It was a crass attempt by the Biden administration to deflect the storm of worldwide criticism over its encouragement of Israel's far right government to crush Gaza to rubble.  The pier fell apart due to poor construction and rough seas. I was reminded of America's gallant fighting Seabees who build harbors and airports almost overnight during World War II.

To date, some 400,000 Gaza Palestinians have been killed by Israel using many US-supplied arms.  Over half were women and children.  A proud moment for the USA.  Biden claims he was not involved in this mass killing.

Of course not.  He just authorized delivery to Israel's powerful air forces of building-busting 2,000 lb bombs that flatten entire blocks of apartments housing Palestinian refugees.  This is not self-defence but mass murder.  The World Court has demanded Israel cease its savaging of Gaza. The Biden administration has used its UN veto to block all attempts to curb Israel's mass murder which Israel's supporters say must be done to free scores of Jewish/Israeli hostages.

Meanwhile, other Palestinians on the Israeli-occupied West Bank are being gunned down or evicted from their homes by heavily armed Jewish settlers who see occupying Palestine as their God-given right.  I have interviewed many of these militant settlers and found their views and actions beyond the pale.  Many hale from Brooklyn or Queens.  I was surrounded by these extreme nationalists – or Jewish fascists as the late great Israeli columnist Uri Avnery called them – last week in New York. They were showing their electoral and financial muscle.

Meanwhile, supporters of Israel's far right are having a field day cracking the whip on scared politicians.  The new House, speaker, Mike Johnson, has already invited Israel's prime minister Bibi Netanyahu, to address the US Congress.  Netanyahu is being denounced around the globe as a mass murderer and tyrant, but his wealthy US supporters – who largely fund the Democratic Party- are making sure that the US continues to see the Israeli dog wag of the US tail.