Collapse at Ben-Gurion May Repeat - Assessment

Senior government officials claim that Pinhas Idan, chairman of the Ben-Gurion Airport workers' committee, deliberately provoked the crisis for personal gain. According to sources, he misled conflict participants, failed to attend a scheduled meeting, and turned off his phone, leading to a strike that paralyzed the airport.

Senior Israeli government officials claim that Pinhas Idan, chairman of the Ben-Gurion Airport workers' committee, deliberately provoked the recent crisis for purely personal reasons. According to sources from Channel 12, Idan used his influence to mislead conflict participants until the situation escalated into a strike that paralyzed the airport. On the day of the strike, a meeting with the director general of the Airports Authority was scheduled for 9 a.m., but Idan did not show up, turned off his phone, and later cited feeling unwell. He appeared only after the crisis erupted, claiming that what happened was not a strike but merely a shift change for baggage handlers. According to three sources, Idan staged a publicity stunt: he took a photo with Netanyahu and waited for him to leave, then, after Minister Miri Regev was already on board a flight to Morocco, ordered that baggage not be loaded, demonstrating a shortage of staff. The sources emphasized that Idan must not be allowed to "just flip the switch with such audacity" at the airport. Despite the strike's end, disruptions persist: flights are delayed, passengers wait for luggage, and some departures are canceled.