Jerusalem – After landing in Israel as previously reported by Vin News, former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg met with various government officials to show his support for the people of Israel and to make his thoughts very clear to the public about the recent turmoil in Gaza in an update posted on Bloomberg.com.
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When discussing Israel defenses against attacks on the country, Bloomberg says, “Israel – like every other nation – has a right to defend itself and defend its borders against those who cross it to attack it.
“In the U.S., if hostile forces crossed over our border from Mexico or Canada, we would respond with overwhelming force to destroy those who are seeking to destroy us. Israelis should not be expected to live under the constant threat of rocket attacks without their government doing something about it.”
He continued in his statements to remind people that the problems ultimately stem from attacks by Hamas.
“But let me just add: The attacks by Hamas are the cause of a lot of death and suffering both in Israel and Gaza, and my heart goes out to all the families that are affected.”
Bloomberg again criticized the FAA for halting U.S. flights into Israel, saying “I’m a pilot – and I’ve always believed the FAA does a great job – and still do. But on this issue, I think the agency got it wrong”. “It was an overreaction for the FAA and a mistake they should correct.”
Bloomberg first met with President Shimon Peres on his last day of office, then made his way to a Shiva call for fallen Israel Defense Force soldier Max Steinberg. Steinberg was a U.S. citizen from California who volunteered for the IDF.
His next plans include a meeting with members of Teach for America, who are stranded in Israel because of travel restrictions. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat plans to join Bloomberg at the meeting.
think he will be good as a new Prime Minister of Israel
Given the present government in the U.S., he may want to rethink his statement.
Yasher koach, Mr Mayor.
It must have been odd for him to fly on an El Al plane with other passengers. I wonder why he did not hire a private jet.
No kidding the US would defend itself… one act of terror (one!), and the US destroyed 2 countries. More lives have been lost due to US interference in Afghanistan and Iraq than have been killed by both sides in all the Israeli-Arab conflicts.
To #5 -PaulinSaudi-If you had read the FAA’s order, you would have noted that its ban of American airline carriers to Tel Aviv, included not only commercial aircraft, but private ones as well. Even if private planes were excluded, I commend Bloomberg for flying on El Al, as it encourages other Americans to do so. Incidentally, in December, 1973, President Richard Nixon flew on a commercial airline flight with other passengers to California, as an economy move, to save on fuel costs of Air Force One.