Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu was the one who gave the idea of the temporary port to Biden (Reuters)
The Israeli newspaper "Jerusalem Post" said that two weeks after the outbreak of war in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed with US President Joe Biden the idea of delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza via sea.
The newspaper explained that a diplomatic source told it that on October 22, Netanyahu discussed with Biden the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza via sea, on the condition that an Israeli inspection was conducted in Cyprus.
She added that on October 31, Netanyahu presented this strategy to Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, and on January 19, the matter was reconsidered during a dialogue between Netanyahu and Biden, where Netanyahu proposed forming a team to explore maritime supplies through Cyprus, after a comprehensive examination of all... the goods.
Biden did not bring anything new
She indicated that the source, close to Netanyahu, hinted that Biden was simply implementing a plan by Netanyahu, and did not initiate anything new.
The Jerusalem Post commented that this diplomatic source revealed this information at a time when diplomatic tensions escalated between Biden and Netanyahu, as the US President sought to distance himself from the Israeli Prime Minister as part of his re-election campaign.
She said that Biden made headlines in his State of the Union address to Congress last Thursday, when he announced that the US military was planning to build an emergency temporary port off the coast of Gaza to help facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip.
She stated that Biden's announcement of the port came in light of the hunger crisis in Gaza to confirm "Washington's commitment to helping the Palestinian people during the Israeli military campaign."
Washington considers the dock plan a criticism of Netanyahu
The newspaper indicated that Washington also considers this step a criticism of Netanyahu, as Biden said in his speech on Thursday that Israel can and must do more to help the Palestinians in Gaza.
She confirmed that years before the Gaza War, Israel Katz, the current Israeli Foreign Minister, made plans for a sea route through Cyprus that would include a floating island, and the project was not implemented, as one of the problems was the lack of a port in Gaza large enough to handle cargo ships.
She said that Israel welcomed Biden's announcement of a military operation to build a temporary port, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Navy Commander, the head of Kogat (coordination of government activities in the territories), the Military Secretary, and the Ashdod Naval Yard Commander were briefed on Sunday on the work necessary to establish a naval pier and roads to enable Of distributing aid to civilians.
Source: Jerusalem Post