How the New Middle East Was Made | Bari Weiss and Simon Sebag Montefiore

Bari Weiss described the Dubai–Tel Aviv flight incident as an apparent attempted hijacking: she said the Omani pilot seemed to be trying to kill the Indian co-pilot. Four Israelis and other passengers helped storm the cockpit, and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Simon Sebag Montefiore said the incident, together with Saudi Arabia providing safe harbor for Israelis, illustrates a regional reality that would have been unthinkable 20 years ago.

Montefiore sees substantial potential for the Middle East despite the Iran war and the suffering after October 7. He said more Arab leaders and people are willing to find a place for Israel than at any time since the 1930s, and predicted that the Abraham Accords are thriving and will not die. In his view, normalization could return to the table.

He also pointed to the possibility of an India–Middle East economic architecture involving Greece, Israel, and the UAE flourishing in coming years. He expects India’s relationship with Israel to deepen, citing the Indian pilot’s actions during the flight incident as a striking example of the connection. Montefiore said Israel could build on its military victories and dynamism if it had different governance.

The incident also underscored the security risks Montefiore associates with Iran. He warned that Iran, in desperate straits, could activate terrorists and use every available “dirty trick,” but said it is unknown whether the Omani pilot was Iranian. He also reported that the British prime minister described a separate incident involving a UK air base as Iranian-linked. Montefiore said the plane may have been intended to be flown into an American base or an Israeli city.