Transport Minister Miri Regev said in a Ynet podcast interview that she has repeatedly urged Israeli airlines to lower prices and that she flies with the cheapest carrier available, even if it is foreign. Speaking to Moren Azoulay on the political podcast “120 and One,” Regev said she wants more competition in Israeli aviation and argued that Israelis should not have to pay $700 for a ticket to Greece. She also said that if a family trip is still too expensive at $500, that is still too much.
Regev said the immediate aviation problem stems from dozens of American refueling aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport, which she said are taking up space and could force the cancellation of tens of thousands of summer tickets. She estimated that about 100,000 tickets are currently at risk and said Israel is negotiating with the Americans through the National Security Council and the Defense Ministry, with the prime minister also raising the issue. She said the situation is linked to uncertainty over the war with Iran and that “not the last word has been said.”
On the broader war, Regev said Israeli forces will remain in Gaza until Hamas disarms and in Lebanon until Hezbollah disarms, adding that the army will stay in the security zone in southern Lebanon to protect northern residents. She said people in border communities feel safer because Hezbollah’s Radwan force is not on the fence, there are no cross-border tunnels, and Hezbollah is not present in southern Lebanon. She also said the Iran campaign achieved its goals of reducing the nuclear and ballistic missile threat, though missiles remain and the regime still stands.
Regev backed a future Knesset inquiry into the October 7 failures, saying she wants all cabinet discussions published so the public can see who said what. On domestic politics, she said she prefers Likud primaries but trusts Benjamin Netanyahu to decide the party’s format and lists. She opposed a security portfolio for herself, said she wants to stay at Transportation, and added that she sees no current challenger capable of facing Netanyahu.
She also defended pursuing an “Uber law,” saying it could pass in less than two weeks if the Finance Ministry resolves a 4 billion shekel compensation issue for taxi drivers, and reiterated support for a future law to draft ultra-Orthodox men, saying earlier, quieter recruitment efforts showed that more Haredim would enlist if the legal framework were right.
