Posted on 06/19/2024 7:05:49 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie
New York Times reports said structure could be taken down in early July, weeks earlier than planned and after only 10 days of actual operation, due to unexpected weather conditions
The aid pier built on the Gaza coast by the United States for some $200 million may be dismantled earlier than planned, according to a Tuesday media report, having so far completed a total of 10 days of actual operations.
The New York Times reported that US officials had told aid organizations in Gaza that the structure could be taken apart early in July, having done little to alleviate goods shortages in the Strip amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
The pier has been mostly inoperative since it was inaugurated in mid-May, due to weather damage, stormy seas and security concerns.
The US military was preparing to temporarily remove the humanitarian aid pier last week because of anticipated sea conditions, having just resumed bringing supplies into the enclave after suspending delivery the previous weekend.
“Today, due to expected high seas, the temporary pier will be removed from its anchored position in Gaza and towed back to Ashdod, Israel,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a social media post on Friday.
“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 post added. The pier involves about 1,000 US service members.
Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid from the United Arab Emirates and the United States Agency for International Development cross the Trident Pier before entering the beach in Gaza, May 17, 2024. (Staff Sgt. Malcolm Cohens-Ashley/US Army Central via AP)
Spring and the beginning of summer usually see calmer seas off the coast of Gaza, according to the report. The Times quoted retired US major general Paul D. Eaton, who has experience installing humanitarian aid piers in war zones, as saying, “Plan on X, and nature sends 2X.”
Aid began arriving via the pier on May 17, and the United Nations said it transported 137 trucks of aid to warehouses, some 900 metric tons, before the US announced on May 28 that it had suspended operations so repairs could be made.
UN officials have recently said they were reassessing the use of the pier, claiming that Israel Defense Forces activity nearby had jeopardized the perceived neutrality of the aid route. The concerns stemmed in part from false social media reports that Israel used the floating pier in a hostage rescue mission, though the Pentagon dismissed the claims out of hand.
Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said that there were Israeli helicopter operations “near” the pier, but confirmed that neither the structure nor any US military personnel were involved in the raid.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters after the operation that rescuers had opted against returning the way they came, across a land border, as they were rushing out a mortally wounded commando. Instead, they sped toward the beach and the site of the US aid hub on Gaza’s coast, he said, where an Israeli helicopter touched down and helped whisk away the hostages and the commando.
Still, the UN World Food Program, which works with the US to transfer aid from the pier to warehouses and local aid teams for distribution within Gaza, suspended cooperation as it conducts a security review. Aid has been piling up on the beach since.
Despite coordinating aid distribution at the floating dock, the UN has remained adamant that aid deliveries by land are the “most viable, effective and efficient” way to combat the humanitarian crisis in the enclave of 2.3 million people. The UN has said at least 500 trucks a day are needed to enter Gaza.
The maritime route for a limited time had been an additional way to help get more aid into Gaza amid the war.
Egypt has refused to let aid through the Rafah Border Crossing since Israel took control of the Gaza side of the crossing in early May. The Kerem Shalom Crossing from Israel continues to operate despite coming under frequent attack from Hamas, and two recently opened crossings in northern Gaza are also operating.
US President Joe Biden’s administration has said from the start that the pier wasn’t meant to be a total solution and that any amount of aid helps.
Appears God doesn’t want America to finance Gaza?
Every General/Admiral associated with this boondoggle should be fired. From the beginning it was planned/executed with nothing but problems. It seems nobody at the top of the Chain-of-command knows,remembers,anything about D-Day logistics. All this was ,was a 200 million dollar plus, get the college vote slight of hand.
It is a metaphor.
People made money.
A bit of wisdom that was circulating decades ago - “Do not start vast projects with half-vast ideas.”
The pier was put in place not to provide humanitarian aid, but to provide target practice for Hamas jihadists, the only people who were entirely against humanitarian aid to non-combatants among the general population of Gaza.
Those who curse Israel will be cursed.
“Hamas Attacks Aid Pier Under Construction on Gaza Shore”
Joe and ilk “the floating pier was a huge success which few people fail to realize. Joe of sound mind and health despite videos that prove otherwise, and the economy is doing fantastic despite everyone struggling to get by days finacially”
The left zlwzys tout their colossal failures as rousing successes. They love to pee on everyone and tell them it’s raining. The more rediculous the failure, the harder they they gaslight
The Mulberries, the temporary Normandy piers were actually made out of concrete in England and floated to their locations. They were very substantial, but the one at Omaha did not survive a very severe Channel storm within two weeks of the invasion. The one at Gold was used for eight months and landed a tremendous amount of men and materiel.
The administration delivered a boat load of small arms to HamAss now they don’t need the pier all on YOUR dime.
In reality, perhaps 5-10% actually gets wasted ion the proposal.
The rest is used for "administrative costs", ie, to line pockets of cronies.
Was the weather unexpected this time of year?
Not at all.
Looks like the brass caved to pier pressure from biden’s coat holders...
after that, a bunch of swabbies being BSed.
Squids know all about waves, and keeping their mouth shut.
sea state three (SS3 about 1-meter waves) MAX
Surf forecast in Gaza, not a biggie, easy to find.
https://t.ly/qbVFg
“The INLS (Pier) is a sea state three (SS3) capable causeway system that resembles a floating pier comprised of interchangeable modules and is used to transfer cargo from Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships to shore areas where conventional port facilities are unavailable or inadequate.”
https://t.ly/tfS9u
Sea state:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_state
From a military perspective, sometimes you have to test systems for readiness.
Beyond the cost, it was a test.
Trump activated the Hospital Ships as an expensive test in the final view, but it was a logical decision at the time with many unknowns.
Totally valid point. How many contractors got huge slices of that $320 million... regardless of whether it sank or not?
“due to unexpected weather conditions”
this from the same folks who claim to be able to predict climate “catastrophe” hundreds of years into the future ...
Failing in its purpoe, to feed HAMAS?
purpose that is...
How about asking for a refund from those RAT donors who made money on the construction of that thing.
Is any of it tubular metal? They could just let Hamas clean it up tor missile parts.
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