United Airlines Pilot Suspended for Praising October 7 Hamas Attack
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
United Airlines suspended pilot Ibrahim Musallam for posting praise of the October 7 Hamas attack. Musallam had been previously suspended for similar conduct but was reinstated. The suspension follows a recent incident where an Omani pilot attempted to crash a Flydubai flight to Israel, raising questions about security protocols for foreign airlines. An internal document suggests the Ministry of Transportation is responsible for these security procedures.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- United Airlines suspended pilot Ibrahim Musallam for praising the October 7 Hamas attack.
- Musallam was previously suspended in November 2023 for similar posts but was allowed back to work.
- The suspension follows a recent incident involving an Omani pilot attempting to crash a Flydubai flight to Israel.
- An internal document places responsibility for foreign flight security protocols on the Ministry of Transportation.
- Airlines must verify crew members are not citizens of countries without diplomatic ties to Israel.
United Airlines has suspended pilot Ibrahim Musallam following his publication of extremist pro-Palestinian social media posts that praised the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Musallam had previously been suspended by the airline in November 2023 for similar reasons but was later allowed to return to his position.
This latest suspension occurs in the wake of the Flydubai incident. Approximately two weeks prior, a pilot from Oman, a country without diplomatic relations with Israel, attempted to carry out an attack on a Flydubai flight bound for Israel, intending to crash the plane. The aircraft was saved due to the bravery and quick thinking of Israeli passengers and the chief pilot.
The incident sparked significant controversy in Israel and internationally. For days, government officials attempted to deflect responsibility and create ambiguity regarding how Hamaam Al-Hamami, an Omani citizen, managed to occupy the co-pilot's seat on a commercial flight carrying Israelis to Tel Aviv. However, an internal security document revealed this week by "Mahadura Merkazit" indicates that the Ministry of Transportation, headed by Minister Miri Regev, is legally responsible for establishing security procedures for foreign flights entering Israel, including vetting flight crews.
The document's most critical section directly addresses the security lapse that allowed the "terrorist" to enter the cockpit. It unequivocally mandates that airlines must ensure no flight crew member, including pilots and cabin crew, is a citizen or dual citizen of a country that does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Furthermore, airlines are responsible for cross-referencing their crew lists with a list of restricted nationalities to absolutely prevent crews not meeting security requirements from entering Israeli airspace.
