- Israeli agencies received Flydubai flight list after alleged incident.
- Transportation Ministry lacks intelligence, despite 2023 screening law.
- Former aviation official flags current security gaps in screening.
- Mossad previously sought broad access to passenger data for security.
Israeli government agencies had received the list of crew members and passengers aboard the Flydubai flight that an Omani co-pilot attempted to commandeer and crash on Wednesday, according to a report by Haaretz.
Security sources told the newspaper that the Transportation Ministry’s Security Department and the Mossad are responsible for monitoring and vetting foreign flight crews arriving in Israel. Both agencies are expected to receive crew lists and flag individuals who raise security concerns.
Also Read: Flydubai Co-Pilot Wanted To Deliberately Crash Plane, Was ‘Not Afraid Of Death’: Report
Who Was Responsible For Screening The Crew?
According to the Transportation Ministry’s Security, Emergency and Cyber Division, its responsibilities include directing aviation security procedures for flights to, from and within Israel, protecting them against terror threats and screening foreign flights arriving in or crossing Israeli airspace.
However, two security sources told Haaretz that although the responsibility formally rests with the Transportation Ministry, it lacks the intelligence capabilities required to carry out the task effectively.
“The Transportation Ministry has no intelligence capabilities; these capabilities are only with the Mossad or the Shin Bet,” the sources said.
The Shin Bet, meanwhile, said it was responsible for the security of Israeli airlines and security directives at Ben-Gurion International Airport, but not for foreign airlines.
2023 Law Mandated Advance Passenger Screening
In 2023, the Knesset approved a government bill establishing a system to examine passenger and crew lists before flights arrive in Israel. The legislation was intended to identify individuals who could pose potential security risks.
Under the law, airlines must submit information about passengers and crew members to the Israel Tax Authority 48 hours before a flight. The information is then to be shared with relevant branches of the Shin Bet, police and Mossad for screening.
The lists are supposed to include passengers’ and crew members’ full names and nationalities. The Omani nationality of co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami should therefore have appeared in the submitted information.
The Israel Tax Authority told Haaretz that it had received the lists for the Flydubai flight, directing further questions to the Transportation Ministry. The ministry did not respond to questions about whether it had received and examined the crew list.
Former Aviation Official Flags Security Gaps
Attorney Yitzhak Raz, a former chief accident investigator at the Transportation Ministry who headed Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority from 2003 to 2004, said the ministry was responsible for the security of foreign airlines, with assistance from the Shin Bet and Mossad.
“There is no doubt that the Transportation Ministry is responsible for the security aspect of foreign airlines with the assistance of the Shin Bet and the Mossad,” Raz told Haaretz.
He said authorities must verify the identities of pilots entering Israel to prevent people with extremist views from gaining access. He also argued that the Civil Aviation Authority and foreign airlines must approve pilots operating flights to or from Israel, adding that the process had not been carried out properly.
Raz further said the State Comptroller had previously called for a dedicated aviation security authority bringing together the Transportation Ministry, Shin Bet, Mossad, Israel Air Force, National Security Council and Treasury.
The government had failed to establish such a body, he said.
Mossad Had Sought Access To Passenger Data
During discussions on the 2023 legislation, a Justice Ministry representative said passenger and crew information should automatically be shared with the police, Mossad and Shin Bet.
A Mossad legal adviser said the agency would use the data to protect Israelis and Jewish communities abroad, as well as address threats entering Israel from overseas. The adviser also emphasised the need to receive the information promptly.
During a separate discussion in March 2023, a Mossad employee involved in countering Iranian terrorism said, “It’s an open secret that countries use this data to maintain their security.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
