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US plans for Gaza aid pier branded ‘smokescreen’ to allow Israeli invasion of Rafah

www.independent.co.uk US plans for Gaza aid pier branded ‘smokescreen’ to allow Israeli invasion of Rafah

UN officials warned the project would likely be used as a substitute during Israel’s invasion of Rafah

US plans for Gaza aid pier branded ‘smokescreen’ to allow Israeli invasion of Rafah
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  • Is the UN official saying that the pier is enabling the Israeli invasion of Rafah, as though it wouldn't happen otherwise? Or is he saying that but for the pier, Israel will open more land crossing to aid?

    And what is the corrective action? Should the pier be built somewhere else, or not at all? Are their any factors about where to locate the pier besides political? Like the depth of the water or existing infrastructure?

    And if the problem with the aid is that it's a meaningless PR gesture, then does PR medicine not heal? Dose PR food not nourish?

    Please help me understand why delivering food and medicine to Gaza is bad.

    • The UN officials aren't saying any of those things. Here's a tldr of the issue

      • The platform is meant to be in Northern Gaza where the worst of the starvation is

      • Israel wants it to be moved south to an Israeli choke point

      • Israel is about to close the crossings in South Gaza so it can attack Rafah

      • If the tiny amount of aid that can come in is able to be diverted to South Gaza then Israel may face less international condemnation over this phase of the Gaza genocide.

      Please help me understand why delivering food and medicine to Gaza is bad.

      If there is a starving child and you can choose to deliver them the nutrients they need but instead you choose to give them half a peanut instead, in a really theatrical way, that's obviously bad right?

      That's what's happening here.

    • Is this post about delivering aid being bad or does the title and article clearly state that this is a distraction tactic? Please help me understand your thought process of questioning things the article clearly answers.

    • How do you get the materials in to build a pier? That should answer your questions if they are in good faith.

      • The US military is building the floating pier with materials they get from the US taxpayer. If you're trying to argue it's a waste of tax dollars, its not.

        • I'm talking about the logistics of physically bringing in the building materials

          • They already have methods and resources to build temporary piers, as logistics is a crucial part of war fighting.

            A ship with the resources and egineers needed to build a temporary was basically already waiting to go when this decision was made.

            So the logistics is already a solved problem.

            • A crucial part of warfighting? They are building a port purportedly to feed the people that their closest ally is deliberately starving by denying aid that Israelis have engineered to be necessary for their subsistence.

              Do you think the ships will not be docking in Israel and that nothing will be transported by land through crossings? The same crossing that Israel uses to move their armed forces, weaponry and supplies through on a daily basis. Somehow those crossings will be completely off limits for the same US military that helps Israel coordinate a lot of their military operations and logistics.

              I don't understand how you can fail to see the absurdity of this situation. It's been 7 weeks since they announced their plans and so far no construction has begun and a ship has had to return to the US due to a fire. Even if they do get something built, there will still be the need to operate and deliver the aid from the pier to the interior of the enclave with.... trucks.

              • Yes, building floating piers and bridges are basic Army functions and the US military has been doing it for hundreds of years since inception, literally back to the Revolutionary war.

                Yes, the same roads the IDF uses will connect to the pier, and they will use trucks to distribute the supplies, obviously. How else would they do it? What other roads would they use?

                Yes, it has been seven weeks of a plan they said would take at least eight weeks.

                Man, you really should approach your news diet more rationally.

                • The same roads they can use to let in aid trucks without any of these theatrics. Should the UN officials also "approach their news diet more rationally"? Please realize that outside of your western bubble you are completely isolated in your viewpoints on the ongoing ethnic cleansing.

                  • Apolitical UN employees and everyone else should stop reblogging every single unattributed report from Hamas members and sympathizers no matter how sensational and unbelievable the claim is.

              • Do you think the ships will not be docking in Israel and that nothing will be transported by land through crossings?

                Yes? The Plan is to build the dock on the Gaza strip, specifically to get around the problem of Israel having the crossings closed? And no US military personel are being allowed on land so they cant just dock in Israel and drive across because Israel wont let them. Its not a difficult concept.

                I don’t understand how you can fail to see the absurdity of this situation.

                Who says I dont? Just because I dont hold the exact same position as you, doesnt mean i hold a completely opposite view. If Israel refuses to let aid in, then the only options for the US are airdrops, build a pier or basically invade Israel.

                Even if they do get something built, there will still be the need to operate and deliver the aid from the pier to the interior of the enclave with… trucks.

                Yes? The problem is not the trucks themselves its getting them past the crossings. Assuming they have not all been bombed out Gaza will already have many trucks in it. and Gaza is 5km across and 40km long. distribution within gaza isnt the problem.

                • Sorry, but you've fallen for the propaganda if you actually think Israel has to allow the United States to do anything given the power dynamics. The reason this is performative is that everyone acknowledges (including ex Israeli high ranking military leadership) that this war cannot be fought without explicit US support at all times. If not for the offensive weapon supplies then for the defensive iron dome re-supply. They have held and continue to hold complete leverage over Israel and can end this tomorrow if the US administration so chose. You don't have to have to the same viewpoint as I do but at the very least you have to acknowledge the power dynamics at play.

                  • Sorry, but you’ve fallen for the propaganda if you actually think Israel has to allow the United States to do anything given the power dynamics.

                    Im sorry for the strong language, but are you actually this dumb? You actually think the US can just operate its military in an allied country without permission???

                    They have held and continue to hold complete leverage over Israel and can end this tomorrow if the US administration so chose.

                    They could end it tomorrow, but then they burn their bridge with one of the US' most important strategic allies, lose their proxy in the middle east, have to move their military bases out of the country, their giant stockpile of weapons, their early warning radar and find a new port to supply the US 6th fleet and if they continue not to support Israel then Iran and maybe Egypt go to war with it, which royally fucks up US commercial interests in the reason and if they lose that war they lose pretty much the only pro-western country in that region.

                    And thats not to mention the fact that their are many many influential people in the house, the senate, the media, the DNC, donors, military, defence contractors etc. that are vehemently pro-israel not to mention basically all of the republican part too.

                    • Yes the US establishment is mostly in favor of Israel's actions. That is the problem. If you think the US can actually "lose" Israel then I don't know what to tell you. They have very, very few allies without US backing.

          • The US military has a massive global logistics operation and spends their time training for doing things like this. Of any organization on earth they probably have the greatest capacity for building a floating pier and ensuring aid flows through it. Why are you so hung up on the logistics of building material deliveries?

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