Washington – Republican Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday questioned whether President Barack Obama used a federal agency to impose an economic boycott on Israel after the Federal Aviation Administration banned U.S. airline flights to Tel Aviv because of safety concerns amid fighting between Israel and Hamas.
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The State Department rejected Cruz’s comments as “ridiculous and offensive.”
“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 said in a statement in which he posed five questions about the agency’s actions, including whether it was politically motivated.
The FAA said its prohibition was in response to a rocket strike that landed about a mile from the airport as hostilities between Israel and Hamas militants rages on, with more than hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis killed in intense fighting.
The FAA’s actions also come after a Malaysian jetliner was shot down over Ukraine where pro-Russia separatists have been battling government forces. Rebels shot down two Ukrainian fighter jets on Wednesday.
Cruz said tourism is an $11 billion industry for Israel and the flight ban may be a crippling blow. Long before the flight prohibition, the fighting could have affected tourism in Israel.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf called the Texas senator’s comments “ridiculous and offensive.” She said the FAA makes its “decision based solely on the security and safety of American citizens, period.”
Catherine Frazier, a spokeswoman for Cruz, said the Obama administration’s foreign policy was itself “ridiculous and offensive.”
The citizens of the USA say the Obama administration and all its state departments are “Ridiculous And Offensive”.
I don’t agree with crux on this one
Why do they keep responding to every naresh comment by this clown…it only encourages him to make even more naresh comments to get media coverage. He would sell his mother for 15 seconds of media attention and doesn’t seem to have any control of his mouth. I’m sure if c’v a plane was hit at Lod or on takeoff, he would rush to EY to condemn the FAA for not taking appropriate precautions.
Right on. Someone calling the Emperor for what he is.
at least one Senator is telling the TRUTH
The State Department rejected Cruz’s comments as “ridiculous and offensive.”
So is anti semitism, mr. President.
“ridiculous and offensive” and true
Did you all forget how they used the IRS for their political gain? So why not use the FAA, we all know what out president was doing before he became president hanging out with all the jew haters, the fact is there are more dangerous countries than israel and the FAA allows to fly their, wake up we are hated all over the world and even in our USA.
We cant know but we do know that Obama and Kerry have serious reservations on supporting Israel and have always taken the side of Abbas. Obama views the Palestinians as he does the black civil rights movement, believing that the terror (like riots) is somewhat justified and should be contained not eliminated.
The world does not want Hamas do disappear, you see it in the articles, how they always twist it in such a way that gives Hamas legitimacy or glory.
It’s not what they say or do, it’s the tone, the off the cuff remarks, when the mikes are off, the body language when they meet.
No doubt Omamzer is being this with help from the ruskies sitting down their third passenger jet last week.
Isn’t it interesting that there is no such ban on flights to Afghanistan or the Ukraine. Typical Obama pattern of behavior, only his con game isn’t fooling anyone anymore, except for his useful idiots.