Biden overrode internal warnings to build Gaza aid pier, watchdog finds

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden overrode warnings from his staffers in order to approve a floating pier off the Gaza coast that was meant to facilitate aid deliveries but which was repeatedly met with disaster, according to a watchdog report published Tuesday.

Multiple officials within the US’s humanitarian aid agency, USAID, raised concerns that using the temporary pier would distract from diplomatic efforts to push Israel to lift its restrictions on overland aid deliveries, USAID's Office of the Inspector General said in a scathing report.

It said "multiple USAID staff expressed concerns" that focusing on the pier, known as Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS), "would detract from the Agency’s advocacy to open land crossings in Israel and Egypt," which were deemed to be "more efficient and proven avenues for delivering aid to Gaza."

Biden announced during his State of the Union address in March that he ordered the construction of JLOTS. The announcement came after months of diplomatic wrangling failed to convince Israel to loosen its restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Gaza via its border crossings with Gaza.

"Once the President issued the directive, the Agency’s focus was to use JLOTS as effectively as possible," the inspector general's office said.

The US military announced the end of the pier’s mission on July 17, declaring it "complete" after a series of disasters that led to the pier being repeatedly towed to an Israeli port for repairs.

The report blamed what it called "external factors" on impairing USAID's ability to distribute aid to Gaza via the temporary pier once it was constructed in May. It said Pentagon and Israeli military "security requirements took precedence" over the agency's efforts to get food and other aid into Gaza via the pier.

"In addition, issues related to operating in a conflict environment were compounded by weather, security, and humanitarian access challenges that affected how much assistance could enter the region through the maritime corridor and safely reach partner distribution centers in Gaza," it said.

As a result, the pier was functional for just 20 of the planned 90 days it was to be in use, the watchdog said, noting the pier fell "short of meeting the U.S. government’s goal of providing enough aid to feed 500,000 people per month, or 1.5 million people over 3 months."

Ultimately, only enough food to feed 450,000 people for one month was delivered. ​​​​​​​