Cruz still wants answers on FAA ban

Sen. Ted Cruz vows Thursday to continue blocking confirmation of a series of ambassadorial and other diplomatic nominees despite the Federal Aviation Administration lifting a ban on US airline flights to Israel. The State Department criticizes the Republican lawmaker.

Cruz says he won’t release the holds until the Obama administration answers his questions about the FAA prohibition, which went into effect Tuesday after a rocket landed about a mile from the Tel Aviv airport. The FAA ended the ban late Wednesday, after Cruz accused President Barack Obama of imposing an economic boycott of Israel while it is fighting the militant group Hamas in Gaza.

“There are still serious questions as to the decision-making that went into the ban on flights and whether it was driven by political consideration at the White House, or by objective expert opinion at the agency,” the Texas senator says Thursday.

Obama says in an interview on CNBC Thursday that decisions on airline safety are not made on the basis of politics or alliances. He notes the FAA ban came on the heels of last week’s downing of a passenger jet by a missile in eastern Ukraine.

Obama states that before lifting the ban, the FAA worked with Israel on a “checklist of concerns and mitigation measures” to ensure the safety of US airlines. The FAA said the ban was imposed out of concern for the risk of planes being hit by Hamas rockets.

— AP