President Joe Biden’s $320 million taxpayer funded floating Gaza pier will be permanently dismantled after only 21 days in operation.
“The pier built by the U.S. military to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza will be reinstalled Wednesday to be used for several days, but then the plan is to pull it out permanently, several U.S. officials said. It would deal the final blow to a project long plagued by bad weather, security uncertainties and difficulties getting food into the hands of starving Palestinians,” The Associated Press reported.
“The officials said the goal is to clear whatever aid has piled up in Cyprus and on the floating dock offshore and get it to the secure area on the beach in Gaza. Once that has been done, the Army will dismantle the pier and depart. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because final details are still being worked out,” the outlet continued.
Last month, the Biden administration reportedly spent an additional $22 million in taxpayer funds to repair the pier built in Gaza to “deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza.”
The administration made the decision just one week after the pier witnessed another malfunction and had to be relocated due to weather conditions a second time.
“Today, due to expected high seas, the temporary pier will be removed from its anchored position in Gaza and towed back to Ashdod, Israel,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement last week. “The safety of our service members is a top priority and temporarily relocating the pier will prevent structural damage caused by the heightened sea state.”
The pier, estimated to have cost up to $320 million to build, broke off and drifted onto an Israeli beach in May.
“The decision to temporarily relocate the pier is not made lightly but is necessary to ensure the temporary pier can continue to deliver aid in the future,” the statement continued.
“After the period of expected high seas, the pier will be rapidly re-anchored to the coast of Gaza and resume delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. Since May 17, over 3,500 metric tons (7.7 million pounds) have been delivered through the maritime corridor for onward delivery by humanitarian organizations.”
