Pilot stabbing on flydubai flight scrambles Israeli elections

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponents drew parallels to the government’s pre-Oct. 7 security failures. The narrowly-avoided catastrophe aboard a flydubai flight has electrified Israel’s highly polarized election debate, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming vindication, and his opponents drawing parallels to the government’s pre-Oct. 7 security failures. With less than a month remaining before Israelis vote, Netanyahu’s allies said he warned of exactly such a pre-election “attack” from the country’s “enemies” — claims that Israel’s opposition leader called “a pathetic attempt to hitch a ride on the heroism of Israelis who prevented a disaster that [Netanyahu], once again, was unprepared for.” Other critics argued that if the government was expecting such attacks, it should have prevented the pilot stabbing rather than relying on civilians’ intervention. “ It’s exactly like October 7,” a former prime minister said.