Flight emergency brings Israelis to a country that doesn’t recognize their state
The emergency landing of an Israel-bound flight in Saudi Arabia marked a rare mass arrival of Israelis in the kingdom, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Just a few years ago, Israeli airlines and Israel-bound flights were forbidden from even entering Saudi airspace, forcing Israeli holidaymakers to take an hours long detour while traveling … The post Flight emergency brings Israelis…
An Israel-bound flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, marking a rare mass arrival of Israelis in the kingdom, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Israeli airlines and flights bound for Israel were previously barred from entering Saudi airspace, requiring holidaymakers to take an extended detour when traveling east.
However, in 2022, the kingdom unilaterally permitted Israeli flights to use its airspace, as part of efforts by the Biden administration to normalize relations between the two countries. This milestone significantly reduced travel routes to Asia. This incident follows two others where Israelis unexpectedly landed in the kingdom - in 2023 after an Air Seychelles flight made an emergency landing in Jeddah due to an electrical issue, and last year when a Flydubai plane landed in Riyadh after a passenger suffered a stroke.
These instances have been viewed as rare examples of Saudi-Israeli cooperation, despite formal normalization remaining elusive. The Gaza conflict and its severe humanitarian consequences have hardened Saudi Arabia's stance on recognizing Israel, as Riyadh insists on establishing diplomatic ties only after the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Written by urgent.news from Egypt Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Flight with Mossad-approved crew to return Israelis from Saudi Arabia to depart shortly israelnationalnews.com
