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“Ben Gurion is the best protected airport in the world.”
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Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg flew to Israel Tuesday night, on the only airline that was still making the trip, Israel’s El Al. That was the point of Bloomberg’s trip, to protest a Federal Aviation Administration ban on U.S. carriers flying to or from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.
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Bloomberg made the announcement on his Web site, calling on the FAA to change its decision:
“This evening 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. The flight restrictions are a mistake that hands Hamas an undeserved victory and should be lifted immediately. I strongly urge the FAA to reverse course and permit US airlines to fly to Israel.”
The FAA said the ban—which was imposed for at least 24 hours—came in response to a rocket that landed close to a mile away from Ben Gurion National Airport.