Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg flew to Israel Tuesday, in defiance of an Federal Aviation Administration 24-hour ban on flying to Ben-Gurion Airport. The ban was instituted after a Hamas-fired rocket fragment fell in a town near the airport, injuring two people.

Prior to leaving, Bloomberg explained his rationale:

“This evening I will be flying on El Al to Tel Aviv to show solidarity with the Israeli people and to demonstrate that it is safe to fly in and out of Israel. Ben Gurion is the best protected airport in the world and El Al flights have been regularly flying in and out of it safely,” Bloomberg said in a statement.

“The flight restrictions are a mistake that hand Hamas an undeserved victory and should be lifted immediately. I strongly urge the FAA to reverse course and permit US airlines to fly to Israel,” Bloomberg added.

Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Israel uneventfully on Wednesday to work on a ceasefire after the Palestinian Authority backed Hamas’ demands. British Airways says that it is “monitoring the situation closely,” but still planning to continue twice daily flights from Heathrow Airport. Despite cancellations Ben-Gurion is still expecting 30 flights today.

[Photo: Associated Press / YouTube ]