Ethiopian Airline Incident sparks diplomatic row

An Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight to Israel was forced to turn back this week because one of its pilots was Indonesian, putting a spotlight on Israel's new restrictions on foreign airline crews. According to Israeli media, the plane was ordered to return to Addis Ababa overnight between Sunday and Monday, about an hour after takeoff and while it was still in Ethiopian airspace.

Israeli broadcasters reported that the crew list was sent to Israeli authorities only after the flight had departed, even though airlines have been told to submit it in advance. Israel has no diplomatic relations with Indonesia, and Israeli authorities refused to let the plane land with the pilot on board. Arab News reported that the aircraft dumped fuel over the sea before returning. In Addis Ababa, the pilot was replaced with one cleared to fly into Israel. The aircraft then took off again and landed in Tel Aviv.

Ethiopian Airlines reportedly described the episode as a mistake and said it had not known the pilot was barred from flying to Israel. Israeli reports said Ethiopian and Indonesian authorities had not commented. The reports I found describe a diplomatic dispute only in the sense that Israel and Indonesia have no ties. They do not describe a formal complaint or protest between governments.

The rules come after an alleged attack on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv in late September. An Omani pilot is accused of stabbing his co-pilot in an attempt to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport, and passengers reportedly stepped in to stop him. Israel's Transportation Ministry then reportedly told airlines not to let citizens of countries without diplomatic relations with Israel work as pilots or crew, or travel on flights to Israel. According to a United Airlines memo cited by Africanews, at least 10 African countries are affected, including Algeria, Comoros, Libya, Niger and Somalia.

The Ethiopian Airlines incident has also raised questions about how Israel screens foreign crews. The Media Line reported that the Transportation Ministry has acknowledged it lacks its own intelligence screening and relies partly on information from airlines. Israeli media have also reported that more than 1,200 aviation crew members from countries without ties to Israel may have entered the country this year. Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, has long said it will not normalize relations with Israel without progress toward Palestinian statehood. Reporting comes from Arab News, The Times of Israel, The Media Line and Africanews.