Will Joe Biden’s new plan bring relief to Gaza?

IT WAS NOT the sort of infrastructure project that an American president would typically unveil in his . On March 7th Joe Biden announced that America’s armed forces would build a pier on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast. The president has pleaded for months with Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to , where hunger and disease threaten to kill thousands of people, aid groups warn. Exasperated, he is now taking matters into his own hands. “This temporary pier would enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day,” Mr Biden said.The plan, as sketched out by his advisers, calls for army engineers to assemble a modular, floating dock at sea and tow it to shore. Aid would then be loaded onto ships in Cyprus, where Israeli officials would screen it for prohibited goods, and make the day’s journey to Gaza. Gulf states are expected to help pay for the shipments. It could take one to two months to finish the pier and begin large-scale deliveries. Mr Biden says no American troops will be deployed to Gaza, though they will be stationed on military vessels offshore.