Airlines cancel flights to Israel over continued violence in region

By Alyssa Wilson Published: May 14, 2021

Airlines cancel flights to Israel over continued violence in region

FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2020 file photo, an American Airlines Boeing 737 Max jet plane is parked at a maintenance facility in Tulsa, Okla. Paying passengers were scheduled to board a Boeing 737 Max in Miami on Tuesday, Dec. 29 for the first time since safety regulators allowed the plane to fly again after two deadly crashes. The American Airlines flight is scheduled to land at New York’s LaGuardia Airport with about 100 passengers aboard, according to an airline spokeswoman. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Lufthansa and British Airways have canceled flights to the area, CNN reported. The flights were for Wednesday through Friday, but may resume for some of the airlines over the weekend.

Tension in the region has escalated and is being described as the worst violence between the nations since 2014. BNC Foreign Affairs Correspondent Nayyera Haq said Israeli police attacked Palestinians who gathered to celebrate Ramadan.

The clashes and tension between the two groups escalated. Israeli media reported the country’s military approved ground assaults into Gaza. According to BBC, 119 people have been killed in Gaza, and eight in Israel since the violence began Monday.

President Joe Biden faces pressure from American politicians to respond to the violence. Republicans are calling for a bolder backing of Israel, and Democratic Progressives are growing critical of Israel for human rights violations.