Israel is moving to tighten security screening for foreign airline crews following the attempted attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, with crew members from countries designated as high-risk to undergo security vetting 48 hours before departing for Israel.

The new procedures were discussed Tuesday during a classified session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s Intelligence Subcommittee, amid growing questions over how foreign flight crews are screened before being permitted to enter Israeli airspace and land in the country.

The meeting followed several days of finger-pointing among Israeli government and security agencies over responsibility for screening the crew of the Flydubai flight.

According to the plan discussed at the session, the National Security Council will work with the Mossad and Shin Bet to formulate a list of countries that will be classified as presenting a heightened security threat.

Once that list is established, the identities and personal details of flight crew members from those countries will have to be provided to Israel 48 hours before a scheduled flight, allowing Israeli security agencies to conduct background checks and grant approval before departure.

A second change will involve passengers and crew members traveling on passports issued by countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.

At the request of the Transportation Ministry, the Population and Immigration Authority will be required to provide the ministry’s security division with lists identifying passengers and crew members holding passports from such countries.

The closed-door discussion also sought to establish more clearly which Israeli government agency bears responsibility for each stage of the screening process.

According to information presented during the meeting, responsibility for checking the passports of passengers and flight crew members rests with the Population and Immigration Authority, working through the National Security Council. Relevant information is then supposed to be transferred to the agencies responsible for carrying out the necessary security assessments.

The changes follow revelations of significant gaps in Israel’s existing system for vetting foreign flight crews.

According to previous reports, Israeli authorities received the crew list for Flydubai Flight FZ1073 in advance and raised no objection to any of the individuals aboard. The flight’s Omani co-pilot was subsequently accused of attempting to carry out a terrorist attack during the Israel-bound flight.

The incident raised questions over whether the existing system adequately evaluates the backgrounds and nationalities of foreign crew members before they are permitted to operate flights to Israel.

Tuesday’s classified meeting was therefore aimed at creating a clearer division of responsibility among the National Security Council, Shin Bet, Mossad, Population and Immigration Authority and Transportation Ministry, while ensuring that potentially significant information reaches the appropriate security agency before an aircraft departs for Israel.

Under the proposed framework, Israeli authorities would have a 48-hour window to examine flight personnel from countries considered particularly sensitive, rather than confronting potential security concerns only after a flight is already underway or approaching Israeli airspace.

{Matzav.com}