US and Europe Suspend Flights to Israel Over Safety Issues

The United States and some European countries have temporarily suspended flights to Israel Tuesday,  after a rocket landed near the Ben-Gurion airport  in Tel Aviv.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement saying the United States flights to Israel stand cancelled "for a period of up to 24 hours," for safety reasons.

The European Aviation Safety Agency will follow suit with a "strong recommendation" that airlines avoid Israel. Germany's Lufthansa and France's Air France also suspended flights to Tel Aviv due to safety concerns .

All Air France flights have been suspended until further notice.

Lufthansa flights and those operated by subsidiaries Germanwings, Austrian Airlines and Swiss, all have agreed not to fly to Tel Aviv for the next 36 hours beginning late Tuesday. The decision was a precautionary measure, according to the company,  reports the Associated Press.

Fighting between Israel and Palestinians has entered the third week with incessant rocket fire on both sides. Israel's Iron Dome defense system has been successful in disabling most rockets but still the risk and danger is high.

The imposition has upset the Israeli government as it is the tourist season and this might add an economic dimension to the border war.

The suspension led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to raise the matter with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, according to the White House

The state department was quick to clarify that the flight suspension was just for safety and was not imposed to bring any pressure over Israel.   State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, "The FAA's notice was issued to protect American citizens and American carriers." She added, "The only consideration in issuing the notice was the safety and security of our citizens," reports Washington-based website, mcclatchydc.com