The Passengers’ Ordeal
The passengers of the hijacked Boeing 707 found themselves caught in the middle of this geopolitical storm. Israeli authorities detained them for questioning, a move that only fueled Iran’s outrage. During their two-day stay in Israel, passengers were reportedly subjected to intense interrogation as Israeli officials attempted to gather information on the hijacking and the hijacker’s motives.
Nowroz Ali Aghaei, the flight engineer of the hijacked plane, later claimed that Israeli forces had tried to persuade the passengers to seek asylum in Israel. However, according to Aghaei, none of the passengers accepted the offer, all expressing a strong desire to return to Iran. After nearly 30 hours in Israel, the passengers were finally allowed to return home, though the incident left a lasting impact on their lives.
Israel’s Internal Debate
Within Israel, the hijacking incident sparked significant debate and controversy. Some members of the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) called on the government to use the hijacking as leverage to extract concessions from Iran, particularly in relation to the fate of Ron Arad, an Israeli air force navigator who had been captured in Lebanon in 1986 and whose whereabouts were unknown. These members argued that Israel should hold the passengers and the plane until Iran provided information on Arad’s fate.