The US House of Representatives passed an amendment Friday afternoon as part of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which would prohibit any Pentagon funds from constructing or maintaining the humanitarian pier off the coast of Gaza.
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, who proposed the amendment, told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday, “From a purely cost-based analysis, investing in a pier off the coast of Gaza is an inefficient use of our defense budget.If you think about the cost, $320 million, versus the 7,000 metric tons of food that’s been delivered, it’s like $20,000 per pound of food and it’s completely inefficient.”She added that if the aid were given to the people who needed it there would be a case to be made.Mace spoke with the Post on Saturday morning after the NDAA passed through the House and awaits its vote in the Senate.
According to a US official on Friday, the US military began preparing to temporarily remove the humanitarian pier because of anticipated sea conditions. Friday’s removal came less than a week after the pier was reestablished after a previous weather condition caused significant damages.
Aid is not going to people in need
Aid began arriving via the US-built pier on May 17, and the UN said it transported 137 trucks of aid to warehouses, some 900 metric tons before the US announced on May 28 that it had suspended operations so repairs could be made.The United Nations said on Friday it had still not resumed transportation of aid from the pier to UN World Food Programme warehouses.“There has to be a better way, another way, and it can’t just be the US. Other countries need to assist and it doesn’t seem like that’s happening,” Mace said. “It’s clearly not working, and we knew that it wouldn’t work. We wasted these resources, and I don’t want any more resources spent on the pier.”“Either take it down or find another way,” she added.According to Mace, Israel needs to “do whatever they need to do” to ensure Hamas is “wiped off the face of the map.”The US should be fully supportive of Israel, Mace said, as it’s disgusting to see Hamas use civilians and children to protect themselves.Mace said the US should also wholeheartedly support Israel in defending itself against Hezbollah or any other Iranian proxy.Mace criticized Biden for “speaking out of both sides of his mouth” and for trying to “take credit for work [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] is doing.”According to Mace, countries around the world should learn from the operations Israel has conducted in Rafah in a short period.“[Israel] should be given all the power, all the ammunition that they need to take out Hamas and Hezbollah, no matter the cost,” she added.Mace added that she is supportive of Netanyahu’s invitation to address Congress and that she only wishes it were sooner.