Social Media Accuses Israeli Passengers of Staging FlyDubai Attack

Following an incident aboard a FlyDubai flight from the UAE to Israel, conspiracy theories have emerged on social media attempting to portray Israeli passengers who intervened in an attack as the perpetrators. Some posts falsely claim that Israelis orchestrated the event or staged the hijacking attempt. The incident occurred when the co-pilot attacked the pilot in the cockpit and tried to seize control of the aircraft. Israeli passengers, alongside crew members, successfully subdued the attacker and aided the injured pilot. The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Despite the passengers' heroic actions, social media narratives quickly labeled the event an "operation under false flag," with some publications blaming the Israeli passengers for the incident. Tal-Or Cohen-Monmair, CEO and founder of CyberWell, stated that these theories align with a broader pattern of antisemitic conspiracy narratives, which falsely accuse Jews and Israelis of orchestrating attacks against themselves to manipulate public opinion. She highlighted the danger of these claims in inverting the roles of victims and aggressors, potentially fueling distrust and hatred towards Jews and leading to further antisemitism.

CyberWell also pointed to the role of major online platforms and language models in disseminating such content, arguing that automated systems are insufficient to detect evolving antisemitic narratives and that continuous monitoring is necessary. The organization previously noted Saudi Arabia's alleged provocation during the evacuation of passengers from the FlyDubai flight.