‘The Israelis we aspire to be’: Herzog awards civilian heroism medals to six who thwarted flydubai terror attack

President Isaac Herzog awards the Presidential Medal for Civilian Heroism to six Israelis who helped thwart a terror attack aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 last week, during a ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.

The six honorees include Yaniv Hayun, Tzvika Manes, Or Pardilov and Asaf Rajuan, who helped subdue the Omani copilot after he stabbed the aircraft’s captain; Dr. Shota Musayev, who provided lifesaving medical treatment to the wounded pilot; and Tali Manes, who first raised the alarm.

“You are the six individuals who prevented a major aviation disaster. A disaster that would have changed the face of the country and the Middle East,” Herzog tells them. He also expresses his gratitude to Captain Smit Machchhar, the replacement pilots who took over the aircraft, and “all the other passengers who lent a hand.”

“The civilian bravery and resourcefulness demonstrated by the heroes gathered here cannot absolve us of the obligation to obtain full answers,” he adds, amid heightened scrutiny and mounting reports of security and government failures in the oversight of foreign flights in the years leading up to the attack.

“This moment is also a reminder to us all. A reminder of the society in which we wish to live, of the Israelis we aspire to be…A society in which we do not ask who belongs to which camp, but rather who needs our help right now,” he says ahead of upcoming tense elections in Israel.