Netanyahu thanks Saudis for 'warm' treatment of Israeli passengers

News Desk - The Cradle 

Alleged technical difficulties caused a commercial flight bound for Tel Aviv to land in the kingdom and stay overnight

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Saudi officials for “warmly treating” Israeli passengers aboard an Air Seychelles flight that unexpectedly landed in Jeddah on 28 August.

In a televised clip published by Netanyahu’s office on social media, the prime minister stated, “I greatly appreciate the warm attitude of the Saudi authorities to the Israeli passengers whose plane got into trouble and had to make an emergency landing in Jeddah. I’m glad everyone’s coming home. I really appreciate the good neighborliness.”

The flight carried 128 Israelis from Seychelles to Tel Aviv but landed in Jeddah allegedly due to a technical problem one and a half hours before reaching its destination. However, the plane landed without using emergency procedures.

The Israeli passengers stayed in Jeddah overnight at a hotel before being transferred to a new plane and returning to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv the following day.

This is the first time a commercial plane has traveled between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Passengers said they were nervous landing in a country that has traditionally been hostile to Israel but were warmly welcomed.

“The reception we got from the Saudis was very surprising,” Emmanuelle Arbel, one of the passengers, told Radio 103FM. “They said to us, ‘You are most welcome’ and were smiling. In truth, we were not expecting this.”

“We made history, maybe we will also bring peace,” said another passenger, Shai Kalmonowitz.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Israeli security officials happened to be aboard, claiming they had been on vacation. The Kan public broadcaster also said that the brother of far-right Otzma Yehudit lawmaker Almog Cohen was on the flight.

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said that Jeddah Airport had previously been identified as an alternative airport for flight paths to Israel and that Tel Aviv had gained approval for planes carrying Israeli passengers crossing Saudi air space to land there in emergencies.

In July 2022, Saudi Arabia announced that it would allow all airlines “that meet the conditions” to cross its airspace, including Israeli companies that do not necessarily fly to the Gulf states.

The unexpected landing, which Haaretz described as an “emergency precedent,” comes as Prime Minister Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden have prioritized normalizing relations between Israel and the kingdom. Saudi officials have so far rejected the US and Israeli overtures. Saudi officials have allegedly asked the US to guarantee the kingdom’s security by signing a defense pact, for help establishing a civilian nuclear program, and for access to more advanced US weapons in exchange for normalization.