Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg traveled to Israel to protest the FAA's ban on U.S. flights there, and said he "couldn't disagree more" with the U.S. State Department's warning against travel to the country.
"I think [the FAA] made a mistake, I hope they'll rectify it soon, but they say they didn't want American planes flying into the world's most secure airport, and so I decided I would take a trip over here on the world's most secure airline, going to the world's most secure airport. It's a good lesson for all of us how to run security," Bloomberg told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
Both Bloomberg and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat characterized the FAA's decision as a victory for Hamas, with Barkat saying, "The reality is that if Hamas goes 'boo' and you get scared, you're helping Hamas get its goals."
"We certainly don't want to stop flights into airports in America. It would be devastating for America. It's devastating for Israel when you stop flights in," said Bloomberg.
Bloomberg repeatedly stressed the country's safety, claiming, "If you don't feel safe here, I don't know where you'd feel safe. And I think the State Department is just overreacting in typical bureaucratic fashion."
Bloomberg bristled when Blitzer asked if the U.S. government's decision might have been political, retorting, "Don't be ridiculous, why would you think that? It's an outrage for you to accuse one of our agencies--by asking the question you're implying that our government does things for political reasons." Bloomberg added, "Just the allegation against our government, I personally take as an offense."