Ted Cruz ever vigilant for opportunities to grandstand for the Christian Right has seized upon the FAA's extension of a temporary flight ban to Tel Aviv to attack Obama for having nefarious motives for the extension, and a calculated way for President Obama to "cripple" Israel's tourism sector.
Ted Cruz Sees Obama ‘Economic Boycott’ of Israel as FAA Extends Tel Aviv Flight Ban
By Tom Curry
Cruz said “no one wants to place civilian travelers in harm’s way,” especially in light of last week’s downing of a Malaysian Airlines plane over eastern Ukraine. But he asked whether the FAA’s announcement was in fact “a political decision driven by the White House.”
The Texas Republican, a potential contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, said that tourism is an $11 billion industry for Israel.
“This FAA flight ban may well represent a crippling blow to a key economic sector [in Israel] through both security concerns and worries that additional bans will down more flights and strand more passengers,” Cruz said. “It hardly matters if or when the ban is lifted. At this point, the damage may already be done.”
He asked, “If the FAA’s decision was based on airline safety, why was Israel singled out, when flights are still permitted into Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen?”
Cruz dismisses concerns about civilian airliners in conflict zones suggesting its politically motivated to harm tourism in Israel, just because Obama harbors some secret animus towards Israel. America's Christian Zionists may lap it up but it may also expose Cruz's cynicism to a larger group of Americans who should rule him out as a serious thinker on foreign policy.