Transportation Ministry Reverses Stance on Official's Second Job

The Israeli Ministry of Transportation has reversed its earlier statement regarding the additional employment of Avri Cohen, the head of the ministry's Security Department. Initially, the ministry had stated that Cohen had received approval for his second job. However, in a new statement released on Sunday evening, the ministry clarified that Cohen did not have the required permit for his additional work and must cease it immediately.

Cohen has been working since 2018 as a "security coordinator for cadets," traveling abroad to airports as the security representative for Israeli airlines. This role came to light due to his significant involvement with the security aspects of Flydubai flights. The Ministry of Transportation's Security, Emergency, and Cyber Department is officially responsible for setting and directing security measures for land, air, and sea transportation in Israel, aiming to protect them from terror threats. This includes assessing the security of foreign flights entering or transiting Israel and providing security directives to airlines.

While the ministry asserts it is not an intelligence body and is not directly responsible for preventing threats, government decisions do assign it responsibility for the security of foreign flights. However, according to its own procedures, approved by the National Security Council, the ministry only reviews the security authorities of the airline's country of origin, not all pilots. The Ministry of Transportation emphasized that the responsibility to request and obtain a permit for additional work lies with the employee, and that the Civil Service Commission, not the ministry's management, has the authority to grant such permits.