AS the humanitarian plight of Gaza’s people grows grimmer by the day, Israel’s foreign backers, principally the US, continue to offer farcical solutions to the crisis that are akin to pouring salt on the Palestinians’ wounds. Amongst these doubtful ‘solutions’ is Joe Biden’s plan to construct a temporary port on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast to enable humanitarian aid to enter the blockaded Strip. Mr Biden unveiled his plan during his recent State of the Union address. He also mentioned that no American boots would be on the ground in Gaza to work on this scheme. Experts have cast doubt on the feasibility of the American president’s project, particularly its effectiveness in alleviating the Palestinians’ dire plight. Moreover, a Pentagon spokesman has said the scheme will take at least two months to complete, whereas Gaza’s people need immediate access to food, water and medical help.

Instead of dreaming up dubious projects to ‘help’ the devastated Gazans, Mr Biden can achieve much more by telling his Israeli friends to lift the blockade and allow aid trucks waiting in Egypt unhindered access to Gaza. What is equally important is for Mr Biden to ask Tel Aviv to immediately stop the slaughter of Palestinians. But he will most likely refrain from making these demands, as Israel continues its campaign of mass starvation and genocidal violence. As some observers have put it, the US policy of offering aid to Palestinians while simultaneously supplying Israel the weapons to butcher them reflects a ‘bombs and bread’ approach. Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza is dire, with nearly 700,000 people on the brink of famine. Images of famished Palestinian children have shaken people around the world, though leaders in Western capitals seem to be unmoved. Instead of coming up with theatrical schemes, what the US and other Western states need to do is to unambiguously back calls for Israel to end the slaughter forthwith.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2024