Jerusalem, President Isaac Herzog has invited Captain Smit Machchhar to Israel to honour him with the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism, his office said on Saturday.
Herzog announced the decision earlier this week at a ceremony honouring six Israeli citizens on board the flight with the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism. The letter did not mention the President’s intention to confer the award on Machchhar. Posters featuring Machchhar have appeared along major highways and at prominent locations across Israel, with people expressing gratitude for his bravery in saving around 180 Israeli lives, according to the statement.
“Once Captain Machchhar regains strength, it will be my honour to award him, on behalf of the people of Israel, the State of Israel’s Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism,” a statement from the President’s office quoted Herzog as saying. In a letter dated October 4, the Israeli president expressed “deep gratitude” for Machchhar’s “exceptional courage and determination” in steering the flydubai aircraft to safety and averting a “catastrophe”. Machchhar received the letter while recovering in the hospital, the press statement said, attaching photos of the pilot reading it. “We all share heartfelt prayers for your full and speedy recovery, and I look forward, once you have regained strength, to welcoming you to Jerusalem and expressing the appreciation and the love of our grateful nation,” he said.
