The project was a “boondoggle”, and it fell short of expectations. Media praised Joe Biden’s plan to build a floating pier to deliver aid to the war-torn Gaza area, but most pragmatic thinkers viewed it with skepticism. This latter group was shown to be more wise in this case.

After being reconfigured, the problematic pier is to be completely decommissioned. It is intended to keep it operational for a couple of days to remove any remaining supplies that may have accumulated in the last few weeks. Then, the pier will permanently be removed. The project will be completed, bringing to an end a project that is a metaphor for the Biden administration. It has not worked at its best, has been plagued by problems, and was an expensive failure.

The press continues to cover this disaster in a veiled manner, despite these obvious facts. The Associated Press soft-pedals its coverage of this project’s end. The Associated Press described the announcement as “the last blow to a long-running project that has been plagued by bad climate, security uncertainty, and difficulty getting food into starving Palestinians’ hands.”

It follows a trend in the media whereby reports on the disasters were forced to be published but were described in euphemistic language. CNN described the aid effort as “confronting significant obstacles in distribution routes.”

The proposed pier has been viewed as a confusing enterprise from the beginning. The floating causeway was conceived to solve the problem of Gaza’s lack of deep-water harbor. It would allow relief ships to unload supplies and then truck them in to reach the suffering residents. It is fair to say that this was a FUBAR operation.

This was not only a problem with engineering, but also with logistics. At one point, 4 vessels were unmoored and beached, and some supply craft ran aground. The weather caused the damage and some pieces of pier washed up on shore. Fuel shortages and road issues made it difficult to get into the area. A lack of planning led to the accumulation of supplies on the beach. Hamas also added to the problem.

The terror group fired mortars in the area during construction. The AP reported that Israeli activity had hampered aid delivery: “The United Nations suspended deliveries on June 9 a day after Israeli military used the area around the pier for airlifts following a hostage rescue that killed more than 270 Palestinians.” After the completion of the pier the delivery was met by frequent raids from Hamas and it has also been noted that a large majority of relief supplies were stolen by the terrorist group. This detail was downplayed so much by the AP.

The cost of the pier, including the repairs, reconstruction, and breakdowns, is estimated to be at least $350 million. It will be permanently demolished after the third delivery attempt. The pier has been in operation for less than a month of total non-concurrent service.

The Gaza relief pier is a symbol of the Biden administration. It’s expensive, ineffective, damaged, and causes international ridicule. The Gaza Relief Pier is the perfect symbol for the Biden Administration.