After failing to spur a popular revolt in the West Bank, the Palestinians turned to global terrorism. While they primarily targeted El Al planes, they also attacked other airlines. I recall in the early 1970s being on El Al flights that stopped in Europe. Upon landing, the El Al planes were met at the runway's edge by armored carriers and sent to distant terminals. Flights to Israel were segregated far from other planes. This was long before the days of stringent security measures that have become standard on all flights since 9/11.

Here’s a list of the Palestinian attacks on aircraft between 1968 and 1973:

1. July 23, 1968: El Al Flight 426 hijacking: The flight from Rome to Tel Aviv was hijacked by three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and diverted to Algiers. Hostages were held for 40 days before being released.

2. February 18, 1969: El Al Boeing 707 attack: Terrorists opened fire on an El Al Boeing 707 at Zurich Airport, Switzerland. One pilot was killed, and several crew members were injured.

3. August 29, 1969: El Al office bombing: A bomb exploded at the El Al offices in Athens, Greece. There were no casualties, but the office was damaged.

4. August 29, 1969: TWA Flight 840 hijacking: Hijacked by PFLP members Leila Khaled and Salim Issawi. The plane was en route from Rome to Tel Aviv and was diverted to Damascus, Syria, where it was blown up after passengers were evacuated.

5. February 10, 1970: El Al office bombing: The El Al office in Munich, Germany, was attacked with a bomb, injuring nine people.

6. February 21, 1970: Swissair Flight 330 bombing: A bomb planted by the PFLP exploded on a flight from Zurich to Tel Aviv, causing the aircraft to crash in Würenlingen, Switzerland, killing all 47 people on board.

7. September 6, 1970: Dawson’s Field hijackings: The PFLP orchestrated the simultaneous hijackings of four aircraft: • TWA Flight 741 from Frankfurt to New York. • Swissair Flight 100 from Zurich to New York. • Pan Am Flight 93 from Amsterdam to New York (hijacked and diverted to Cairo, where it was blown up). • BOAC Flight 775 from Bahrain to London (diverted to Dawson's Field, Jordan). • A fifth attempt to hijack El Al Flight 219 was foiled. Most of the hostages were eventually released, and the planes were blown up on the ground.

8. May 8, 1972: Sabena Flight 571 hijacking: Hijacked by Black September (a Palestinian terrorist group). Israeli commandos stormed the plane at Lod Airport, killing two hijackers and capturing two others.

9. May 30, 1972: Lod Airport massacre: Three members of the Japanese Red Army, working with the PFLP, carried out a mass shooting and grenade attack at Lod Airport, killing 26 people and injuring 80. While not an El Al plane hijacking, it targeted the primary airport used by El Al.

10. July 17, 1972: El Al office attack: An attack on the El Al office at the London Heathrow Airport, UK. There were no casualties, but the office was damaged.

11. September 4, 1972: El Al office attack in Bangkok: A grenade attack on the El Al office in Bangkok, Thailand. No casualties were reported.

12. October 28, 1972: El Al office bombing in Copenhagen: A bomb exploded outside the El Al office in Copenhagen, Denmark. There were no casualties, but the office was damaged.

13. June 1973: Japan Airlines Flight 404 hijacking: Hijacked by the PFLP and the Japanese Red Army. The plane, en route from Amsterdam to Tokyo, was diverted to Dubai, where hostages were held for several days before being released. The aircraft was later blown up and hijacked by the PFLP and the Japanese Red Army. The plane, en route from Amsterdam to Tokyo, was diverted to Dubai, where hostages were held for several days before being released. The aircraft was later blown up.

14. November 1973: KLM Flight 861 hijacking: Hijacked by Palestinian militants from the Arab Nationalist Youth Organization. The plane was diverted to several locations before landing in Dubai, where negotiations led to the release of hostages and the plane's destruction.