March 13, 2018: The Houthi-Iran connection (German) – Saudi expulsion of Yemeni workers – UN panel investigates Human Rights violations – Interview of Houthi leader – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
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(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
PH = Pro-Houthi
PS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
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Zwischen Cholera und Hungersnot
Der humanitäre Alptraum des Jemen-Kriegs
Seit März 2015 wird der Jemen von einem brutalen Krieg beherrscht, in dem eine von Saudi-Arabien geführte Koalition einen erbarmungslosen Bombenkrieg gegen die Aufständischen der Houthi-Bewegung führt, dem bereits weit über 10.000 Menschen zum Opfer fielen, über 3 Millionen sind auf der Flucht. Der Krieg wird dominiert von brutalsten Kriegsverbrechen der Saudi-Koalition. Eine „vollständig menschengemachte“ Folge ist die größte Cholera-Epidemie in der Geschichte und die größte Hungersnot seit Jahrzehnten mit potentiell „Millionen von Opfern“ - von Jakob Reimann
http://justicenow.de/2018-03-04/zwischen-cholera-und-hungersnot/=https://www.freitag.de/autoren/jakob-reimann-justicenow/zwischen-cholera-und-hungersnot=https://diefreiheitsliebe.de/politik/zwischen-cholera-und-hungersnot/
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Die Houthis und das Haus Saud: Die Wurzeln des Jemenkriegs
Saudi-Arabien beteuert, die Houthi-Rebellen wären eine Marionette Teherans und rechtfertigt damit den erbarmungslosen Krieg im Jemen, da dieser die Expansion des Iran auf die Arabische Halbinsel verhindern würde. Die tatsächlichen Gründe sind jedoch wesentlich banaler: Riad will die Grenzen seiner 1934 annektierten Provinzen schützen und seinen jahrzehntelangen Einfluss auf die jemenitische Regierung wiederherstellen - von Jakob Reimann
http://justicenow.de/2018-03-07/die-houthis-und-das-haus-saud/ = https://ffd365.de/2018/03/07/die-wurzeln-des-jemen-kriegs/ = https://www.freitag.de/autoren/jakob-reimann-justicenow/die-houthis-und-das-haus-saud#1520529803902904 = https://diefreiheitsliebe.de/politik/die-houthis-und-das-haus-saud/
und Teil 3 der Serie von Jakob Reimann, Die Houthi-Iran-Connection, als ersten Beitrag unter cp1 Am wichtigsten.
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Der vergessene Krieg im Jemen
Die humanitäre Lage im Jemen, gegen das Saudi-Arabien einen erbarmungslosen Krieg führt, ist katastrophal. [Überblicksartikel]
https://www.swp.de/politik/inland/der-vergessene-krieg-im-jemen-24771468.html
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Film: For those new to #Yemen here's a 25 minute doco we made 2016 explaining how this UK & US backed war has already killed tens of thousands of civilians in airstrikes, from famine & lack of medical care
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CxiNMN5EsM
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Film: Yemen Millions of children and families are on the brink of starvation UNICEF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT9jRp2Z1K4
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MORE THAN 21 MILLION YEMENIS LACK ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER
More than 21 million Yemeni citizens lack access to clean drinking water and need urgent assistance, 17.8 million of whom are unable to meet their food needs, Minister of Agriculture Othman Majali said on Thursday.
This comes during a speech at the fortieth session of the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Rome, noting thatabout 19.4 million people lack access to clean water and sanitation services, 9.8 million people can not access the water because of the war.
According to Saba news agency, about 8.4 million Yemenis are threatened by famine, an increase of 24% compared to the data of 2017.
He pointed out that about 14.1 million citizens live without adequate health care, in addition to the fact that at least 2.7 million people have fled their homes to other areas within Yemen or to other countries.
