I honestly don’t know what to believe about the Flydubai incident.
The story, as it has been presented, sounds more like a Hollywood movie than a real-life event. A plumber supposedly helping to save an aircraft, passengers heroically intervening, and a co-pilot allegedly banned from flying in Oman because of extremist views somehow being allowed to fly a plane full of Israelis to Israel.
Seriously?
If the allegations about the co-pilot are true, how on Earth was he allowed anywhere near that cockpit? And how did Mossad, one of the world’s most renowned intelligence agencies, supposedly miss something like that?
Then we have Benjamin Netanyahu.
With an election approaching and Israeli society deeply divided, the incident certainly offers him a political opportunity. Once again, he can portray himself as the tough, uncompromising leader who will show Israel’s enemies no mercy.
And what better way to unite a divided nation than through a dramatic story of ordinary Israelis standing together against a common enemy? If the passengers really did intervene as described, their actions were genuinely heroic.
But could the incident also serve a political purpose beyond what we are being told?
I know what some people will immediately suggest: Mossad staged the whole thing. Is that possible? I have no evidence whatsoever to support such an accusation, and I am certainly not going to pretend otherwise. But, with all the crazy things happening in our world, I am definitely not ruling it out. Everything is possible.
However, I do not have the energy to dig through the endless conspiracy theories that inevitably follow incidents like this. I have heard the whispers of pilots claiming that the plane’s maneuver was impossible and similar stories. I have no personal ill will towards such theories, but there are just too many of them. If this was staged, hopefully it will be uncovered.
Perhaps the official account is entirely accurate. Perhaps an extraordinary series of security failures really did occur, followed by an equally extraordinary act of courage.
But I find it difficult to accept such a remarkable story without asking questions.
Just to be clear, the fact that Netanyahu might benefit politically does not necessarily have to mean that he had anything to do with it. The two does not have to be connected.
Still, something about this whole affair doesn’t sit right with me.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe reality really is stranger than fiction.
But until the unanswered questions have been properly addressed, I’ll remain skeptical.
Because questioning an extraordinary story isn’t the same thing as believing in a conspiracy. And even if it would be the same thing, I keep my mind open for all possibilities until proven otherwise. That includes conspiracy theories that I find reasonable and likely, which an event like this will result in.
Previous coverage
For background, see my earlier posts: Regarding Today’s Flydubai Attack and What’s the Latest on the Flydubai Attack?