Posted on 07/24/2014 11:01:52 AM PDT by SJackson
The manager of the Israeli branch of a foreign airline said on Wednesday morning that the FAA’s decision on Tuesday to cancel flights to the Jewish state “smacks of politics.”
According to Israeli daily Israel Hayom, the manager said, “The information we received from the Civil Aviation Authority takes into account all safety measures for Ben Gurion Airport and in this case there is no security justification for stopping flights. This is probably just another way to pressure Israel to reach a ceasefire.”
Later on Wednesday, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz outright accused the White House of launching an economic boycott of Israel.
In a statement he said: “The facts suggest that President Obama has just used a federal regulatory agency to launch an economic boycott on Israel, in order to try to force our ally to comply with his foreign-policy demands.”
Cruz provided a list of questions about the ban that he suggested Congress should demand answers to.
An Israeli diplomatic insider told The Algemeiner on Tuesday that the timing of the FAA’s announcement was “puzzling to say the least.”
Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg flew to Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening to prove that it was safe.
U.S. and European airlines took the decision to halt flights on Tuesday evening after a rocket landed on a house in Yehud, a town near Ben Gurion airport. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines suspended flights indefinitely as did European carriers, including Germany’s Lufthansa and Air France. British Airways, however, defied the European Aviation Safety Agency’s recommendation and announced that it would continue its regularly scheduled flights.
Following the announcement, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz stressed that there are no safety concerns for passenger planes. He further requested that Israeli airlines increase the number of flights to Israel in order to fly stranded Israelis back home. “We are working on persuading the American authorities to reverse their decision,” he said. “There is no reason for the American companies to stop their flights and give a prize to terror.”
In a show of solidarity with Israel, Bloomberg flew to Israel in protest of the FAA’s decision. At 6pm local time he announced his arrival on Twitter, writing, “Safely landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv – here to show support for Israel’s right to defend itself.” He also said that the FAA’s decision is “a mistake that hands Hamas an undeserved victory and should be lifted immediately.”
This follows news that on Monday, United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, flew to Israel to promote a ceasefire on a Qatari-chartered private jet. According to Newsweek, Ban’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said, “It was the Qatari government [that] very generously chartered a plane for the secretary general to enable him to go about his visit.” Qatar is the chief ally for terrorist organization Hamas.
On Wednesday morning President Shimon Peres, on his penultimate day in office, met with Ban and lambasted Qatar, saying that Qatar had no right to spend millions of petrol dollars to enable Hamas to build rockets and tunnels instead of developing Gaza. According to Israel’s Channel 2, Peres said, “The world must protest against Qatar, which is now one of the largest financiers of terrorism in the world. Qatar is funding the murder of innocent people in Gaza and its money sponsors rockets and tunnels. There is a limit to cynicism, but [Qatar’s] crime is being committed in broad daylight.”
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Since the threat is the same today as yesterday and two days ago, that's a reasonable conclusion.
Hey, it’s the Obamadork/felon regime.
Of course it’s politics, smelly, corrupt, septic-tank politics.
Brought to you by the chief t*rd.
The King of Kr*p.
The Schlepper of slime.
The cretin clown.
And he doesn’t even float.
Okay, I was saying this yesterday and at least one person was giving me some heat over it. This is how I read it, and it seems it’s not that outlandish of a position after all.
Of some interest. If these incoming rockets are not dangerous, what is this war about?
I know that “manager” personally. He is a straight arrow, and is telling it exactly like it is.
Barry the fraud Soetoro is all politics all the time. The Community Disorganizer.
The airport has been defended by Iron Dome for a number of years. The excursion into Gaza by IDF was specifically to get Islamofacist commanders and tunnels.
He can say what he wants, and I believe there was a lot of political theater involved, but as a Captain I would not have subjected my passengers to such a dangerous experience. What does it prove if another 300 pax get slaughtered, even if its just by “accident”?
That’s the decision the Delta pilot made. Which is his and your prerogative, no problem with that. I suspect you’d have the same concerns flying into Yemen or the Ukraine. The question is why the FAA made the decision that Israel is more dangerous than Yemen, Pakistan or the Ukraine. Or Libya or Algeria. And why they changed their mind after no change on the ground. The threat to Ben Gurion today is the same as yesterday, the day before and two weeks ago when six or seven rockets targeting Ben Gurion were take down. I’ve no problem with a pilots decision, none with an airlines as long as it’s consistent relative to other war zones and wouldn’t were the FAA consistent, which it’s not. The obvious reason for the FAA’s inconsistency, at least to me, is to allow Kerry to make the case for economic pressure. Which he’s alluded to before.
Obama is a muslim. Muslims hate jews. Case closed. No further explanation needed.
Yes, of course it’s political. The current occupant of the oval office has commandeered all federal agencies for his political ends.
I’m taking the Left’s opinions and running with them here.
They are in control of our government, each and every department. We see abuse so wide-spread it calls into question the legitimacy of our government.
These are the people who urge Israel to show restraint even though thousands of missiles are raining down on it.
So the “Leftist” mindset is that these missiles are not dangerous. Okay, then why are Leftists issuing edicts concerning the safety of flights into Ben Gurion airport?
It can’t be because of the actual danger. There isn’t any. According to them Israel’s response is disproportionate. Since it’s not based on danger, there’s only one thing it can be based on. “Political Pressure”
IMO, if someone is shooting thousands of bullets through your home and not hitting anyone, it’s still dangerous. In the opinion of the Left it’s not. If Israel takes out the shooter, it’s disproportionate.
Hey, it’s their rules. I’m just calling them on it.
I will have to say that Israel is of course justified in it’s actions. I will also say that it’s rather preposterous for the FAA to claim one rocket landing near the airport, is ground for shutting down air traffic, especially when El Al continues to fly.
Israel runs perhaps the safest airline in the world. Are they risking everything? I seriously doubt it.
I agree. It might be politics. Or it might just be that no bureaucrat wants to take the blame for 300 passengers dying because he did not issue a warning.
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