$230 Million JLOTS Project Under Scrutiny After Aid Organizations Withdraw

Earlier this year, amid concerns from U.S. Agency for International Development staffers over its feasibility and the potential impact on negotiations to open land routes into Gaza, President Joe Biden ordered the establishment of a temporary pier to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. 

These concerns were outlined in a report by the USAID inspector general released on Tuesday. Biden revealed his intention to deploy the temporary pier during his State of the Union speech in March, aiming to accelerate the aid flow to the war-torn Palestinian area, caught in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. 

The endeavor, a $230 million military-managed initiative referred to as the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore system (JLOTS), was anticipated to function for roughly 20 days. Nonetheless, by July, various aid organizations had withdrawn from the project, which had been hindered by continuous challenges related to weather and security, limiting the amount of humanitarian supplies reaching Palestinians in need. 

According to the inspector general report, “Multiple USAID staff expressed concerns that the focus on using JLOTS would detract from the Agency’s advocacy for opening land crossings, which were seen as more efficient and proven methods of transporting aid into Gaza.” The report added, “However, once the President issued the directive, the Agency’s focus was to use JLOTS as effectively as possible.”

By the time the announcement for the floating pier was made, the United Nations had reported almost all 2.3 million residents of Gaza were struggling to source food, with over half a million facing extreme hunger. The plan proposed by the Biden administration was for the sea route and pier to supply enough food for 90 days to feed 1.5 million people. Unfortunately, it only managed to provide for about 450,000 people for one month before operations ceased. 

The pier suffered damage from severe weather conditions several times, and following an Israeli rescue operation near the pier, the U.N. World Food Program ceased their involvement with the project due to concerns about maintaining their perception as neutral and independent in the ongoing conflict.  

Sean Savett, a U.S. National Security Council spokesperson, stated on Tuesday, “The bottom line is that given how dire the humanitarian situation in Gaza is, the United States has left no stone unturned in our efforts to get more aid in, and the pier played a key role at a critical time in advancing that goal.”

Moreover, the watchdog report criticized the U.S. for not fulfilling certain promises made to the World Food Program to convince the UN agency to participate in the distribution of supplies from the pier. Despite agreements, including positioning the pier in northern Gaza, where the need was highest, and ensuring a UN member nation would secure the pier, the U.S. placed the pier in central Gaza. This was done, according to WFP staff, because the U.S. military considered it a more secure location for both the pier and military operations. The Israeli military ended up providing security when a neutral country couldn’t be found for the task, as per the report’s findings.

An anonymous U.S. official mentioned that the concerns regarding the project potentially undermining broader aid efforts were voiced early on, leading USAID to augment its staffing to manage both the pier and land routes concurrently.