Mother Nature Makes A Mockery Of The U.S. Military’s $320 Million Pier In Gaza

Despite the warnings from Mother Nature about the frailty of the military pier system, the Biden administration intends to have the pier repaired and re-anchored to the Gaza coast instead of confronting the Israeli government to demand that the thousands of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid stalled at the Rafah gates be allowed into Gaza immediately.

By Colonel (Ret) Ann Wright

Well, I told you so.  Mother Nature did to the U.S. military’s $320 million Rube Goldberg pier exactly what I and others predicted.  Mother Nature’s 3-foot waves and seasonal winds caused the pier to break apart sending sections of the pier and two boats used to keep the pier in place onto beaches in Gaza and two boats onto an Israeli beach eight miles north of Gaza near Ashkelon.

A section of the pier with containers and a small military truck on it floated past a popular beach in Israel and was met with laughter from Israeli beachgoers.

U.S. Boots on Gaza Sand

On May 28, the Pentagon said despite U.S. military orders that no U.S. boots would be on the ground in Gaza, the U.S. soldiers who had been stuck on the Army boats beached in Gaza had to set foot in Gaza to get off the marooned boats.  There is no word whether the soldiers will be punished for stepping onto Gaza sand.

Towing the Pier and Dock to Israel for Repairs

A Pentagon spokesperson said on May 28 that the 1,800 foot long pier and dock will be completely removed from its location in Gaza in the next 48 hours and towed back to the Israeli port of Ashdod for repairs.  Rebuilding and repairs will take over a week according to the Pentagon. The pier was initially put together several weeks ago in the calm waters of the Ashdod port due to choppy water conditions off Gaza.

1,000 U.S. personnel, 16 ships, including 2 guided missile destroyers a part of the pier system

There are about 1000 U.S. personnel and 16 ships involved in the pier operation, including the deployment of at least one counter rocket, artillery and mortar system on the pier itself. Additionally, two U.S. guided-missile destroyers are in the Eastern Mediterranean operating outside Israeli’s 12 nautical mile territorial sea limits in support of the protection of the pier.

The Israeli military provides on the ground security for the pier with a dedicated brigade of troops and various air and naval assets.

Biden Must Demand That Israel Open the Rafah Gates to End Starvation

Despite the warnings from Mother Nature about the frailty of the military pier system, the Biden administration intends to have the pier repaired and re-anchored to the Gaza coast instead of confronting the Israeli government to demand that the thousands of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid stalled at the Rafah gates be allowed into Gaza immediately.

To save thousands of Palestinian lives in Gaza, there are several immediate pressure points the Biden administration has to force Israel to stop the killing, to allow food and medicines and to allow medical personnel into Gaza:

–no more money to Israel;

–no more military weapons to Israel;

–an economic blockade of Israel;

–diplomatic isolation of Israel.

But, will Biden do anything to stop the killing? The “Israeli” peace plan that is not “Israeli” after all

On Friday, May 31, 2024, President Biden announced an “Israeli” plan that is under fire from Netanyahu’s cabinet as the plan was not really an Israeli plan after all.  The plan would allow Israeli military forces to remain in “unpopulated” areas, which now is most of Gaza and which is a non-starter from Hamas’ point of view.  Netanyahu and cabinet members indicate they will continue the genocide until their objectives are met which I interpret as every Palestinian male in Gaza is killed—as every male is considered a Hamas member, or a potential one and the infrastructure-residential buildings, hospitals, universities, schools, water and sewage facilities, businesses and agricultural land are all destroyed.

When the ICC designated criminal Netanyahu arrives in Washington, DC at the shameful invitation of the leadership of both the Democratic and Republican leaders of the U.S. Congress to address a Joint Session of the Congress, he will no doubt be confrontational to all who oppose the genocide-the few members of Congress and the majority of the US population, most certainly the university students and faculty who have been recent leaders in the opposition to genocide.

Keep up the Pressure: Demonstrations, Vigils, Congressional Office visits

When Biden and senior members of his administration still refuse to acknowledge the genocide and continue to give credence to Israeli investigation of its own crimes, civil society in the U.S. and around the world must keep the pressure on their governments to end their complicity-from marches, daily vigils, lobbying in Congress and Parliaments, outraged citizens must continue to demand an end to the Israeli and U.S. genocide of Gaza.

Join the national mobilization in Washington, DC on Saturday, June 8, 2024 for encircling the White House with our RED LINE.

Ann Wright is a retired US Army Colonel and a former US diplomat.  She resigned in March 2003 in opposition to the US war on Iraq. She is the co-author of  “Dissent: Voices of Conscience.”