On Wednesday’s broadcast of C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) stated that “There’s a lot of hazard that is associated with” the construction of a pier to deliver aid to Gaza that President Joe Biden ordered and that any American troops building the pier could be targets.
Host Mimi Geerges asked, “I want to ask you about the floating pier that’s supposed to get the aid into Gaza. It’s — this is CNN.com that says, ‘U.S. could take 2 months and 1,000 troops to construct floating pier to deliver aid to Gaza,’ according to the Pentagon. First off, how useful is that going to be? And then, second, are we going to have boots on the ground? Because then you’re going to have a target and you’re going to have to have ways to get that aid off the ships and distribute it out into the civilian population.”
Welch answered, “First of all, it’s absolutely not optimal. There’s a lot of hazard that is associated with building a pier. If there are American troops that are building it, you’re right, they could become a target. The President has made it clear that there are no boots on the ground. But the pier is being built largely because Israel is not cooperating with the far easier way to get aid in, and that’s through trucks. And the number of trucks that are going in — went in before the whole conflict began, just to help the food situation, was 500 a day. It’s now around 100, 150 a day, somewhat less than that. And the need is much greater. So, the alternative ways to get aid in, like the airdrops that the President authorized, like this pier, that’s something that’s being championed by José Andrés and the World Central Kitchen, those are absolutely essential if we’re going to get some aid in and help some people. But they’re absolutely the less good alternative to just opening up some crossings and letting the trucks flow into all of Gaza where they need the aid.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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