FAA lifts controversial restriction on US flights to and from Tel Aviv
The title of the post is the Fox headline, copied verbatim from their front page, it was the main article. The short paragraph that appeared below the headline was:
THE FAA lifts a travel restriction prohibiting US carriers from flying into and out of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport approximately 35 hours after it went into effect following criticism from Israel and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
Does it sound to you like Fox are trying to make it sound like Ted Cruz had something to do with the lifting of the restriction?
Well, here’s the detail buried in the article itself that tells the real story (emphasis mine):
In a statement, the FAA said that the Notice to Airmen restricting flights into Ben Gurion Airport officially expired at 11:45 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday. The agency had instituted the prohibition shortly after noon Eastern Time Tuesday in response to a report that a rocket fired by Hamas had landed less than a mile from the airport. The restriction was renewed earlier Wednesday.
Yup, the restriction were not simply a blanket, it had a limited life span. And even though the restriction has now, expired, it seems that there is some concern.
The CEO of Delta Air Lines, which diverted a jumbo jet away from Tel Aviv before Tuesday’s ban, said earlier Wednesday the airline would not necessarily resume flights to Israel even if U.S. authorities declare the area safe.
Maybe Fox and Ted Cruz would like to accuse Delta of attempting to persecute Israel.
The CEO of Middle East carrier Emirates said after the shoot-down in Ukraine of a Malaysia Airlines jet last week that global airlines need better risk-assessment from international aviation authorities.
I cannot help but agree with that. It’s not been very long since MH17 was shot down with all souls lost. I have to wonder what Ted Cruz and Fox would have had to say had there been a number of Americans on MH17. I imagine that quite possibly they’d have been castigating the FAA for not being more cautious. Of course, ultimately, it would have been Obama’s fault.
And you know exactly what tune the wingnut chorus would have been singing.