Biden Announces US Will Build New Port in Gaza
As we reported, airdrops of emergency aid by the United States military began this week in Gaza.
In the meantime, the Left's factions and their allies in the legacy media worldwide have ratcheted up the wails of anguish about Palestinians in Gaza supposedly starving to death because Israel is allegedly not allowing aid trucks in, something which the Israeli government has debunked.
Here's one of those insistent voices in the form of a Sky News anchor, claiming that Israel is letting children in Gaza "starv[e] to death":
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden repeated a narrative that is likely making anti-Israel protestors happy, as RedState's Bonchie wrote: "Biden once again demanded a ceasefire in Gaza. In doing so, he took the bait thrown out there by Islamic fundamentalists."
My colleague Mike Miller also wrote about veteran news anchor Brit Hume's recent analysis of Biden's weak points:
As Hume correctly pointed out, Biden's senility isn't the only issue that's "softening" his support within the Democrat Party — most recently, it's also been Israel's ongoing war in Gaza against Hamas.
And within his own party, his support for Israel is hurting him with a wing of the party which is considerably larger than it is in the Republican Party, for example, that is very sympathetic toward the Arab side in this conflict and long has been and especially toward those who are suffering in Gaza.
Now, there's word on something Biden will say on the matter during Thursday night's State of the Union address, something seemingly designed to cheer up pro-Hamas Dems ... maybe: [emphasis mine]
President Biden will announce in his State of the Union on Thursday that he is ordering the U.S. military to build a floating pier off Gaza, in what the White House called an “emergency mission” that would allow hundreds of truckloads of additional aid to be delivered by sea to Gazans who are on the brink of starvation.
Based on the description provided by White House and military officials, the temporary port for aid delivery would be built from U.S. ships, and then moved close to shore, attached to some kind of temporary causeway.
The project could take more than 30 to 60 days, according to officials, and would involve hundreds or thousands of U.S. troops on ships just off shore, in keeping with Mr. Biden’s mandate that no American soldiers be on the ground in Gaza as the conflict rages. Briefing reporters, administration officials said that the port would be constructed in cooperation with other countries in the region.
American officials said that they “worked closely” with Israelis as they developed the seaport initiative, but they did not specify whether Israel would provide direct assistance or support for its construction or operation.
The Army Corps of Engineers has long experience in the rapid construction of floating docks to accommodate U.S. military operations. One of the main military units involved in the construction will be the Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), out of Joint Base Eustis-Langley, Va., near Norfolk, according to U.S. Defense Department officials.
The ships, which are large, lumbering vessels, will need armed escorts, particularly as they get within range of the Gaza coast, the officials said, so the Defense Department is working through how to ensure their protection as they build the pier. [...]
And while there isn't direct confirmation from Israel about their involvement in the initiative, there was this information on the process:
One Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic negotiations, said that under the latest plan, aid donated by the United Arab Emirates would be sent to Cyprus, where it would eventually be inspected, then transported by ship to the coast of Gaza.
Israel would be involved in the inspection process, and the World Central Kitchen, Chef José Andrés’s organization, would bring the aid to shore using smaller boats, the official said. World Central Kitchen already has volunteers on the ground in Gaza.
Still unclear is how exactly the aid via ship will be brought safely to the people who need it:
But officials did not go into detail about how aid delivered by sea would be transferred from the coast further into Gaza, where humanitarian groups say hundreds of thousands of people are facing a famine. One option is to keep the platform at sea and transfer the goods by smaller boats; another would be to build a temporary causeway that would enable trucks to pick up the goods directly.
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