Remember back in March when the United States began airdrops of food and additional supplies to Gaza? President Joe Biden was determined to demonstrate that while he backed Israel, his heart was with the starving people of Gaza. What was there to stop Hamas from stealing the aid? Nothing.
Then, during the State of the Union address, Biden unveiled his plan to send in the U.S. military to construct an offshore floating pier from which ships could offload aid to the Palestinians. There would be no boots on the ground in Gaza, though; the entire project would be built offshore and then pushed into place.
Over the weekend, we'd heard reports that pieces of the temporary pier were floating away and that at least four U.S. military vessels had run aground.
🇮🇱🇵🇸🚨‼️ GAZA: The American floating pier collapsed and drifted away due to bad weather.
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) May 25, 2024
Wow, good construction ... pic.twitter.com/4tGDb0hBZO
If nothing else, the pier proved that the administration could complete infrastructure projects quickly when it wanted to.
The first aid trucks rolled across the pier, and Reuters reported that most of the aid was stolen as soon as it reached land.
Now, AP reporter Seung Min Kim reports that yes, Biden's pier has been damaged by rough seas and aid deliveries have been suspended.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Aid deliveries are suspended after rough seas damage a US-built temporary pier in Gaza, 3 US officials say.
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) May 28, 2024
Another historic Biden accomplishment.
— JWF (@JammieWF) May 28, 2024
That is a very Biden-friendly way of summarizing what happened
— Red Dot in a Blue Dot in a Red State (@reddotaustintx) May 28, 2024
Recommended
NEW - the U.S. has stopped all humanitarian aid efforts using the DOD-constructed maritime pier, which is now heavily damaged & floating adrift after bad weather.
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) May 28, 2024
Who’d have thought — maybe it would have been better to simply deliver aid via #Gaza’s 7x land crossings? pic.twitter.com/9I9UQzEstH
Perfect metaphor for Biden's foreign policy.
— Michal Lipták (@MichalLiptak) May 28, 2024
FFS $320 million dollars and it actually did fall apart.https://t.co/URzc3aRZ7X
— Domo-kun (@domosauce) May 28, 2024
The country that gave us the California high speed rail debacle, ongoing since 1996, tried to build a floating pier in the Mediterranean to feed Gaza in the middle of a war. It's gone about as well as you'd expect. https://t.co/RZIqZk2Tz5
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) May 28, 2024
Ok, but in their defense, who could have known there would be tide in the Mediterranean sea?
— Beth, Chuck's Vacuum Cleaner (@ChuckVacuumBeth) May 28, 2024
How much did this boondoggle cost us?
— Bob the Goon (@BobtheGoon5) May 28, 2024
The budget was $320 million, so you know it cost about $500 million.
Not a waste of money and effort at all. Why are we even in this. This is ME business
— Rev. JJ Riggs 🐍 (@JohnnyRiggs9) May 28, 2024
Really ? No word about Hamas attacks on the pier?
— Rafi Uziel (@UzielRafi) May 28, 2024
Palestinian terrorists did launch a mortar attack while some U.N. dignitaries were touring the site, but no one was hurt.
DEI pier.
— The OG Scoundrel (@GeorgeBunker00) May 28, 2024
So it's confirmed that aid shipments have already been halted due to damage to the pier.
Oh yeah, and there's still the matter of those military vessels running aground in a war zone.
US vessels used to unload Gaza aid run aground on Ashdod beach | The Times of Israel https://t.co/30gGhhlOxH
— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) May 28, 2024
So the aid went to Hamas, the pier is sinking, and now the ships are running aground.
— Jason Hatton (@TheGrumpyGitPA) May 28, 2024
The Gaza pier is one of dumbest foreign policy ideas of the last 40 years and could only be conjured up by a guy who has been in DC that long. https://t.co/9Wf9j2TOA6
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) May 28, 2024
Was this project to stop his base from calling him "Genocide Joe"? Will this pier debacle win him votes in Dearborn?
***
Join the conversation as a VIP Member