Many miracles occurred last week in the failed hijacking of FlyDubai’s Flight 1073. The Indian captain opened the cockpit door, after being attacked with an ax, so that passengers could restrain the terrorist co-pilot. A plumber initially steered the plane from its nosedive. The aircraft did not split in half. Add another to the magical list: Arab-Israeli cooperation.
It was a reminder that, despite continuing hostilities, Iran may not be winning its long war for regional dominance.
When Hamam al-Hammami attempted to hijack the flight bound for Tel Aviv, the plane dropped 17,000 feet — with more than 180 people aboard — above nations that do not formally recognize the existence of the Jewish state. The passengers, most of whom were Israelis, restrained Hammami; another pilot who happened to be on the flight landed the plane in Saudi Arabia.
Once-mortal enemies of Israel played critical roles in returning the passengers home. Saudi Arabia permitted the plane to land within its borders despite lacking diplomatic relations with Israel. The United Arab Emirates, which has become a crucial partner of Israel, has the pilot in custody. The Emirati attorney general said on Friday that Hammami planned to fly the aircraft into the passenger terminal at Ben-Gurion International Airport, outside Tel Aviv, and used two previous flights to scout the route.
It wouldn’t always have played out this way. When the modern state of Israel was officially established in 1948, Arab countries attempted to destroy the nascent nation. They failed. Some states attempted again in 1967 and 1973. They sponsored terrorist attacks, including another hijacking incident that targeted Israelis and ended in a heroic rescue mission, known as the Entebbe Raid, in 1976.
In that case, Uganda hosted terrorists who held more than 100 mostly Israeli hostages. After Israeli Special Forces freed all but three, Idi Amin’s government sought a condemnation of Israel at the United Nations. Though Saudi Arabia didn’t vote for the resolution, the kingdom allowed Amin to claim political asylum less than five years later. In 2026, states that aided Israel’s enemies now prefer to partner with the Jewish state, even if they do so quietly.
The Abraham Accords, a series of bilateral, U.S.-brokered deals between Israel and several Arab countries, have forged this more cooperative culture. The agreements establish diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab countries, but they also include economic, defense and travel initiatives. It’s a boon to everyone involved: The UAE has increased its trade with Israel by $15 billion since 2020. Even the hijacked flight’s path is evidence: Commercial flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai started in 2020.
Though Saudi Arabia isn’t a party to the Abraham Accords, its military cooperation with Israel shows this new culture expands beyond formalities. The Houthi rebels in Yemen remain a thorn in the Gulf state’s side, but Riyadh is now reportedly turning to Israel for intelligence sharing, albeit through U.S. military channels.
Tensions remain. In a break with custom, Abu Dhabi, not Riyadh, is investigating the hijacking, and the Saudis refused to let Israeli military planes recover the passengers last week. Investigations have revealed that Oman, the country where the hijacker originated, had banned the co-pilot from flying due to his extremist ideology, but a lack of diplomatic relations prevented that information from reaching Israeli authorities. That should prompt a renewed push for more cooperation.
Put aside the question of Iranian involvement in the incident. The Islamic Republic failed last week. Two slogans of the Iranian Revolution come to mind: death to Israel and death to the United States. Since 1979, the regime has funded terrorist groups and attacks outside its borders through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to achieve those aims. Through funding groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, Tehran seeks to divide the Middle East and keep the U.S. out. It’s still not working. A Middle East where U.S.-brokered agreements facilitate Arab-Israeli cooperation is anathema to Iranian hegemony.
Oil prices remain high and the mullahs keep firing missiles, but Arab-Israeli cooperation is no small achievement. Though extremists like Hammami will keep trying to literally blow up progress, terroristic ideology won’t win the long war.
The post Foiled hijacking showed a shifting Middle East appeared first on Washington Post.
