More than nine months have passed since the outbreak of the current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip have caused more than 38,000 civilian deaths and unprecedented humanitarian disasters.
At the high-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the situation in the Middle East held on July 17 local time, the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Secretary-General Ratrey informed that no place in the Gaza Strip is currently safe, and humanitarian challenges are becoming more and more severe.
△ Screenshot of the United Nations News social media post
It has been reported that representatives of Israel, United States, and the Palestinian National Authority recently held secret talks to discuss issues such as the control of the Rafah crossing and post-war governance in Gaza, which was the first time that the three parties held talks since the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Japan on 7 October last year.
During the talks, the Israeli side insisted on opposing the direct participation of the Palestinian National Authority in the management of the Rafah border crossing in the future, and only accepted its unofficial dispatch of personnel to participate in the relevant work. Despite Pakistan's clear rejection of Israel's position, the US continues to favor Israel, claiming that Pakistan "should participate in Gaza's post-war governance in the manner proposed by Israel."
△ Screenshot of United States Axios News Network report
It is important to know that the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt in the southern part of the Gaza Strip is the main land route for international humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The issue of the Rafah crossing will remain unresolved, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza will continue indefinitely.
"The dock that United States tossed for more than 4 months only ran for 20 days"
Since the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, the area has been under some degree of Israel blockade. With Hamas unable to control the Gaza border, the region is heavily dependent on external assistance.
One of the first actions taken by Israel after the outbreak of the current round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was to impose a "total siege" on Gaza. On October 9, two days after the outbreak of the conflict, Israeli Defense Minister Gallant established a siege policy and openly threatened: "Gaza will have no electricity, no food, no fuel." Everything will be shut down. ”
△ Screenshot of United States Vaux News report
Israeli forces continue to blockade the Rafah crossing, preventing outside aid from entering Gaza. Although in late May, Egypt agreed to temporarily deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, the scale of humanitarian deliveries through the crossing was limited and Israeli operations were often hampered.
The Gaza Strip Media Office issued a statement last month accusing the Israel and United States governments of plotting a plot to prevent aid from entering the Gaza Strip, leading to a continuing increase in the number of deaths from starvation and an increased threat to children.
△ Screenshot of the report on the website of Turkey's Anadolu News Agency
In order to alleviate criticism at home and abroad and make a gesture of "strengthening humanitarian assistance to Gaza", the Biden administration instructed the Pentagon to build a temporary floating dock on the central coast of the Gaza Strip in two months, spending $230 million, and mobilizing thousands of US soldiers starting in March. The United States military estimated that the cost of building the terminal later rose to $320 million. Since its opening on May 17, the terminal has been damaged, closed and towed away for repairs several times due to "strong winds and waves".
On the 17th of this month, Cooper, deputy commander of the United States Central Command, announced that the "task of delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip" undertaken by this temporary terminal had been completed, and the US military had decided to "completely suspend operations" to it, and that United States would deliver supplies to the Gaza Strip through the Israel port of Ashdod in the future.
In short, this "sky-high price of goods" has been abandoned since it was announced that it was going to be built, and it has been lively for more than 4 months, but it has only been running for about 20 days.
△ Screenshot of the report on the website of the United States "Capitol Hill".
Even more absurd, many parties believe that the terminal is "a huge fiasco" in aiding civilians. It has also proved that the operation process of temporary terminals is extremely complex and inefficient.
According to the United States Vox News Network, relief supplies first arrive by ship from Cyprus to the cargo staging site at the new terminal, where they are inspected by the Israel military before being handed over to the World Food Programme and international NGOs for distribution. The entire process can take several days, taking into account the impact of weather conditions on the vessel.
△ Screenshot of United States Vaux News report
According to the US side, the temporary terminal has received more than 8,100 tons of humanitarian aid. However, some international aid organizations have pointed out that most of the supplies are not reaching the Palestinian population, and that the average daily volume of supplies being brought into the Gaza Strip via temporary terminals is far from the original goal of the terminal.
The Wall Street Times reported that in the first week of operation of the temporary terminal, only 820 tons of aid were delivered through it, and only about two-thirds of it reached distribution points in Gaza. This is equivalent to about 71 truckloads, well below the original target of 90 trucks per day and only 15 per cent of the minimum daily needs of the more than 2 million Gazans facing severe food shortages.
"Humanitarianism in United States is like cutting off a leg and sending a wheelchair"
In fact, international agencies and experts have repeatedly stressed that land transport is the most cost-effective and irreplaceable way to avert imminent famine and sustain the lives of people in Gaza. Aware of this, United States is unwilling to pressure Israel to open land crossings to Gaza.
United States Vox News, citing analysts, reported that the United States could use its influence over Israel to pressure more aid by land. It could push for a ceasefire agreement that would allow humanitarian organizations to provide assistance. However, United States had to build a dock to deliver aid to Gaza, underscoring how worrisome the U.S.-Israeli relationship has become, with United States government seemingly unable or unwilling to make any changes to its Israel policy.
As Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow at the Carne·gie Endowment for International Peace's United States Statecraft Project, put it, United States government seems to be pushing for more attention for civilian casualties, more humanitarian assistance, and an early end to widespread military operations, but "on the other hand, they continue to send large quantities of offensive weapons to Israel so that Israel can continue their offensive operations."
△ Screenshot of United States Vaux News report
The international community has widely criticized that the construction of this temporary wharf has consumed a lot of economic, diplomatic and political resources, but the results have not solved the most fundamental problems, and the United States' toss is tantamount to a "humanitarian show".
Stephen · Semler, co-founder of the United States Institute for Security Policy Reform, recently wrote that the pier is "useless, at least for the Palestinians," and is essentially a "humanitarian disguise" for the United States government's policy of supporting Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip.
△ Screenshot of the report on the website of the New York Times
The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael · Fakhri, also said that the construction of the dock by United States looks very "ridiculous" under the premise of continuing to supply weapons to Israel.
In the eyes of the people of Gaza, this series of operations by United States is nothing more than a gesture.
Gaza resident Munir · Ayad told United States media that he did not understand what the temporary dock meant and what its purpose was.
"They [United States, Israel, etc.] said it was to help Gaza, but we were worried and couldn't figure out if it was aid or something else. United States has never supported the Palestinian cause, so it is impossible to give us any aid without expecting anything in return. ”
△ Screenshot of United States "Business Insider" website report
Some netizens ridiculed that what United States did has always been unrelated to "humanitarianism", and building this temporary wharf is "like cutting off your leg and sending a wheelchair".
△ Screenshot of netizen comments
Abuznaid, head of the Palestinian Rights Movement in United States, linked the United States government's performance of allowing Israel to behave in a mockery of the temporary docks: "Perhaps Biden's (administration's) concerns about the Palestinians have disappeared along with the floating docks they built on the Gaza coast."
△ Abznaid (data map)
Source: Global Information Broadcasting
Author: Wang Yuqing
Process edit: u060