Israel Bars Dual Citizens From 31 Nations From Flying to Ben Airport
Translated & summarized from Walla by baba
This policy change follows an alleged attempt by a Flydubai first officer, Hammam Al-Hamami, to hijack a flight to Tel Aviv on September 30. The new rules apply even to crew members with passports from countries like the U.S. if they also hold citizenship from one of the 31 listed nations. United Airlines has already issued warnings to its staff about the restrictions.
The story in 4 lines · by baba
- The new policy follows an alleged hijacking attempt on a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv on September 30.
- The alleged hijacker, Hammam Al-Hamami, an Omani citizen, is accused of planning a 9/11-inspired attack.
- The restrictions apply to crew members even if they hold passports from countries with diplomatic ties to Israel.
- Airlines like United Airlines have already notified their staff about the new travel limitations.
This new policy was reported by the aviation website Paddle Your Own Kanoo (PYOK) on Sunday.
The measure follows an attempted terror attack thwarted on September 30 aboard a Flydubai flight. The first officer on that flight, Hammam Al-Hamami, allegedly attempted to neutralize the captain and seize control of the passenger plane en route to TLV, intending to crash it into the passenger terminal. The report states that the swift intervention of passengers and two off-duty pilots helped foil the plot.
According to the report, Israel is not only enforcing its policy regarding crew members from countries with which it lacks diplomatic relations but has also extended it to individuals with dual citizenship. This means that even a crew member holding, for example, a U.S. passport might be denied permission to fly to Israel if they possess an additional citizenship from one of the listed countries.
United Airlines has reportedly already circulated an internal memo to its pilots and flight attendants warning them of these new restrictions. Other foreign airlines operating flights to Israel have also received the directive. The 31 countries affected by this restriction include Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Comoros, Cuba, Djibouti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela, and Yemen.
Al-Hamami, an Omani citizen, had previously flown to Tel Aviv without raising suspicion on two prior flights. Following the attempted attack, questions arose regarding his background checks and the information held by his former employers. Oman Air was reportedly aware of his alleged extremist views and had moved him from a pilot role to an office position before he joined Flydubai. He also worked for Royal Air Maroc. Prosecutors allege he planned the attack inspired by the 9/11 attacks, choosing Flydubai because it flies to Israel. He reportedly used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to plan the assault. The report also indicates Al-Hamami became radicalized while living in Melbourne, Australia, where he interacted with individuals allegedly linked to a group funded by the Muslim Brotherhood, though he claimed to have acted alone.
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