Journalist Slams Fellow Reporter for 'Soft' Interview with Minister

Journalist Haim Levinson sharply criticized fellow reporter Ayla Gassson on Monday, calling her a "slave to Bibiism" following an interview Gassson conducted with Transportation Minister Miri Regev. Levinson, speaking on his podcast "Levinson in the Morning," argued that Gassson missed an opportunity on public broadcasting, funded by taxpayers, to ask Regev tough, fact-based questions about a security lapse on a Flydubai flight. Instead, Levinson claimed, Gassson provided the minister with what he described as a "foot massage."

Levinson asserted that when Minister Regev appeared for the interview, seeking answers, it turned into a "performance of evading criticism." He elaborated, "Instead of asking her 'Madam, where is your part? Where did you err?', Regev simply presses play on a ready-made record and blames the Shin Bet, the Mossad, and the security agencies, and the journalist sits there not even asking the basic questions."

To counter Regev's claims that the media and security responsibility lay solely with intelligence and security organizations, Levinson cited the official website of the Ministry of Transportation. According to the official job description of the ministry's security department, it is explicitly responsible for "determining, developing, adapting, and directing security arrangements for transportation services... including security assessment of foreign flights crossing or arriving in Israel."

Levinson also attacked Regev's handling of aviation agreements with the UAE and Flydubai. He dismissed her claims about international agreements requiring crews only from countries with diplomatic relations as a "complete lie," stating that the international aviation agreement is publicly available online and is generic, with no mention of crew nationality or origin.

Furthermore, Levinson highlighted a 2024 State Comptroller's report that recommended the National Insurance Institute, the Ministry of Transportation, and security bodies formulate a comprehensive and updated policy for aircraft arriving in Israel. He concluded that the interview was wasted on political gossip instead of demanding answers, stating, "Every minister has their court journalist, and because of this, we will never progress or improve."