Mumbai: Motorists travelling along major roads in Mumbai on Friday morning were greeted by giant billboards featuring Captain Smit Machchhar, the flydubai pilot whom Israeli authorities have credited with
helping prevent an alleged attempt by his co-pilot to crash a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
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The billboards, carrying the message, “Thank You, Captain Smit, For Saving Israeli Lives! Wishing You a Speedy Recovery,” were put up by the Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai as a public expression of gratitude for the pilot’s actions.
Israeli Consul General Yaniv Revach, who was present when one of the billboards was displayed along the Western Express Highway in Bandra, said the campaign was intended to convey the gratitude of Israel and its people and to honour what he described as Captain Smit’s “exceptional valour”.
According to Revach, Captain Smit activated emergency alerts and managed to open the cockpit door despite suffering severe injuries to his neck and hands. Revach said Captain Smit and four Israeli passengers on board had helped save 174 lives.
“The State of Israel and its citizens are deeply grateful to Captain Smit and the four Israeli passengers on board who saved 174 lives,” Revach said.
Revach described Captain Smit as “a hero in both India and Israel” and said Israel’s immediate priority was his recovery. “After that, we look forward to welcoming him to Israel to officially honour his courage,” he said.
Drawing a parallel with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Revach recalled the actions of Sandra Samuel, the Indian nanny who rescued infant Moshe Holtzberg from the Chabad House in Colaba during the 2008 attacks. Revach said he saw a common emphasis on protecting innocent life in Indian and Jewish traditions in the two incidents.
Revach also warned against what he characterised as speculative reporting about the flight incident. He said, in his view, some media narratives could misrepresent the facts and potentially strain relations between Israel, the UAE and India.
The Israeli Consul General further criticised Qatar and Al Jazeera, alleging that they had contributed to what he described as the incitement of public opinion against Israel and Jews. These were Revach’s assertions and were not independently established at the event.
The billboards have also been placed at several prominent locations, including the Warden Road-Napean Sea Road junction, BKC-Sion Connector, Andheri-Jogeshwari Flyover and Tulsi Pipeline Road near Mahim.
On the investigation, Revach said the UAE Government had invited Israeli authorities to participate. He said Israeli authorities expected the inquiry to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
While discussing possible explanations, Revach said, “the possibility of a lone-wolf attack cannot be ruled out.” The remark was presented as a possibility rather than a confirmed finding of the investigation.
Revach also called for what he described as joint efforts to address online and media-driven radicalisation.
He said he had personally conveyed his wishes and prayers to Captain Smit’s family, adding that, in his view, the pilot’s actions had further strengthened the friendship between the people of India and Israel.
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