Flydubai Incident Exposes Systemic Failures, Blame Game

Three years after the October 7th Hamas attacks, Israelis were once again forced to rely on their own resourcefulness to avert disaster, this time when a Flydubai passenger jet nearly crashed into Tel Aviv. The incident, which was prevented by the Indian pilot and Israeli passengers, has revealed a dysfunctional system that evades responsibility and survives from one near-miss to the next.

Multiple government bodies, including the Mossad, the Ministry of Transport, and the Shin Bet, are implicated in the failure to prevent the potential catastrophe. The Mossad is responsible for foreign intelligence, the Ministry of Transport for incoming flights, and the Shin Bet for guiding the ministry. All are accused of not fulfilling their duties, with a senior official stating that responsibility in such cases is multiplied, not divided, and must be assigned to all parties involved.

Despite the clear failures, some are attempting to excuse the incident, questioning how such an event could have been foreseen. However, the article argues that Israel, with its advanced intelligence capabilities, should have been able to identify a potentially dangerous pilot on the Dubai-to-Israel route, especially since other countries like Oman and Morocco reportedly screen their pilots.

The article also criticizes the current government's approach to appointments, particularly in the Ministry of Transport under Miri Regev. It suggests that appointments are based on political loyalty and personal gain rather than professional qualifications, leading to a decline in public services and a reliance on luck to avoid disasters, citing previous failures like the Carmel fire and Mount Meron stampede.