Netanyahu Reverses Decision to Fly on Private Plane to the US

“In order to prevent the media from diverting attention from the historic agreement with the UAE and possibly with other Arab countries as well, the prime minister will fly with the delegation in a more spacious plane, with strict separation arrangements to maintain his health,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement carried by the Jerusalem Post.

Netanyahu had been advised to by professionals to fly on a separate plane due to concerns that the prime minister will contract the coronavirus on the flight, which will carry more than 70 people, according to a previous statement from the office.

Netanyahu will now fly with the UAE delegation on an El Al in another last minute change of decisions, as the delegation had originally been set to fly with Israir. This comes on the background of criticism of the decision to allow Israir to fly, Channel 13 reported.

“We gave up the flight for peace,” said Uri Sirkis, Israir CEO.

“A prime minister who chooses to fly a foreign company’s plane during the biggest crisis in El Al’s history is spitting in the face of 6,500 El Al employees sitting at home,” the El Al worker’s committee said earlier this morning.

The deal to normalize ties between the Zionist entity and the UAE, known as the Abraham Accord, will be signed on September 15.