Humanitarianism as Weapon

A new USAID Inspector General report released yesterday lays out what has been long obvious: The so-called “humanitarian pier” in Gaza made no practical sense and served no purpose other than generating positive headlines stateside. President Biden pursued the construction of the pier, the report found, despite officials’ concerns about difficult weather in the Mediterranean sea and security challenges in a war zone, as well as worries that it would undermine pushes to reopen land crossings. “Due to structural damage caused by rough weather and high seas, the pier operated for only 20 days and was decommissioned on July 17,” the report states.