Senator Blasts "National Embarrassment" As Biden Ends Gaza Floating Pier Mission
It's official: Biden's $230+ Gaza humanitarian pier has been permanently dismantled after it spent more time out of commission than in actual operation. The Pentagon has tried to pass it off dubiously as 'mission accomplished' - despite an avalanche of criticism including from sitting Senators and House members heaped on the problem-prone project.
"The maritime storage mission involving the pier is complete, so there’s no more need to use the pier, particularly because we’re able to implement a more sustaining pathway, to Ashdod," announced Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, Deputy Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), at the end of this week.
The pier faced frequent shutdowns amid tumultuous Mediterranean seas, and at one point in the early summer actually broke apart, with pieces having drifted onto an Israeli beach further north.
"Our assessment is that the temporary pier has achieved its intended effect to surge a very high volume of aid into Gaza and ensure that aid reaches the civilians in Gaza in a quick manner," Adm. Cooper continued.
The statement confirmed that the unit which oversaw the pier's construction and operations - Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS - will soon deploy back to the United States.
Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) quicky on the heels of the CENTCOM announcement issued a statement blasting the whole ill-fated Biden initiative...
"This chapter might be over in President Biden’s mind, but the national embarrassment that this project has caused is not. The only miracle is that this doomed-from-the-start operation did not cost any American lives," he said. "I have been calling for an end to this election-year gimmick since its primetime inception at the State of the Union."
"While I am glad it has finally concluded, we cannot buy back the $230 million needlessly spent, and significant questions remain about the Biden administration’s poor planning for this mission," Sen. Wicker added.
Aid organizations have criticized the pier from a different angle: they point out that land crossings into Gaza are easiest to utilize but that Israel has needlessly blocked these crucial corridors. There's meanwhile been increasing lawlessness and hunger across the Gaza Strip, also absent any civilian or infrastructure authority.
RIP Gaza Pier. The impact of your performance art is unparalleled throughout human history. Banksy himself couldn't have put together a better display of futility, incompetence, and wastefulness. You will not be missed. https://t.co/tUwwizOdiL
— Bill Roggio (@billroggio) July 18, 2024
While the pier was in operation, US troops were in harm's way - so at least this scenario of American potentially being involved in a shooting war was averted.