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Amnesty: JEMEN 2018
In dem 2017 weiterhin andauernden bewaffneten Konflikt verübten alle Beteiligten Kriegsverbrechen und andere schwere Verstöße gegen das Völkerrecht; unzureichende Maßnahmen im Rahmen der Rechenschaftspflicht verhinderten, dass Opfer Gerechtigkeit und Wiedergutmachung einfordern konnten. Die von Saudi-Arabien geführte Militärallianz, welche die international anerkannte Regierung des Jemen unterstützte, bombardierte erneut zivile Einrichtungen und verübte wahllose Angriffe, bei denen Zivilpersonen getötet oder verletzt wurden. Die bewaffnete Gruppe der Huthi und ihre Verbündeten, darunter Armeeeinheiten, die dem ehemaligen Präsidenten Ali Abdullah Saleh die Treue hielten, beschossen Wohnviertel in Taiz mit Granatwerfern und feuerten Artilleriegeschosse wahllos über die Grenze nach Saudi-Arabien. Dabei gab es Tote und Verletzte unter der Zivilbevölkerung. Die jemenitische Regierung, die Huthi und mit ihnen verbündete Armeeeinheiten des ehemaligen Präsidenten Saleh sowie jemenitische Streitkräfte, die sich den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten unterstellt hatten, griffen auf rechtswidrige Haftpraktiken wie Verschwindenlassen, Folter und andere Misshandlungen zurück. Frauen und Mädchen wurden nach wie vor Opfer von Diskriminierung und anderen Menschenrechtsverstößen wie Zwangsverheiratung und häusliche Gewalt. Die Todesstrafe blieb in Kraft. Es gab jedoch keine öffentlich zugänglichen Berichte über Todesurteile und Hinrichtungen.
https://www.amnesty.de/jahresbericht/2018/jemen
and English version:
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Amnesty International: YEMEN 2017/2018
All parties to the continuing armed conflict committed war crimes and other serious violations of international law, with inadequate accountability measures in place to ensure justice and reparation to victims. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition supporting the internationally recognized Yemeni government continued to bomb civilian infrastructure and carried out indiscriminate attacks, killing and injuring civilians. The Huthi-Saleh forces indiscriminately shelled civilian residential areas in Ta’iz city and fired artillery indiscriminately across the border into Saudi Arabia, killing and injuring civilians. The Yemeni government, Huthi-Saleh forces and Yemeni forces aligned to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) engaged in illegal detention practices including enforced disappearance and torture and other ill-treatment. Women and girls continued to face entrenched discrimination and other abuses, including forced and early marriage and domestic violence. The death penalty remained in force; no information was publicly available on death sentences or executions.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/yemen/report-yemen/
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"1- The humanitarian crisis in#Yemenis the most important story in the world,but it rarely receives the coverage that such a massive crisis ought to have.
2- Ongoing blockade by#Saudiand willingness to impose collective punishment on the civilian population.
3- suffering from the largest famine the world has seen 4 decades .
4- struggling with an acute hunger crisis that has effected at least 17M ppl ,third of them considered close to famine.
5- Diseases r spreading like a wildfire,the closure of Yemeni ports will worsen the epidemics.
6- There is a gas and fuel crisis ,people are without salaries for 18 months ,the #Saudi bombardment has really scared our children .
7- Almost daily massacres by #Saudi bombs made in#UK&#US.
8- Poor sanitation,famine,malnutrition,water crisis and etc...
9- The delay to the restoration and expansion of humanitarian access will cost the life of innocent people .
10- The only way to stop the war is if people put pressures on #UK & #US governments to stop selling arms to #Saudi and to find a sustainable peace solution. "
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/967827245212602368(thread) =https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1659463720773318
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
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Die Houthi-Iran-Connection
Krieg im Jemen: Die Verbindungen Teherans zu den Houthi-Rebellen werden von den Saudis massiv übertrieben. Ein regionaler Krieg wird so zum globalen Kampf gegen den „Schurkenstaat“ Iran.
Der 2. Teil des Jemen-Specials erarbeitete die zwei wesentlichen Ziele Saudi-Arabiens in der Bombardierung der Houthi-Rebellen im Jemen: Die Sicherung der Grenzen der drei riesigen 1934 annektierten jemenitischen Provinzen, sowie die Wiedererlangung der über Jahrzehnte etablierten Einflussnahme Riads auf die jemenitische Politik.
