US airdrops: Normal in 'hostile' env., not in areas occupied by allies
6 Min Read
Critics believe the US airdrops in Gaza are a major sign of weakness that shows just how much the country is unwilling to stand up to Israeli cruelty.
-
Palestinians wait for humanitarian aid on a beachfront in Gaza City on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. (AP)
Airdrops of humanitarian aid to Gaza may not be necessary if pressure on the Israeli occupation was effective, Patrick Wintour of The Guardian reported.
US President Joe Biden announced on Friday plans to carry out a first military airdrop of food and supplies into Gaza, a day after the Israeli occupation's al-Rasheed street massacre, which resulted in the killing of over 115 Palestinian martyrs.
Tens of others were wounded in the Thursday attack that targeted Palestinian civilians who were waiting in line to receive aid packages in the northern Gaza Strip, a field source from the Palestinian Resistance told Al Mayadeen.
At least 100 #Palestinians were killed in a massacre committed by Israeli occupation forces in al-Rashid Street, to the west of #Gaza City as the starved civilians were waiting in line to receive much-needed aid from convoys.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 1, 2024
Multiple first-hand accounts confirmed that the… pic.twitter.com/QPReskB6Ho
US military C-130 cargo planes on Saturday dropped food in pallets over Gaza, the first American airdrop of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave, three US officials said.
Three planes from Air Forces Central dropped 66 bundles containing about 38,000 meals into Gaza at 8:30 am EST, according to two of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity before a public announcement.
Three C-130 aircraft transported over 35,000 meals to a region with a 2.3 million population described by the #UnitedNations as being on the brink of famine. Palestinians shared videos on social media depicting the airdropped boxes of assistance.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 2, 2024
The White House has emphasized… pic.twitter.com/qs47XHvOIM
Wintour remarks that the use of airdropping supplies at random "makes little sense" and is particularly costly when there is the option of the West exerting more influence over "Israel".
The chief executive of Medical Aid for Palestinians, Melanie Ward, stated that rather than dropping aid packages from the sky and having some end up "in the sea or outside of Gaza," "Israel's" allies, namely the US and the UK, should pressure the occupation to open "all crossings into Gaza for aid and aid workers to assist those in need. This includes the 'Karni and Erez' crossings, which give direct access to the north of Gaza."
Read more: Jordan successfully air-dropped aid for Gaza in Mediterranean Sea
Airdrops show US unwilling to stand up to 'Israel'
The UN Relief and Works Agency is also concerned with the distribution of help once it arrives on the ground. Chris Doyle, executive director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, believes the decision of the US to airdrop aid is a sign of "America's ineffectiveness".
Doyle notes that airdrops are considered dangerous and not enough, emphasizing that the US is only doing so since it "cannot persuade Israel to allow aid into Gaza by land and in trucks. It is the ultimate sign of weakness and shows the US is unwilling to stand up to Israel.”
David Miliband, the former Labour foreign secretary and chief executive of the International Rescue Committee, called them a desperate measure.
If the crossings were "properly open" and a humanitarian ceasefire was recognized, there would be no need for airdrops, he explained.
Airdrops have been historically used in the 1970s by the World Food Program in Africa's western Sahel after years of drought and in war zones.
The US claims that it is familiar with the risks that accompany airdrops, with the White House National Security Communications Advisor, John Kirby, stating that they are one of the "complicated" military operations.
Vowing to improve with every drop, Kirby explained that the US was trying to "be more creative" to meet the needs of the people of Gaza desperate for help.
Many observers have noted that the situation does not call for creativity but rather a simple phone call from Biden would put an end to the carnage.
Read more: Netanyahu 'bad f*****g guy', Biden says during private talks: Reports
i've seen Israel humiliate previous US administrations, but aside from murderous 1967 Israeli airstrike against US navy ship Liberty, now forcing USA to do airdrops of aid to Gaza as if USA is no better than Egypt & Jordan is Israel's worst humiliation of USA i've ever seen.
— Robert Ford (@fordrs58) March 1, 2024
America's approach toward 'Israel' limited
According to Politico, the airdrops expose Biden's very limited approach with "Israel" since the US usually delivers airdrops to areas that are occupied by "terrorist groups or hostile regimes, not allies."
Biden mentioned that the US airdrop would occur in the upcoming days but did not provide additional details. "We need to do more and the United States will do more," Biden told reporters, adding that "aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough."
He failed to point any fingers toward "Israel".
Many believe the drop is significant evidence that Biden cannot move the Israeli Prime Minister to scale back on the cruel measures against Gazans.
According to Dave Harden, a former humanitarian assistance coordinator at the US Agency for International Development, the situation makes the US look "100% weak", stressing that officials in Biden's administration are only doing the airdrops to "make themselves feel better.”
Harden emphasized that, short of convincing "Israel" to open all of the gates into Gaza, the US would be better off pressuring "Israel" to allow 10 additional trucks to pass through existing open crossings.
He called the airdrops "stupid...expensive" and "inefficient".
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) believes the decision is the "right message" that tells Netanyahu that the US administration is "absolutely fed up" with its restriction of aid.
Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, expressed that the real "baffling" fact was that the US has not ended its arms supply to the occupation despite being the sole reason forcing the US to conduct airdrops.
This comes as Biden faces backlash in his party for supporting "Israel's" genocide in Gaza. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that most Democrats favor a presidential candidate who does not give military aid to "Israel", as opposed to the current US President Joe Biden ahead of the November elections.
In the first weeks that followed the war on Gaza, Biden initially expressed strong support for "Israel's" actions. However, as the scale of the genocide progressed and criticism of Biden's stance on "Israel" has intensified domestically, he has become more critical of "Israel's" actions.
