JERUSALEM – The cost of a floating pier off the coast of the war-torn Gaza Strip, said to be aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to civilians trapped in the central and northern Palestinian enclaves, has soared. After the construction of Jerusalem, controversy arose. This week it was revealed that the project will cost the US more than $320 million.
On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command posted a photo to I will.” . ”
But some are questioning the effectiveness of the Joint Land-based Logistics (JLOTS) pier after the Pentagon revealed on Monday that the estimated cost would be nearly double the original estimate of $180 million. . He also said the project would only be used temporarily for three months.
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“Construction of the JLOTS pier in the Mediterranean Sea is underway,” U.S. Central Command posted. (Centcom)
in statements regarding X, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) called the plan “ill-conceived” and wrote that “costs have not only increased, they have exploded.”
“This risky endeavor with minimal returns will cost U.S. taxpayers at least $320 million for just 90 days of pier operation,” he wrote. “If and when the pier is finally built, how much will it cost taxpayers? As this mission continues each day, the price will rise and it will be deployed within range of Hamas rockets. The risk level for the 1,000 troops involved will rise as well.” ”
“During his State of the Union address, President Biden announced that he has directed the U.S. military to work with like-minded countries and partners to carry out an emergency mission to establish a maritime corridor and temporary pier in Gaza. , direct to Gaza by sea, as part of continued efforts to increase U.S. aid flowing into Gaza by air and sea,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“While this temporary pier will bring much-needed support to Gaza, let us be clear that this effort is a continuing effort to maintain and continue to expand access by land. “This is in addition to our efforts,” the spokesperson said.
The pier is being built for use in transporting aid to Gaza. The pier was first announced by President Biden in his State of the Union address earlier this year. (CENTCOM/Getty Images)
According to a report in the Guardian, aid arrives at the pier by commercial ships departing from Cyprus. From there, the pallets are loaded onto trucks, transported by smaller vessels, and transported to her floating two-lane causeway leading to the shore. The first shipment is expected to arrive next week.
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The Pentagon says it will process up to 2 million meals a day for Gaza residents, but the project has also raised security concerns, particularly for U.S. forces remaining offshore aboard aircraft carriers.
Lloyd Lloyd, in response to a question posed by Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida about the potential threats facing the approximately 1,000 U.S. servicemen and women working on the pier construction during Tuesday’s House Armed Services Budget hearing. Secretary of Defense Austin said: They will all be armed and “have the right to fight back in defense” if attacked from Gaza.
Kobi Michael, a senior fellow at the National Security Institute and the Misgab Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, told Fox News Digital that the big question is who will operate the pier once the construction process is complete. Ta.
“Once the pier is built, American soldiers will not remain there and the pier will be operated by others,” he said, adding that the brutal October 7 terrorist attack sparked an all-out war. He added that the danger posed by the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas lingers. A major war with Israel will attempt to sabotage the project if it is allowed to remain intact.
An Egyptian truck driver undergoes inspection and changes a tarpaulin covering humanitarian aid at the Kerem Shalom intersection on his way to Gaza after arriving from Egypt in Kerem Shalom, Israel, December 22, 2023. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
“As long as Hamas still exists, as long as they are in power or able to operate militarily in some areas of Gaza, they will not be able to operate unless they are under direct control.” said Michael. “If the United States authorizes the Qataris to operate the pier, Hamas will actually operate the pier through a local company,” he argued.
Michael pointed out that the pier project directly contradicts another US goal in the seven-month-old Gaza war: achieving a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
According to reports this week, the United States has agreed to a newly drafted cease-fire agreement to free some of the 133 hostages abducted in the October 7 attack on Gaza by Hamas, which still controls the southern tip of the Gaza Strip. It is hoped that the company will agree to the terms of the agreement. The release of hundreds of Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli prisons would also be obtained in exchange for Israeli forces withdrawing from all or most of the territory.
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Six humanitarian aid trucks carrying aid from the World Food Program enter the northern Gaza Strip from Israel. (IDF Spokesperson Unit)
“U.S. pressure on Israel to accept all Hamas demands could mean that the IDF will not be on the ground to secure the pier.Meanwhile, the U.S. could pressure Israel to accept all Hamas demands. We hope to secure the pier. How will these two concepts work together? ” said Michael.
“The fact that the IDF is there to protect the pier means that they need to be there to escort humanitarian supplies from the ship to the pier, to the trucks, to the distribution center, and to ensure their safety. “It means ‘distribution within the Gaza Strip,'” he added. “Ultimately, that means permanently stationing the IDF on Gaza soil.”
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) international spokesperson, told the media over the weekend that the JLOTS project is extremely complex, not only because it is located in a combat zone, but because of the amount of aid involved. It will enter Gaza.
Hamas terrorists are seen during a military show in the Bani Suheira neighborhood of Gaza City, Gaza, July 20, 2017. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
“This is not a simple operation and the Israel Defense Forces are involved in many parts of it,” he said, adding that Israel is “very committed” to the effort, which is in line with previous surges in aid. It added that it would be added. It has entered Gaza by land and air over the past few weeks.
“Aid supplies will also be inspected in Cyprus,” Shoshani said, referring to Israeli security operations at the border from Egypt to Gaza and from Jordan into the West Bank and then on to Gaza. “Aid supplies will also be inspected in Cyprus. It’s the same as what has been done.”
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A truck carrying humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip enters the country from Egypt on Saturday, October 21st. (AP/Fatima Shubeir)
“We don’t know how they intend to transform this in the long term, but the provision of approved and vetted aid by our European allies is a huge step forward from relying on Egypt for this mission.” ,” senior Jonathan Schanzer said. Vice President of Research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington told Fox News Digital.
“Institutionalizing sea routes with Cyprus and securing Egypt’s borders, both above and below ground, could deter Hamas from rearming for years to come,” he said. I hope we can strengthen it and make it a reality,” he added. If made permanent, it would be a net benefit to the entire region. ”
