Israel Aviation Security Chief Under Scrutiny Over Conflicts of Interest

For 19 years, Dvir Rubinstein has held one of the most sensitive positions in Israel's security apparatus: Director of Aviation Security at the Ministry of Transport. He is the person responsible, among other things, for ensuring that pilots landing in Israel are not citizens of enemy states such as Iran, Syria, or Oman. "There is a daily situation where a flight can raise concerns, and we check and ensure that everything is security-approved," he explained in the past.

In interviews with foreign media outlets, such as CNN, Rubinstein used to boast about the airtight nature of aviation security in Israel. In a lecture he delivered on the lessons of the 9/11 attacks, he emphasized the critical importance of obtaining foreign pilots' names for background checks. "The flight crew today undergoes security vetting that did not exist in the past—both background checks and physical screening prior to takeoff," he told his audience at the time.

Yet, a harsh reality struck a week and a half ago. 174 Israelis found themselves at the heart of a horror movie on a flydubai flight. The aircraft plunged from 30,000 feet to 15,000 feet in just one minute after a terrorist took control of it. Only by a miracle, and thanks to the heroism of individuals who managed to neutralize the terrorist, did the incident not end in a heavy disaster.

Thousands of Pilots Without Supervision

As the days pass since that systemic failure, the depth of the lapse becomes increasingly clear. It turns out that in recent years, thousands of pilots from countries with which Israel has no diplomatic relations have landed in the country without anyone truly knowing who they were or what their background was. Any of them could theoretically have been a terrorist in the cockpit.

Earlier this week, during the main newscast, we exposed a staggering figure: Rubinstein, the man entrusted with overseeing foreign airlines, is not a civil servant at all. Despite his critical role, he is classified as an external contractor who issues invoices to the Ministry of Transport. Simultaneously, he runs a thriving private business providing consulting services to the exact airlines he is supposed to oversee—a blatant conflict of interest.

Rubinstein provides consulting and training services to foreign airlines through his private company. The implication is simple: on one hand, he pockets thousands of dollars from these carriers, while on the other, he is supposed to take a hard line against them and bar them from flying to Israel if they fail to provide the identities of their pilots in advance.

The most severe detail uncovered is that among Rubinstein's clients was flydubai. We are in possession of certificates of appreciation received by Rubinstein as an instructor and guide from the company whose plane was hijacked and nearly crashed in Israel, alongside a similar certificate from Emirates. Following the publication, the police opened a preliminary inquiry against Rubinstein, which is expected to turn into a formal investigation soon.

The Crony System

Now, the inner workings of the head of the Aviation Security Operations Center (MAMLET) are being exposed. According to a series of testimonies, Rubinstein allegedly uses his public position to funnel funds into his own pockets and those of his associates.

Every charter airline wishing to operate a flight from a small airfield lacking supervised Israeli security is required to obtain MAMLET approval. At times, the center obliges the company to fund an Israeli security officer (KABAT) to approve security arrangements on the ground. However, testimonies indicate that many companies systematically choose one specific security officer—Itay Levin.

"There is an understanding that if they choose Levin, the flight will be approved," witnesses claim. Miraculously, immediately after MAMLET sends a demand email to the airline, Levin contacts them and offers his services. Levin, for his part, argues that he is chosen due to his unique expertise and does not charge excessive prices. However, the connection does not end there: Levin heads a consulting firm and served as the chief instructor at the Sigma 005 College, where Rubinstein was chosen to lecture for a handsome fee. Immediately after we reached out for a response, Rubinstein's picture vanished from the college website.

The picture is similar in the private aviation sector. Testimonies indicate that Rubinstein allegedly provided approvals or significant security exemptions in cases where his private services were hired. These trainings, priced at thousands of dollars, are sometimes conducted over a brief Zoom call or through business trips involving luxury hotel accommodations abroad.

A State Out-Sourced

How did we reach a situation where the person in charge of aviation security is an external contractor? The answer likely lies in the Ministry of Transport's deep disregard for the field. Two years ago, the ministry issued a tender to find a contracting firm to manage the security apparatus. That same company recruits both Minister Miri Regev's security coordinator and the head of MAMLET.

"A security function this vital, and everything is outsourced," says an official from the system. "I would see him in the elevator and be sure he was a regular ministry employee." This situation, where the oversight of human life is handed over to private hands with financial interests, becomes an event whose severity is difficult to overstate. The fact that the latest incident ended without fatalities is not indicative of success, but rather of the heroism of the people on board who managed to extinguish a fire that someone else allowed to ignite.

Responses

Itay Levin's response: The conclusions in the article are incorrect—I receive inquiries directly from the clients themselves and of their own free choice. The fees match market standards. There is no conflict of interest here. Rubinstein provided targeted training services at Sigma 005 College a few years ago; his picture remained on the website by mistake and was removed as soon as the matter was brought to our attention.

Ministry of Transport response: Under the circumstances, it is not possible to comment on the matter.