Texas Senator Ted Cruz vowed to continue blocking confirmation of a series of ambassadorial and other diplomatic nominees until the Obama administration answers his questions about the Federal Aviation Administration's flight ban over Israel, which was removed on Wednesday night, according to The Associated Press.
The FAA ended the ban late Wednesday, after Cruz accused Obama of imposing an economic boycott of Israel while it is fighting the militant group Hamas in Gaza, the AP reported.
"There are still serious questions as to the decision-making that went in to the ban on flights and whether it was driven by political consideration at the White House or by objective expert opinion at the agency," Cruz said Thursday, according to the AP.
Cruz is demanding to know why Israel was singled out, while commercial flights can still pass over Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Ukraine, where a Malaysia Airlines jet was downed, killing all 298 people on board, the AP reported.
The FAA prohibited flights over Ukraine's Crimea in April, and has also ruled out flights over the east of the country since last week's crash, according to to the AP.
Cruz said he also wants to see any communication between the FAA, White House and State Department to see if the ban on landings in Tel Aviv was designed to punish Israel or advance cease-fire efforts, the AP reported.
Almost 800 Palestinians have been killed in fighting over the last 16 days, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, according to the AP. Israel has lost more than 30 soldiers and at least two civilians,
For the second straight day, the suggestion of political motivation behind the flight ban drew a sharp response from the State Department, the AP reported.
"It's just perplexing," spokeswoman Marie Harf said of Cruz's action, according to the AP. "The notion that he would put a hold on State Department nominees when he really has questions for the FAA just doesn't really make sense."
The objective of the flight ban "was purely security and safety of American citizens, pilots, people on these planes," Harf said, the AP reported. "The nominees we have up in the Senate are for some very critical positions. They need to move forward. If everybody's concerned about our foreign policy, we need people in those positions."
The holds mean Senate Democrats would have to convince at least five Republicans to join them to approve a new ambassador to Russia as well as ambassadors to key U.S. allies including France, Norway, South Korea and Turkey with envoys involved in arms control and nuclear nonproliferation also being affected, according to the AP.
