President Biden is expected to announce in Thursday’s State of the Union address that he will direct the U.S. military to lead construction of a port on the Gaza coast in the Mediterranean Sea to increase aid to Palestinian civilians.
“The aid flowing into Gaza is never enough and never fast enough. Tonight, the President makes clear once again that we all need to do more, and the United States is doing more. ”, a senior government official said in a phone call with reporters.
The port supplies food, water, medicine and other supplies to the Gaza Strip, which has been under shelling for months as the Israeli military conducts shelling and military operations in response to last October’s Hamas terrorist attacks. It will be possible to accept large ships that can be brought in.
Biden will direct the U.S. military to carry out this mission alongside allies and humanitarian partners, a senior administration official said. The project will take “several weeks to plan and execute” and will involve troops already in the area or arriving soon.
Officials said the project does not require a U.S. boot on the ground in Gaza. Instead, the plan would involve U.S. military personnel on offshore warships that would not need to go ashore to establish ports.
The first shipment of supplies will be routed through Cyprus with support from the U.S. military and partner nations. Officials said the United States will work with the United Nations and other humanitarian partners to distribute aid across Gaza once it arrives at ports.
A senior administration official said the United States “worked very closely with Israel in developing this initiative.”
Biden is trying to walk a fine line in the wake of last October’s Hamas terrorist attack that killed more than 1,200 Israelis.
He remains adamant that Israel has the right to defend itself and attack Hamas, which rules Gaza, and that the United States provides aid to Israel.
The president also called on Israel to further protect civilians and allow aid to cross the border into Gaza. The United States has begun airdrops into Gaza in recent days to deliver meals and other supplies to the Gaza Strip, with further drops planned in the coming days.
Thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the fighting in Gaza, prompting Democrats to increasingly voice concerns that Israel is not doing enough to prevent civilian casualties. It has become.
Some progressives are pressuring Biden for a permanent ceasefire, but the administration supports a pause in fighting lasting at least six weeks and allowing hostages to escape and more aid poured into Gaza. ing. Biden is expected to renew his call for a ceasefire Thursday night and hold Hamas accountable for accepting the terms.
Biden’s speech came days after Super Tuesday, when thousands of voters voted “noncommit” or “no preference” in the Democratic primary to protest Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict. .
Although he won 11 delegates in Minnesota due to protest voting, Biden still won easily in the primary, winning 64 delegates.
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