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President Biden’s $230 million Gaza pier project was opposed by US Agency for International Development (USAID) from the get-go since it would detract focus from opening much more efficient land routes. Biden, however, pressed ahead with it read more
 "US watchdog")
The Gaza pier was supposed to support the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and partners to receive and deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Fime image/AP
President Joe Biden ordered the construction of a temporary pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza despite concerns that the project would undermine advocacy for opening up of more efficient land crossings, according to a recent watchdog report.
Biden had first announced the plan regarding the pier during his State of the Union address in March. According to US Agency for International Development (USAID) inspector general’s report, the president pressed ahead with $230 million military-run Gaza pier in spite of opposition.
Opposition to the Gaza pier
Biden was advised against the Gaza pier project primarily due to concerns from USAID staff that the focus on this temporary and complex project would detract from more efficient and proven methods of delivering aid, such as opening land crossings.
Staff believed that land routes were better suited for the sustained and effective transportation of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
AP quoted a US official as saying that the USAID staffer concerns about the project undercutting overall aid efforts were raised early in the process. USAID responded by adding enough staffing for the agency to address both the pier and the land routes simultaneously, the official said.
Breaching WFP’s trust: A matter of location
The Biden administration breached the World Food Program’s (WFP) trust by promising that the pier would be placed in North Gaza, where the need for aid was greatest, but ultimately positioning it in Central Gaza.
This decision was reportedly made by the Pentagon, which prioritised the security of the pier and the military over the initial humanitarian objective.
There was another issue. WFP had asked the US to have a UN member nation provide security for the pier. That step was meant to safeguard WFP’s neutrality among Gaza’s warring parties, the watchdog report said.
The US agreed to the condition. However, since the US military was unable to find a neutral country willing to do the job, Israel’s military ultimately provided the security.
The final straw was an Israeli rescue operation to whisk away hostages in an area nearby. UN World Food Program ended cooperation with the pier project after this move raised concerns about whether its workers would be seen as neutral and independent in the conflict.
The failure of the Gaza project
USAID’s apprehensions regarding the pier came true when it ran into further problems.
First, repeated high waves and bad weather damaged the temporary pier, severely limiting its operational capacity.
The project fell short of its goal, delivering enough food to feed about 450,000 people for a month, far less than the intended 1.5 million people for 90 days.
By July, Aid groups pulled out of the project and ended the project– a global embarrassment for the Biden administration.
With inputs from AP
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English (US) ·