Doch gewiss taugen derartige Interessen nicht zur weltöffentlichen Rechtfertigung eines erbarmungslosen Bombenkrieges, in dem weit über 10.000 Menschen getötet und 3 Millionen vertrieben wurden. Daher malt Riad das Bild der Houthis als hörige Marionetten Teherans, der Kampf gegen sie wird so zum Kampf gegen einen feindseligen Iran. Und westliche Politiker wie Medien übernehmen dieses Narrativ größtenteils, ohne es zu hinterfragen oder gar zu überprüfen. Ist der „Schurkenstaat“ Iran das eigentliche Ziel, so ist das bittere Elend der jemenitischen Bevölkerung offensichtlich akzeptabler – Collateral Damage.
Wie schon bei Al-Qaida oder ISIS als Taktik bewährt inkorporiert auch Riad eine religiöse Komponente in ihre Soft-Power-Strategie des Krieges: mit Nachdruck wird versucht, den machtpolitischen Konflikt lokaler Natur in die Sphäre eines Kampfs der islamischen Konfessionen zu ziehen, zwischen Sunniten und Schiiten. Durch die systematische Bombardierung schiitischer Gotteshäuser – eine perfide Taktik, die die Saudis bereits bei der Niederschlagung des Arabischen Frühlings 2011 in Bahrain anwandten – werden entlang der Sunni-Schia-Linien religiöse Feindseligkeiten provoziert und konfessionelle Identitäten strapaziert, die als solche in der Vergangenheit im Jemen kaum eine Rolle spielten.
Im Jemen-Kontext wird diese Strategie der sektiererischen Aufheizung geschickt mit Macht- und Geopolitik verknüpft. Der Iran als Kernland der Schiiten wird bezichtigt, als Drahtzieher hinter den schiitischen Houthis zu stehen, die von den Saudis und ihren Verbündeten als Werkzeuge Teherans dargestellt werden, um einen Fuß auf die Arabische Halbinsel zu bekommen. An Paranoia grenzend wird von Saudi-Arabien das Schreckgespenst eines „vom Iran dominierten Jemen“ bemüht, der saudische Angriffskrieg gegen die Houthis wird so zur Selbstverteidigung gegen den Erzfeind Iran umgemünzt.
Teherans Support wird übertrieben dargestellt
Insbesondere lässt sich jedoch der Vorwurf, die Houthis wären massiv vom Iran hochgerüstet, kaum aufrechterhalten
Kriegseintrittspropaganda made in USA
Nikki Haley präsentierte der Welt also einen Haufen Schrott, den Saudi-Arabien ohne weitergehende Information an die USA übergab, als „konkreten Beweis“, um gegen den Iran zu mobilisieren.
Foreign Policy deckte auf, dass Haleys zentrale Requisite – eine Kurzstreckenrakete ähnlich der iranischen Qiam-1 – nicht nur iranische Bauteile enthielt, sondern auch Komponenten einer US-amerikanischen Rüstungsfirma, was Teherans und Moskaus Behauptung stützt, die Rakete käme nicht zwangsläufig aus iranischer Produktion. Mit denselben „konkreten Beweisen“ hätte Haley demnach auch ihre eigene Regierung der illegalen Waffenlieferungen an die Houthis bezichtigen können
Doppelstandards und die offenkundige Heuchelei westlicher Staaten im Jemen-Kontext: Der Iran wird aufgrund einer nicht zweifelsfrei nachgewiesenen Waffenlieferung an die eine Kriegspartei verurteilt, während eben diese vier verurteilenden Staaten zusammengenommen seit dem Jahr 2000 für jeweils 86 Prozent der Waffenimporte der zwei treibenden Kräfte der anderen Kriegspartei – Saudi-Arabien, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate – verantwortlich sind.
Woher haben die Houthi-Rebellen ihre Waffen?
