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Douglas Murray: Israel Is Winning

Read the original at The Free Press ↗
Cite

Murray, D. (2026, September 30). Douglas Murray: Israel Is Winning. The Free Press. https://www.thefp.com/p/douglas-murray-israel-iran-conquering

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Free Press · collected 2026-09-30 · by Douglas Murray analysis

Quick Summary

Douglas Murray argues in an article for The Free Press that despite ongoing threats, such as a recent attempted hijacking of a Flydubai plane bound for Tel Aviv by its co-pilot, Israel has been successful in its conflicts with Islamic radicals over the past three years. He emphasizes that while there are daily reports suggesting defeat, he maintains that practical victories on the ground outweigh negative public perception. Murray contends that tangible successes in thwarting attacks and protecting citizens demonstrate a strategic advantage for Israel, even if global opinion often portrays a different narrative.
Written by AI on 2026-09-30, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled an emergency and was diverted to land at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. The incident initially raised concerns about a possible hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble warplanes. However, Israeli officials later reported that the emergency signals were due to a physical altercation between the plane's two pilots rather than a hijacking attempt.

The flight, identified as Flydubai Flight FZ1073, transmitted multiple emergency alerts after takeoff and over Jordanian airspace before landing safely in Saudi Arabia. Passengers on board managed to overpower the attacker, who was later identified by UAE officials as Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami. Al-Hammami allegedly attempted to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's airport but was stopped by passengers.

UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi stated that signs of al-Hammami’s radicalization first emerged in 2017 while he was studying engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He reportedly became influenced by extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organizations during this period.

Written for “Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 345 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path
Crime & Law · 346 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly right and hedges 13% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Netanyahu praises stabbed Indian pilot for saving lives on Flydubai flight Same event
Al Jazeera
Hedges 1 of 10 claims Outlet record 60/100
'Shaken and emotional' travellers arrive at Israeli airport Same event
BBC News
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 69/100
Israel PM hails Indian pilot wounded in diverted flydubai flight Same event
South China Morning Post
Hedges 3 of 4 claims Outlet record 64/100
Israel probes if FlyDubai pilot stabbing was attempted terror attack Same event
Semafor
⚖️ Centre further left than this Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 60/100
Hail the heroes who stopped a terrorist pilot from committing a 9/11-style attack Same event
New York Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 1, 2026 Same event
The Straits Times
Hedges 3 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
'Stabbed pilot is a true hero. He opened the cockpit door': Netanyahu heaps praise on captain of Flydubai plane and passengers who overpowered attacker and averted 9/11-style disaster Same event
Daily Mail
Hedges 8 of 90 claims Outlet record 68/100
Netanyahu says it's too early to determine motive in cockpit stabbing Same event
CBS News
Hedges 4 of 22 claims Outlet record 66/100
Omani hijacker who stabbed fellow pilot 'was a religious extremist who refused to shake hands with women': Israel launches probe into how 'terrorist' was cleared to fly as Flydubai jets are grounded Same event
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans right further left than this Hedges 3 of 45 claims Outlet record 68/100
Netanyahu praises heroic bystander in bloody cockpit attack for preventing ‘another 9/11’ Same event
Fox News
Hedges 2 of 31 claims Outlet record 70/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
13%
2 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
96/100
The Free Press's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
346
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-30 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Free Press · 401 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected
No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Who wrote this

Douglas Murray
5 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Even if it were true that some students were protesting about their schooling, they would have absolutely no justification for doing so.
2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Douglas Murray: France Stares Down the Abyss of History
🔮 Why would the U.S. refuse to recognize the jurisdiction of something as noble-sounding as the ICC?
2026-10-13 · assertive framing · Douglas Murray: The International Criminal Court Is a Sham
🔮 No European country would allow American planes to even stop and refuel on European soil.
2026-10-08 · assertive framing · Douglas Murray: What Will Happen to Europe If America Leaves?
🔮 But most of all, the attack—and the successful averting of what could have been a mass-casualty terrorist event—is a reminder of something bigger: that Israel and the West remain at war with Islamic radicals, and that it is a war we are winning.
2026-09-30 · assertive framing · Douglas Murray: Israel Is Winning
🔮 Which is not to say that it does not have people within it who could be described as far right, or that it could not become such a party in the future.
2026-09-11 · assertive framing · Douglas Murray: Who’s Afraid of the ‘Far Right’?
Also by Douglas Murray
Douglas Murray: France Stares Down the Abyss of History
2026-10-19 · The Free Press
Douglas Murray: The International Criminal Court Is a Sham
2026-10-13 · The Free Press
Douglas Murray: What Will Happen to Europe If America Leaves?
2026-10-08 · The Free Press
Douglas Murray: Who’s Afraid of the ‘Far Right’?
2026-09-11 · The Free Press
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Flydubai Israel Israelis Tel Aviv The Free Press

Subjects

Israel GPE · 5× Tel Aviv GPE · 2× Douglas PERSON · 1× Douglas Murray PERSON · 1× Dubai GPE · 1× Flydubai ORG · 1× Israelis NORP · 1× Mene Ukueberuwa PERSON · 1× The Free Press ORG · 1× Yaniv Hayoun PERSON · 1×

Narrative

But as we approach the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks, I stand by what I wrote here this time last year: that Israel and her allies have been winning the war on the ground even as they have lost the PR war around the world.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-30
🔮 But most of all, the attack—and the successful averting of what could have been a mass-casualty terrorist event—is a reminder of something bigger: that Israel and the West remain at war with Islamic radicals, and that it is a war we are winning.
2026-09-30 · The Free Press
Douglas Murray: Israel Is Winning · assertive framing

Claims (15 extracted, 2 hedged)

Israel averted tragedy Wednesday morning when passengers aboard a plane bound for Tel Aviv thwarted an attempted hijacking by the co-pilot, a suspected terrorist. asserted
passengers → avert → pilot
In an exclusive interview with The Free Press, one of those passengers, Yaniv Hayoun, describes how he stormed the cockpit. asserted
he → describe → cockpit
The attempted hijacking is a reminder that Israel’s enemies don’t rest and never fail to surprise. asserted
enemies → attempt → ?
But as the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks approaches, Douglas Murray writes to remind us how often, and how thoroughly, Israelis have overmatched those enemies. asserted
Israelis → approach → enemies
Despite constant trials, Douglas writes, the past three years have been a triumph. asserted
years → write → trials
The attempted hijacking of a Flydubai plane en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv brings back memories of many other attacks. asserted
hijacking → attempt → attacks
The bravery of the crew and passengers who overwhelmed the pilot-terrorist brings to mind the heroism of the American passengers on United Flight 93. asserted
who → overwhelm → Flight
The targeting of a plane full of Israeli passengers recalls the spate of plane hijackings that haunted the 1970s. asserted
that → recall → 1970s
But most of all, the attack—and the successful averting of what could have been a mass-casualty terrorist event—is a reminder of something bigger: that Israel and the West remain at war with Islamic radicals, and that it is a war we are winning. uncertain
we → remain → radicals
To some people, this reflection might seem counterintuitive. uncertain
reflection → seem → people
Each day’s news is filled with declarations of defeat. asserted
news → fill → defeat
The online world is filled with shrill declarations that Israel has lost this war. asserted
Israel → fill → war
But as we approach the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks, I stand by what I wrote here this time last year: that Israel and her allies have been winning the war on the ground even as they have lost the PR war around the world. asserted
they → approach → world
The PR war matters. asserted
war → matter → ?
But it matters less than the war itself. asserted
it → matter → war
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