ISRAEL (PIX11) — Amid growing frustration over what the United States Department of State is and is not doing to help the many thousands of Americans still stranded in Israel, airlift operations are now being considered.
So far the U.S. has refused to do as many other countries have done and charter flights or use military aircraft.
The approach has left many Americans feeling vulnerable and trapped, with the only way out for those with resources for pricey multi-city layover flights, if they can even get those.
“They do [need to do more],” said U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. “I wrote a letter yesterday asking for evacuations.”
The senator said she expects this to happen soon.
“I have not heard that there is a holdup, and I have not heard ‘no,’ so my expectation is they are preparing to do that now,” Gillibrand added.
Shortly after those comments, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: “We are exploring actively a range of other options to assist if Americans want to leave.”
It comes after no small amount of bipartisan pressure from New York representatives who say that after the evacuations of Americans from Afghanistan and Ukraine, it should be happening quicker.