Die selbsterfüllende Prophezeiung
Mit der „Iranisierung“ des Jemen-Krieges spielt Saudi-Arabien ein geschicktes PR-Spiel. Indem der iranische Teufel in Übergröße an die Wand gemalt wird, konnte die westliche Welt überzeugt werden, dass es sich keineswegs um einen lokalen Konflikt handelt, sondern um einen, der mit der indirekten Bekämpfung eines vermeintlich feindseligen Iran gar globale Kreise zieht. Wer würde schon für einen Grenzkonflikt mitten in der arabischen Wüste die faktische Vernichtung eines bettelarmen Landes tolerieren? – von Jakob Reimann
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/jakob-reimann-justicenow/die-houthi-iran-connection = http://justicenow.de/2018-03-11/die-houthi-iran-connection/ = https://diefreiheitsliebe.de/politik/die-houthi-iran-connection/
Mein Kommentar: Dieser Artikel zeigt sehr schön die saudische Propaganda auf, wie sie auch, mehr oder weniger deutlich, die Berichterstattung fast aller Mainstream-Medien durchsetzt hat.
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Yemen civil war: Saudi expulsion of Yemeni workers swells Houthi ranks
Riyadh’s economic reforms may be fuelling Yemen’s conflict as Houthi rebels and al-Qaeda view influx of jobless young men as prime recruitment opportunity
“Welcome home to the labourers returning from Saudi Arabia. You still have a job: defending the nation on our military bases.”
So declared Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the Houthirebels’ de facto government, in a recent al Thawra newspaper article published in Sanaa.
It barely seems possible, but Yemen – a country that has come apart at the seams since the outbreak of civil war three years ago – is facing a new crisis.
As a result of reforms to Saudi labour laws designed to tackle the country’s high levels of unemployment, hundreds of thousands of illegal migrant workers have been deported from the Kingdom since November last year.
Forced back to a country in the grip of a humanitarian crisis and with no economic prospects, it is feared thousands of deported Yemenis could be picking up guns to join the Houthis or al-Qaeda.
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UN Panel of Experts Launches Mission on Investigating Human Rights Violations in Yemen
Yemen’s Aden-based government stressed on Monday the importance of sighting facts concerning various crimes and violations committed by Houthi militias against civilians.
The internationally-recognized government pledged to facilitate tasks carried out by the United Nations’ team of experts’ which recently launched its mission from the interim capital Aden.
Earlier in September, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution to establish a group of eminent international and regional experts to investigate human rights violations in Yemen, as well as the work of the national commission set up by the legitimate government.
The UN named all members of the panel in charge of the investigations, headed by Tunisian human rights activist Kamel Jendoubi -- the team is expected to complete and submit its report by the end of 2018.
He pointed out that the Houthi violations monitored by the national human rights commission have “affected women, children, detainees, residents, government facilities and public property in an inhumane and immoral manner, breaking international laws.”
“The government is working to support the works of the international human rights team in providing all necessary facilities to carry out their duties and to closely monitor violations committed by militias," said Askar.
Jendoubi explained that his team is an independent international body that will visit different areas experiencing conflict in Yemen and sit down with all parties without exception.
He also said that the panel mainly aims to provide a clear vision encompassing ground facts and accounts of violations against civilians in a final report submitted to the Human Rights Council at the end of 2018.
My comment: By Saudi media. I did not find any other report on this. And the Hadi government pretends there are “Houthi violations“, and this was the whole story. LOL.
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Ansarullah Leader Explains How US and UN Sandbagged Yemen Peace Talks
The last thing Saudi Arabia and its Western allies want is a self-sustaining, economically viable, militarily strong, and anti-imperialist Yemen at the bottom of the Arabian Peninsula, controlling the Red Sea and its strategic waterways. Yemen’s geographic placement in regards to the flow of world capital cannot be stressed enough.
To break the media blackout and provide balanced coverage, MintPress News spoke to Mohammed Ali al-Houthi about his movement’s experience with previous peace talks, the recent reconciliation plan, how the media portrays Ansarullah, and the international community’s responsibility in creating this humanitarian catastrophe.
