The United States plans on building a temporary port on the Gaza shoreline in the next few weeks to allow for delivery of humanitarian aid on a much larger scale than would be possible with trucks.
(Photo : Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
It is being reported by The Guardian that Joe Biden is preparing to announce the recent development in his upcoming State of the Union speech.
"We are not waiting on the Israelis. This is a moment for American leadership," a senior US official said on Thursday.
The statement and action can easily be interpreted as meaning the United States is growing frustrated with what it feels is Israel's obstruction of road deliveries on a substantial scale.
US military engineers will be tasked with building the pier will be operating from ships just off the Gaza coastline and they won't even need to step ashore, according to US officials familiar with the plan.
The deliveries themselves will be shipped from the port of Larnaca in Cypress, which will become the main relief hub.
"Tonight, the president will announce in his State of the Union address that he has directed the US military to undertake an emergency mission to establish a port in Gaza, working in partnership with like-minded countries and humanitarian partners," the official said. "
This port, the main feature of which is a temporary pier, will provide the capacity for hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance each day.
"The United Nations believes Israel is deliberately trying to starve Palestinians. Biden will reportedly also announce the opening of a new land crossing into the occupied territory and the coastal strip.
President Biden has faced stiff criticism from within the Democratic Party for failure to open up Gaza to more aid, and a looming famine, and have accused him of complicity in the deaths of 30,000 Palestinians.
The Israelis will be able to conduct inspections of the aid shipments in Larnaca, administration officials said.
"We will coordinate with the Israelis on the security requirements on land and work with the UN and humanitarian NGOs on the distribution of assistance within Gaza," a senior official said.
"Initial shipments will come via Cyprus enabled by the US military and a coalition of partners and allies. This new significant capability will take several weeks to plan and execute. The forces that will be required to complete this mission there are either already in the region or will begin to move there soon."
The White House said that the operation would not involve US military personnel in Gaza, as the port and its temporary pier could be built from off the coast.
"The concept that's been planned involves the presence of US military personnel on military vessels offshore but does not require US military personnel to go ashore to install the pier or causeway facility that will allow the transportation and humanitarian assistance ashore," a senior official said.
