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The True Cost of Biden’s Gaza Pier: A Quarter Billion Dollar Mistake

Posted on by angelo

First of all. I’ve never been a big fan of Biden’s Gaza pier. In general, providing aid and comfort to the enemy is never a good idea. Yes, I know the argument that it was only built to help the citizens of Gaza and not Hamas. If you think the pier and everything it brings to Gaza won’t help Hamas at least as much as it helps the average citizen, I have a bridge to sell you. Need I remind you that Hamas is a terrorist organization? In my humble opinion, all terrorist organizations are enemies of the United States.

We, the United States of America, are helping both sides in the war between Israel and Hamas. You don’t need to be a War College graduate to tell you that, at best, this will prolong the conflict, leading to more and more death and destruction on both sides.

And, with this statement, I will take a step off my soapbox.

Facts

Biden’s Gaza pier is a failure that has cost American taxpayers nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. I don’t care who you ask; it’s not really money. Since its completion in May this year, it has only been in operation for ten days. You can do the math on this: 23 million dollars per day. What could we do with this money here at home? Well, for about $25 million, we could build a brand new elementary school for our children. If you’ve ever visited my home state of Florida, you’ll know there is a dire need for this…but I digress.

The Biden Pier was recently significantly damaged by rough seas. To date, we have spent an additional $22 million on repairs.

Photo of Saturday Pier in Gaza
A satellite view of the Gaza Pier. Image courtesy of Planet Labs

The pier, which the Pentagon often calls JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over the Shore), had to be moved to the Israeli port of Ashdod for repairs. While we’re on the subject, let’s not forget that an American serviceman was seriously injured while working on the pier when it broke, and he had to be airlifted to an Israeli hospital for be treated there. Two others suffered less serious injuries and were treated and returned to duty. In total, more than 1,000 U.S. troops worked to put the pier in place.

A temporary bandage

Military planners always knew the pier was not a long-term solution. Initial estimates predicted that the pier would have to be dismantled in September when the seas became too rough to support such a structure. Today, we are talking about a possible dismantling as early as next month. It would then hardly be a costly gesture.

The only positive in all of this is that the pier has not been the target of an attack, at least not yet. After the daring daylight rescue of four hostages by Israeli special forces, the internet was flooded with rumors that the pier was used to facilitate the rescue. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) was quick to squash this idea. Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, addressed what he called “inaccurate claims on social media” that the pier was used during the rescue, but he admitted there were “some sort of helicopter activity” near the pier during the rescue.

Aid workers on the ground in the region report that only about seven aid trucks per day were reaching Gaza directly from the pier. That’s a far cry from the 150 truckloads of aid per day that were supposed to be delivered.

The director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies states for the record, regarding the usefulness of the pier:

“The volume is negligible. And the sea will become more and more rough. »

In short, Biden’s Gaza pier has proven to be a costly and ineffective endeavor, fraught with pitfalls and limited in its ability to deliver aid as planned. As the Mediterranean’s waves become increasingly violent, the future of this quarter-billion-dollar structure remains uncertain, leading many to question the wisdom of its creation.

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