Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says it’s perfectly safe to fly to Israel — and he’s getting on a plane to prove it. Bloomberg said Tuesday that the government made a mistake and handed Hamas “an undeserved victory” when it banned U.S. airlines from flying into and out of Tel Aviv for a day after a rocket landed near the airport.

Bloomberg said he planned to fly to Tel Aviv on El Al, the Israeli airline, on Tuesday night “to show solidarity with the Israeli people and to demonstrate that it is safe to fly in and out of Israel.”

IN-DEPTH

SOCIAL

The U.S. flight restrictions are a mistake that hands Hamas an undeserved victory and should be lifted immediately http://t.co/fXDMPSnwZi — Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) July 23, 2014

— Erin McClam