The US aid pier is a dangerous precedence of international humanitarian aid abuse

Critics   fear that the pier will make it easier for Israel to close land crossings into Gaza, without facing consequences. On its own, the pier cannot provide the scope of aid and materials needed by Gazans, so other crossings remain vital. 

negative perceptions and concerns that exist in the Middle East toward the pier. Many in the region, including Palestinians, suspect that the American initiative is guided by hidden intentions. They see the pier as potentially enabling a new type of indirect occupation of Gaza, fearing it will become a tool for external actors to control the flow of humanitarian aid, and benefit from the yet-undeveloped natural gas field off the Gaza coast.

Some accuse Israel of ill-intentions. They suspect that the real motivation for establishing the pier is to allow Israel to counter International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice accusations; they claim that aid is flowing smoothly to Gaza without Israeli interventions. Critics also fear that the pier will make it easier for Israel to close land crossings into Gaza, without facing consequences. On its own, the pier cannot provide the scope of aid and materials needed by Gazans, so other crossings remain vital.

Thought the above excert from  The Hill news outlet might seem critical of the US built pier, the rest of the content celebrates the pier and hails it as a harbinger of prosperity.

The authors are Israeli:

Nimrod Goren, Ph.D., is senior fellow for Israeli Affairs at the Middle East Institute. Moien Odeh is an international human rights lawyer. Both are members of Diplomeds — The Council for Mediterranean Diplomacy.

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