Israel's Transportation Minister Denies Security Lapse Responsibility

Minister of Transportation Miri Regev has rejected accusations of negligence regarding a security incident on a Flydubai flight, attributing responsibility to intelligence agencies. In a public statement on Sunday, Regev clarified that her ministry does not have access to passenger and crew lists for foreign flights, stating, "The Ministry of Transportation is not an intelligence body, it does not check, is not supposed to check, and has no access to the data." She emphasized that only intelligence bodies were privy to such information.

Regev's remarks were a response to sharp criticism from Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, who posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Lapid had written, "Imagine you have to board a flight with a baby and a four-year-old and you hear the government representative say about the Flydubai flight, 'There is no 100% certainty it won't happen again.'" Lapid called for the formation of a "team of doers who will take responsibility for all our lives."

Regev retorted, urging Lapid to "memorize the facts" and sarcastically remarking, "We, the Ministry of Transportation, along with intelligence bodies, are doing everything to ensure passenger safety. Unlike the government you were a part of, which did everything to support the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas along with Abbas." She further criticized his party as "a failed party that is only dropping in the polls."

Despite Regev's claims, the Ministry of Transportation's official definitions indicate its security department has been responsible for security arrangements for foreign aviation entering Israel for decades, and its website lists "security assessment of foreign flights crossing or arriving in Israel" as one of its duties. This creates a discrepancy between the ministry's stated role and its official responsibilities.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that a solution to this fragmented responsibility was previously proposed. The Ministry of Transportation itself revealed that two past committees, chaired by the National Security Council (NSC), recommended establishing a state authority for aviation security to oversee all flights, but this authority was never created. A 2024 state comptroller's report on international aviation security also recommended that the NSC, along with the Ministry of Transportation, the Treasury, the Airports Authority, the Shin Bet, and the police, examine foreign aviation security for Israel. The comptroller advised presenting recommendations to the cabinet for regulating responsibility to ensure a "comprehensive view" and called on the transportation minister and other ministers to formulate a comprehensive policy. Although the cabinet decided in May 2024 to form a team led by the NSC to examine the system, the idea of a comprehensive state body has not yet materialized into an operational decision.