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President Joe Biden ordered the construction of a temporary pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza earlier this year, despite concerns from some U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) staff that the project would be difficult to execute and could hinder efforts to encourage Israel to open more effective land crossings, according to a USAID inspector general report released Tuesday.
As reported by The Guardian, Biden announced the plan for the temporary pier during his State of the Union address in March, aiming to accelerate aid delivery to the Palestinian territory amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The $230 million military-managed project, known as the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore system (JLOTS), was intended to operate for about 20 days but faced multiple setbacks, including adverse weather and security issues. These problems limited the delivery of food and other emergency supplies to Gaza, and aid groups ultimately withdrew from the initiative by July.
"Multiple USAID staff expressed concerns that the focus on using JLOTS would detract from the agency's advocacy for opening land crossings, which were seen as more efficient and proven methods of transporting aid into Gaza," the inspector general report stated. "However, once the president issued the directive, the agency’s focus was to use JLOTS as effectively as possible."
At the time of Biden's announcement, the United Nations reported that nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million residents were struggling to find food, with more than half a million facing starvation. The Biden administration aimed for the sea route and pier to provide enough food for 1.5 million people in Gaza over 90 days. However, the effort fell short, delivering sufficient supplies for about 450,000 people for a month before operations ceased.
Repeated high waves and inclement weather damaged the pier, and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) ended its cooperation with the project following an Israeli rescue operation nearby that killed almost 300 Palestinians. This raised concerns about whether WFP workers could maintain neutrality in the conflict.
Despite the challenges, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said the project “had a real impact” in providing food to Palestinians in need. “The bottom line is that given how dire the humanitarian situation in Gaza is, the United States has left no stone unturned in our efforts to get more aid in, and the pier played a key role at a critical time in advancing that goal,” Savett said in a statement.
The inspector general report also alleged that the U.S. did not fulfill its commitments to the WFP. The U.S. had agreed to WFP conditions, including placing the pier in north Gaza, where the need was greatest, and securing a UN member nation to provide security. However, the pier was instead placed in central Gaza, reportedly for better security for the pier and U.S. military personnel. Ultimately, Israel’s military provided the security after the U.S. could not find a neutral party willing to take on the role.
A U.S. official, speaking anonymously, noted that USAID staff concerns about the project’s potential impact on broader aid efforts were raised early on. USAID subsequently added staff to manage both the pier and land routes simultaneously.
[Information sourced from The Guardian]
