Biden’s plan to aid Gaza is a sign of the limits of America’s power in this conflict

Editorial: The weeks ahead will prove a difficult test for the American-Israeli special relationship

In an election year, weakening US backing for Israel is unthinkable (AP)

President Biden’s dramatic plan for the US military to build a port to supply aid to Gaza, a colossal logistical task, is a reminder both of America’s status as a superpower and the limits of that power.

Few other nations in the world, if any, would be able to contemplate such an ambitious project: a floating harbour to carry millions of tonnes of humanitarian aid directly to those in such desperate need. Of course, it will still take two months or so to construct, and is hardly an optimal solution but it is proof to those who accuse the White House of a callous disregard for the continuing human tragedy that President Biden is as moved by the plight of the Palestinian people as any protester with a placard outside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Like the airdrops of aid along the coast of Gaza, this mission stands in the best traditions of American global leadership – reminiscent, for example, of the Berlin Airlift of 1949. A Spanish ship full of aid is harboured in Larnaca and ready to go, but it is unclear as to where it will unload its cargo. As ever, it depends on the Israelis.