Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu meets Yaniv Hayun, one of the Israeli passengers who managed to subdue the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, who had stabbed its captain, before pulling up the jet’s steering control to right it
The miraculous survival of Israeli passengers on the flydubai flight that saw an attempted hijacking and potential terror plot – thwarted only by the quick thinking of Indian Captain Smit Machchhar and the passengers – has become the latest hot button issue in Israel’s upcoming Oct 27 polls. Plus, these are the first polls since the Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel that appears to have fundamentally changed Israeli society. Here’s the lowdown on the Oct 27 polls, the key players, and the issues animating Israeli voters. He knows the election will essentially be a referendum on his handling of Israel’s security situation since Oct 7. Eisenkot was once No.2 to former PM hopeful Benny Gantz. But he launched Yashar in Sept 2025, months after leaving Netanyahu’s emergency coalition formed after Oct 7.
The war in Gaza is very personal for Eisenkot – he lost his son Gal two months into the fighting. For, the polls are taking place at a time when US and Iran are still engaged in war – a war Tel Aviv started together with Washington but now seems to have quietly exited – Strait of Hormuz is still not fully open for oil and cargo traffic, and Israel itself is militarily mobilised on four fronts – Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and West Bank. The flydubai incident is literally godsent for Netanyahu. He and his Likud Party have been consistently trailing in opinion polls. But ever the political wizard, Netanyahu is approaching the polls on the front foot. Thus, he is presenting himself as the only leader who can guarantee Isreal’s security. And flydubai just exemplified his long-running narrative that Israel still isn’t safe, there are enemies everywhere, and only a strong leader like him can lead the country. His tactic? Go on the offensive against any hint of criticism of Israel’s policies – be it at the UN General Assembly (where Netanyahu basically delivered a campaign speech defending his govt’s record) or blasting New York mayor Mamdani. In doing so, Netanyahu is using an old political trick: fuse his image with that of Israel. Thus, criticising him would be seen as criticising Israel. But Bibi’s campaign isn’t without headwinds. Netanyahu’s main challenger in these polls is Yashar Party’s Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli army chief of staff. So, Netanyahu’s strategy is simple. If he is not getting a majority, make sure the opposition doesn’t get one either. This will see Israelis head back to polls, and run the whole thing again. Netanyahu is banking on the fact that people will get tired and conclude there’s no alternative to him.
Even before the high-altitude drama, the election was shaping up to be a pivotal one, not just for Israel but also the wider West Asia.
