Inquiry Demanded Into How Omani Citizen Was Cleared for Flight to Israel

Questions linger over how a co-pilot, identified as an Omani citizen suspected of attempting to hijack a plane, was cleared to fly on a route to Israel. The flight ultimately landed safely, but the incident has raised concerns about the vetting process for flight crews. Airlines are required to submit passenger and crew data, including identification, citizenship, and travel document details, to Israel's National Passenger Data Diagnosis Center (Malalan), operated by the Tax Authority. This information is accessible to various government bodies, including the Ministry of Transport, Shin Bet, Mossad, and police.

The Ministry of Transport stated it is not responsible for intelligence background checks on foreign pilots and lacks the necessary intelligence tools. However, the ministry's security division is officially tasked with aviation security, including the "security diagnosis of foreign flights crossing or arriving in Israel." This implies a responsibility to identify potential security risks associated with foreign flights, even if not conducting deep intelligence investigations on individual pilots.

An initial theory that the co-pilot held dual citizenship, which might have explained his clearance, has been dismissed. The focus is now on how the information about his Omani citizenship, which was reportedly submitted, was not flagged as a problem before he boarded the aircraft. Both the security establishment and the Ministry of Transport are investigating the sequence of events and the conduct of the involved agencies.

The investigation will examine the entire chain, from the airline's data submission to Malalan, the agencies receiving the data, and the final security assessment of the flight. A key question is who will lead this inquiry, especially since the Ministry of Transport itself is involved in the vetting process and will need to examine its own actions. Shin Bet and other security agencies will also review their roles and inter-agency coordination.

In light of the incident, several Members of Knesset have called for an urgent discussion by the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, citing reports of prior security warnings regarding flights from the Emirates. They emphasized that the crew's and passengers' quick thinking averted a major disaster and demanded a review of the aviation security system and the events leading up to the incident.