What is behind the US Army’s Gaza pier project?

On this week’s livestream I looked into the US military’s plan to erect a floating pier at an as yet undetermined spot on the Mediterranean coast in Gaza.

I talked about how that pier may line up with the Israeli military’s ongoing establishment of a “highway” across the Gaza Strip, separating the north from the south.

While much about the Pentagon plan is still unknown both to the Pentagon and the public, US President Joe Biden announced during his State of the Union address earlier this month that the US would build the aid pier and that it could be operational in 60 days.

Pentagon has no idea how aid would be delivered to Gaza from the pier it pledged to build.

"In terms of how the distribution of aid is going to happen once it gets into Gaza, that's not something that we're handling...I just don't have that for you right now." pic.twitter.com/1FISXdpcmP
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) March 22, 2024

Many questions remain about how the pier will function – chief among them is who will receive the aid on the Gaza side; and how possible will it be to anchor a pier ashore with no US boots on the ground, as Biden assured.

A flotilla of ships from the United States Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) set out last week from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, destined for the Gaza coast, 36 hours after Biden’s announcement.

“The Imperial March” plays over the loudspeaker of a US Army vessel departing on a mission to construct a temporary port for aid deliveries to Gaza pic.twitter.com/hBio42Uewa
— W.G. Dunlop (@wgdunlop) March 12, 2024

The trans-Atlantic sailing time will range from three weeks to a month or more for some of the ships.

The US Army pier will be a floating causeway, called a Trident Pier, consisting of segments with anchors every 100 feet along the 1,800-foot length from the Gaza shoreline.

“It’s essentially like Lego,” said Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Pugh of the construction process for the floating pier which can support the weight of tanks and trucks.

In addition to the pier will be a floating dock that is several miles offshore where the aid ships will arrive and unload.

The aid will then be shuttled from the dock to the pier by US Army support vessels and landing craft.

Pentagon officials say that about 1,000 US troops will participate in the mission.

You can watch the segment about the US Army’s pier at the top of this page. The segment includes coverage of the Israeli military’s “Netzarim corridor” project to cut the strip in two, along with my usual analyses of the latest combat videos from the Palestinian resistance in Gaza.

Comments

The pier in Gaza

Permalink Birgitta Hansen replied on Mon, 03/25/2024 - 14:26

I think this pier is probably being constructed in order to quickly and effectively be able to exile Palestinians.

Floating Gaza Pier

Permalink Shahid replied on Mon, 03/25/2024 - 14:50

Israeli military have already been blocking aid from other countries....why would USA now be wasting money building a new pier to deliver aid? Most likely it's going to be used to loot resources from Gaza...🧐🤦

be very suspicious

Permalink Roshan Pedder replied on Mon, 03/25/2024 - 19:51

I agree with both the comments made so far. I wouldn't trust the Americans one teeny weeny bit with this project. The very fact that it has Isreli blessings should make it suspect. Why all this added expense, this time wasting when trucks are lined up ready to deliver at a fraction of the cost and time.

US Gaza Pier

Permalink Colin Payne replied on Tue, 03/26/2024 - 00:00

The main reason for this pier project is the same as the air-drops of food: a public relations exercise and token gesture for Uncle Sam to subdue critical political dissent at home, especially in a presidential election year. Of course it will not be Biden's fault if thousands of people die of famine and disease in the two or three months minimum of mobilization and construction by the US task force. This is 'kicking the can down the road' policy to avoid the US President making that unwelcome phone call to Netanyahu compelling him to open the border crossings to let in all essential aid. Is that a waste of US Dollars? No! It gets Biden out of making this righteous decision, while at the same time appeases the US Jewish lobby and the US Christian Zionist lobby. The object always has been, as was stated by the Israelis before the Al Asqa Flood of October 7th, to cause a humanitarian crisis to kill or expel all Gazan Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Gaza port built by USA, controlled by IDF

Permalink Denise Ellenberger replied on Tue, 03/26/2024 - 12:45

This port will function as

-Future possibility to expulse starving Palestinians from Gaza.
-establishing a port for the future Ben Gurion canal through Palestinian Gaza
-beginning of construction of oil and gas exploiting platforms of the rich Gazan resources
- establishing presence for new Israeli settlements and future luxury real estate business (“sea views…”)

Nobody will reasonably suggest this port is for food to the Gazans being starved to death by Israel.

Food and other existential aid is easily available from thousands of trucks waiting to be unblocked by Israel at the Rafah crossing.

Richard Medhurst says it’s part of a plan for offshore gas...

Permalink Cymry Gomery replied on Tue, 03/26/2024 - 14:13

Medhurst says the pier cannot be for aid when there are so many easier ways to get aid in, and anyway the US has been sending billions of dollars of arms to bomb the Palestinians into oblivion so it seems rather inconsistent for them to send 1000 troops just to bring in aid. Chris Hedges says it is a plan to ship the Palestinians out to permanent exile. Here are the links to both hypotheses.

Medhurst: https://rumble.com/v4jtsdl-flo...

Hedges: https://chrishedges.substack.c...