Flydubai saga captures Israel’s role in a new Middle East - and its old limits

DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: From Netanyahu’s UAE visit to the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, a dramatic week reveals the possibilities and limits of regional cooperation.

Herb Keinon / JERUSALEM POST 

Wednesday’s flydubai saga crammed the new Middle East into a single aircraft.

An Emirati airline carrying Israelis made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia amid war with Iran – and the incident was immediately drawn into an Israeli election campaign dominated by the question of who can keep the country safe.

Talk about one event bringing everything together.

But beyond the frightening drama aboard the plane, the incident also brought something else into focus: how much the region has changed, and where the limits of that change lie.

Israelis were flying home on an Emirati airline. When their flight turned into a nightmare, they landed in Saudi Arabia, received medical attention and assistance, and were eventually collected by another Emirati aircraft and brought to Israel. 

For all the tensions, wars, and political sensitivities, that sequence is worth noting. The absence of Saudi-Israeli diplomatic relations did not prevent the passengers from receiving help or getting home. Read more, and see photos here.