warn him in time and that events could have been different had he been alerted earlier.
Opposition’s Accountability Argument
Critics cite reports of warnings from Egyptian and Emirati officials, and a reported warning from Yahya Sinwar, arguing that Netanyahu and security officials misread the threat.
Prospects for a new government
Netanyahu’s Security Argument
Netanyahu’s pro-government bloc may benefit if opposition parties fail to cooperate or if small parties waste votes by missing the electoral threshold.
Opposition’s Accountability Argument
The anti-Netanyahu ABBA bloc, led by Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar! Party, is polling strongly but may struggle to form a coalition because its parties differ ideologically and some reject cooperation with Ra’am.
- Election date
- October 27
- Flight
- Flydubai flight from Dubai to Israel
- Passengers
- 170, mostly Israeli
- Praised passenger
- Yaniv Hayun, who reportedly helped enter the cockpit
- Main opposition party
- Yashar!, led by former Israel Defense Forces chief Gadi Eisenkot
- October 7 toll cited
- Almost 1,200 Israelis killed and about 250 people kidnapped
- Gaza war toll cited
- More than 70,000 Palestinians killed, according to the article