Newspapers Mourn Victims, Blame Pilot

Israel’s newspapers published statements of mourning over the many victims in the Libyan plane tragedy but they blamed the pilot for the disaster, arguing that the accident could have been prevented if the pilot had obeyed radioed signals from both the ground and from Israeli interceptors to land after it strayed into Israeli airspace over the Sinai Peninsula.

Maariv called on the government to set up immediately an inquiry commission, declaring that Israel had “nothing to hide and no interest in hiding anything.” Maariv cited as background for the tragedy the threats emanating from Arab terrorists to execute kamikaze-type raids on Israeli cities.

“We feel great sorrow for the civilians who were killed as a result of the forced landing of the plane which apparently penetrated Israeli air space without hostile intentions,” Haaretz declared. “With this we must blame the pilot who refused to react to the warnings which followed accepted international procedures. Fifteen minutes should have been enough time for a response,” the daily added. “Only after the pilot tried to evade the Israelis who had fired warning shots did the decision come to attack the Libyan aircraft.”

Davar wrote that “Israel must be concerned with protecting its skies,” particularly in view of recent reports that a possible suicide attack by air was being planned against Israel. Reporting that Israeli authorities had ordered an alert for such a possible attack, Davar added that, in the light of the airliner pilot’s refusal to heed Israeli radio warnings, “it is apparent that political considerations were considered as more important than the safety of the passengers.”

The Jerusalem Post declared that “for the Arab propaganda mills; the circumstances which led to the tragedy will be of little moment, and they will, as is already apparent, charge Israel with deliberate intent. Yesterday’s catastrophe should embrace all nations involved in a shroud of mourning.”