Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, urging American authorities to lift their ban on U.S. flights to Israel, said he’s boarding a commercial flight to Tel Aviv Tuesday night in a show of solidarity with the Israeli people.
After a Hamas rocket demolished a home near Ben Gurion Airport, U.S. and European airlines suspended air traffic into Israel — a decision Bloomberg said had “hand(ed) Hamas a victory.”
“I will be flying on El Al to Tel Aviv to show solidarity with the Israeli people and to demonstrate that it is safe to fly in and out of Israel. Ben Gurion is the best protected airport in the world and El Al flights have been regularly flying in and out of it safely,” Bloomberg said in a statement Tuesday night.
“The flight restrictions are a mistake that hand Hamas an undeserved victory and should be lifted immediately,” he said, adding that he “strongly urge(s)” the Federal Aviation Administration to lift its 24-hour ban.
Bloomberg said the airline ban effectively “hand(s) Hamas an undeserved victory and should be lifted immediately.”
Bloomberg said the airline ban effectively “hand(s) Hamas an undeserved victory and should be lifted immediately.”
U.S. airlines enacted the 24-hour no-fly decision in part because of last week’s disaster in the Ukraine, when a separatist rocket apparently blasted a commercial airliner out of the sky.
The FAA said flights to Ben Gurion should be suspended until at least noon Wednesday.
Israel and Gaza are locked in a 15-day exchange of rockets and on-the-ground military operations.
Let’s not get carried away. A new poll shows that New York is the most unpleasant city in the USA. Bloomberg is almost single-handedly responsible for that. This gesture is a good start, but he still has a very long way to go before he rehabilitates himself. The soda ban was nonsense. Killing the traffic on the city streets was merely an annoyance. Let us not forget that he was the one who (together with a certain Monsey rabbi whose name we will not speak) instituted a near ban on part of the bris mila operation. V’od yodom n’tuya.
He charter planes to fly those of stranded because of cancelled flights. Btw, canada cancelled theirs too.
fly through Canada
Action is the main thing.More leaders should join with him.Spread the Rebbe’s message about the safest place on earth.On to victory with SIMCHA
Rabbi Sperlin, thanks u for keeping in touch with the mayor and his people throughout his administration……
Let’s see how that works out. I have a new found respect for this man.
Yasher Koach!
Mayo Bloomberg! so proud of you!! Hamas should be blown off the face of the earth!
I don’t drink soda but I thought the soda ban was over-the-top ridiculous. But THIS is fantastic, especially since he has a lot of credibility with the left in this country. Go Bloomberg!
Bloomberg had the guts to say this. I’m so proud of him. I think it’s the first time I agree with him. Hope he keep up his support of Israel.
Saw on news that Kerry banned flights in order to pressurize Israel for a cease fire!!!
Kerry should just go to Israel and see what its like to live there!!!!
he is saying israel is safe despite the rockets which is exactly what the rebbe always sais eretz asher einei hashem …
Mayer Bloomberg, Wow. I’m proud to be a NY resident.
ZS