Biden Orders Construction of Temporary Port on Gaza Strip Coast... Expansion of Humanitarian Aid

Measures to Address Public Opposition to Support for Israel

U.S. President Joe Biden has instructed the U.S. military to construct a temporary port in the Gaza Strip. This measure aims to expand support for Gaza residents who are facing a humanitarian crisis due to the prolonged war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas. With his re-election bid in November approaching, this move is also seen as an effort to appease Arab American Muslim public opinion, which has criticized U.S. support for Israel.

The White House National Security Council (NSC) announced in a briefing on the 7th (local time) that President Biden will unveil this plan during his State of the Union address to Congress that evening.

A senior White House official stated, "President Biden will urgently direct the U.S. military to build a port on the Gaza coast capable of accommodating large ships carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters," adding, "The temporary dock-style port will enable the delivery of hundreds of truckloads of aid daily."

However, details such as who will inspect the relief supplies and how the aid will be delivered were not disclosed.

The construction of the temporary port by the U.S. military is expected to take several weeks and may include establishing a maritime aid corridor starting from Cyprus. However, the U.S. military will not be deployed on the ground in the Gaza Strip, which is the war zone between Israel and Hamas.

Earlier, after a tragic incident involving aid trucks in the Gaza Strip, President Biden announced a plan on the 1st to deliver relief supplies via air drops. On that day, the U.S. conducted its third airlift of aid, dropping food for 38,000 people into Gaza from Jordan by aircraft.

When the U.S. government announced the air drop aid plan, it also mentioned considering maritime support. President Biden’s order to build a port is interpreted as a concrete realization of that plan.

For President Biden to succeed in his re-election bid this November, managing public opinion that has turned against U.S. support for Israel is considered a top priority. Arab American and Muslim Americans, as well as some progressives, have criticized the Biden administration for unilaterally supporting Israel.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.