The decision from United comes after pressure from shareholders including Ethan Peck of the National Center for Public Policy Research, an organization that owns shares in companies so as to engage with corporations and encourage them to return to neutrality.
Flights between New York and Tel Aviv will resume on March 18, writes The National Center in a news release.
"After Oct. 7th, United paused flights to Israel. They cited security concerns, which really was nonsense. Other airlines continued flights, but there was concern they paused flights after succumbing to activist pressure from unions and associations that really were just trying to use the opportunity to boycott Israel,” Peck said.
“The financial harm caused by this decision is evident. United’s stock price fell by 16.6% following the suspension of flights to Israel, reflecting investor concerns about the rationale and impact of this decision. Competitors like El Al, which continued operating flights during the same period, experienced a 60% increase in stock price from Oct. 7, 2023, to Dec.15, 2024, by capturing significant market demand,” the news release states.
At the request of Jewish advocacy organizations and attorneys, the National Center submitted an official shareholder request to United asking the airline to disclose records on their decision to pause these flights to Israel.
"This was an attempt to reveal if United really did stop the flights out of security concerns or if they're just playing woke games. As a result of our request for records, United decided to just resume their flights. So, the request worked, essentially. They folded quickly, and it's good because United should not be making financial decisions based on political matters."
