Get this, "Aid delivery will be under Israeli control"
REALLY?
"Why is the US building a Gaza pier?"
"In his State of the Union address on Thursday, Biden said the pier would be able to “receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelter”. According to Biden, the reason for the construction is to allow “a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day”.
At least 25 people have died due to hunger and dehydration as Israel has hampered deliveries of food, medical supplies and other aid items through two land border crossings – Rafah with Egypt and the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom in Hebrew) with Israel.
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid have to drive from those crossings, both on the southern edge of Gaza, through the conflict zone to deliver the add, including to the largely cut-off areas in the north.
Biden is running for re-election in November’s president vote, and his move is seen as an attempt to address the anger within his own Democratic Party’s base over his unrelenting support for Israel, which has been accused of indiscriminately killing civilians and destroying hospitals, residential and civilians buildings. The International Court of Justice is hearing a genocide case brought against Israel.
The US has provided billions of dollars in aid as well as weapons that Israel has used in Gaza since October 7. An additional $14bn in aid to Israel on top of its annual $3.8bn in military aid is now in the US Congress. Last month, it passed the Senate but faces an uncertain fate in the House of Representatives.
In the ongoing voting in the presidential primaries and caucuses, some Democrats have refused to cast ballots for Biden, raising concerns about his ability to turn out voters in the November race, in which former President Donald Trump holds a narrow lead over the Democratic incumbent in opinion polls."
"How will the floating pier in Gaza work?
United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Cameron said his country would be participating in the pier project but added it would “take time to build”.
The Pentagon laid out a timeline on Friday, saying the plan to build the dock could take up to 60 days and involve more than 1,000 American troops.
"US Army Vessel departed Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia on March 9 [Handout via US Central Command/EPA-EFE]"
US defence officials said the 7th Transportation Brigade, based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia, is starting to pull together what’s called the Joint Logistics Over The Shore equipment and watercraft. It is compared to a large Lego system — an array of 12-metre-long (40ft-long) pieces of steel that can be locked together to form a pier and causeway.
The Pentagon said it has not yet determined how the landing site for the floating port system would be secured against any threats and it was in talks with partners, including Israel.
Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder said there is a risk of a Hamas attack against the port system. He added that no US troops would enter Gaza, even temporarily, to complete the port construction.
On the ground in Gaza, there will likely be allies, contractors and aid agencies instead.
The plan for the pier has two components: The first is a floating, offshore barge that would be able to accept aid deliveries. The US military would then move aid from there to a floating,550-metre-long (1,800ft-long) causeway anchored to the shore.
Once it becomes operational, the pier would allow deliveries of about 2 million meals to Gaza every day, Ryder said.
The US has delivered a total of about 124,000 meals during four airdrops in the past week. The latest airdrop on Friday delivered about 11,500 meals, the US military said.
Gaza already has a small port near the Remal district of Gaza City. However, the port has been under Israeli naval blockade since 2007 when Israel also shut almost all of Gaza’s border crossings. Israel has claimed full control of Gaza’s coastline and territorial waters, blocking ships from reaching the strip since 1967.
Biden said the Israeli government will maintain security at the pier. It is unclear who will be unloading the aid at the dock and moving it to shore. Experts have questioned how Israel, which has crippled aid delivery through land borders, would allow aid supplies via the sea."
"Can the pier help solve Gaza’s aid problem?
The pier seems to be a complicated workaround for a problem that has a much simpler solution – for Israel to open land crossings to Gaza.
Any effort to bring in more humanitarian aid into Gaza to help the desperate people is absolutely welcome,” said Juliette Touma at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). “However, there is a more efficient, a cheaper, a quicker way to get aid into Gaza, and that is by road.”
For more on this story follow the link below.
Comments:
"Gaza already has a small port near the Remal district of Gaza City" US tell Israel to free-up the existing port, right now! This proposed Pier seems to be part of a stalling plan by Israel, to make sure more deaths by hunger.
This Pier will take 60 days to build they say; we yet have to see this project completed on time. During these 60 days many children will probably die of starvation, unless a more efficient ground delivery is opened up, to allow 200 trucks per day make deliveries. Please keep the Israelis away from this operation, history has already shown, all they are capable of is killing people.
This being an election year in the US, it is hoped this project is not just an optics operation; in reality it does look like a slowing down enterprise. It certainly it is not quickest way to get food to the Palestinians, who need it now and not in 60 days or more.
Placing aid delivery under the control of Israel is not only a bad idea, it is cynical at best, given the recent history, which showed their constant effort to thwart food deliveries to the point of even killing needy people, waiting in line for food.
Thank you for sharing this blog with friends and family. You are helping to overcome the deafening silence from the commercial media on most topics, they just don't want us to know about.
This blog is not monetized, it is strictly produced as a public service.
The US intent, again, is to facilitate Israel's "Final Solution" of Palestinian Genocide while appearing to oppose it for P.R. purposes in an election-year. ;-(
ReplyDeleteRight on point!
ReplyDelete