Siege for Siege: Hamas Claims Victory through Western Airline Capitulations

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At a press conference in Doha, Qatar on Wednesday, and covered on Al Jazeera, Hamas leader Khaled Mashal billed the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas as a “Palestinian victory.” In particular Mashal claimed credit for the decision of Western nations to cease air travel to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, and said that Hamas would not accept a ceasefire until the “siege” of Gaza was lifted, and threatened they they would continue “siege for siege” by “besieging” the Israeli airspace.

The reality of course is that Hamas did not actually do anything to close or hamper Israeli airspace. Reports that a rocket had landed in the vicinity of Ben Gurion airport sent western airlines into a panic, even though the reality was that shrapnel from a missile which had already been intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome system  landed in a neighborhood near the airport . The decision by the Federal Aviation Administration to prohibit U.S. carriers from travel to Israel, and the decision of various western governments to do likewise, is now serving as a quick and easy Hamas propaganda victory.

As Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) recently noted, “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?” On June 8th and 9th the Karachi airport was the scene of deadly attacks by the Pakistani Taliban. Kabul Airport has also been the scene of violent attacks.

While obviously passenger safety is a foremost concern, the flawed decision to prohibit air travel has created the best chance so far for Hamas to credible claim victory. The FAA decision should be reversed immediately.

Kyle Shideler

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