On the initial aggression, al-Houthi had this to say:
The attack and the aggression on Yemen was not born of the moment but was prepared by previous plans. This was revealed by the former UN envoy, Jamal Benomar, when he delivered a message to the leader of the revolution, Mr. Abdulmalik Badruddin al-Houthi, which said that America and ten other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative are ready for armed intervention to confront us militarily if we did not stop the revolution against the corrupt government.”
Yemen’s growing revolutionary anti-imperialist movement threatens U.S.-Saudi regional hegemony
The last thing Saudi Arabia and their Western allies want is a self-sustaining, economically viable, militarily strong, and anti-imperialist Yemen at the bottom of the Arabian Peninsula, controlling the Red Sea and its strategic waterways. The importance of Yemen’s geographic placement in regards to the flow of world capital cannot be stressed enough.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a crucial choke point: nearly 59 billion barrels of petroleum and other liquid products pass through here each day
Controlling the media to humanize war crimes
Al-Houthi explained that the United States, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates dominate international discourse to “humanize” their actions “as if they are defenders of humanity!” He believes they are able to achieve this because the U.S. has power through the media, politics, and economic standing to sway the general narrative and actions of international organizations such as the United Nations.
The U.S. and the coalition countries against Yemen appear to be leading the process of caring for civilians and humanitarian work while, in fact, they destroy humanity and kill civilians. Thousands of daily massacres have been committed against Yemeni civilians for three years and they continue to this very moment.”
Turning Yemen into another Somalia through sabotaged peace initiatives
While the media portrays Ansarullah as the peace-talk saboteur, it is actually the U.S. ambassador who obstructs dialogue. Al-Houthi says his movement has made significant concessions in all previous potential agreements:
One day in Switzerland there was a dialogue session. The national delegation and the other delegations agreed to continue negotiations on that day, but the U.S. ambassador telephoned UN Envoy [to Yemen] Ould Cheikh and told him to cancel all dialogues. The dialogue was canceled and the delegation returned from Switzerland.”
He points out that a similar incident took place in Kuwait:
The American ambassador entered the room and said that if we do not comply [with] orders and the American demands, they will turn Yemen into another Somalia.”
Ansarullah leader submits peace plan to United Nations
Mainstream media outlets barely even mentioned this event.
Responding to accusations of Iranian influence in Yemen
The accusation of Iran’s supporting of Ansarullah in Yemen serves a few purposes that benefit Saudi Arabia and Western powers. Not only does it publicly justify foreign intervention in Yemen, but al-Houthi says it also helps improve Riyadh’s public image.
The Saudi regime is working day and night to improve its image in order to avoid extradition of the perpetrators of the events of September 11 and to draw attention away from its crimes and terrorism acts against all the people in the region and the Yemeni people in particular. This is also to deceive the world so they forget its crimes and terrorism. They, by their stupidity, are trying to attribute or make the aggression against Yemen as a war on Iran!”
If Saudi Arabia wants to wage a war with Iran as it claims, al-Houthi suggests it simply travel the short distance to Iran and do it itself:
Saudi Arabia has a tight grip on both Western and Arab media outlets. Through thousands of subscriptions at inflated rates and other backdoor financial methods, Riyadh ensures that news outlets take a “containment” or “neutralized” approach when covering its behavior. WikiLeaks exposed this systemic control of the media through the “Saudi Cables.”
Al-Houthi also pointed out the hypocrisy of the United States — which calls itself a champion of democracy, yet supports oppressive monarchies, reactionary regimes, and notorious human-rights violators like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – by Randi Nord
Comment: A must read for all, especially diplomats. The most comprehensive interview ever after 3 years of #Saudi war – #Yemen Houthi leader @Moh_Alhouthi, in English. Powerful.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/973630625071681536
My comment: This is a very pro-Houthi report, very interesting anyway, and reasonable in many points.
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
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Diphtheria outbreak kills 73 in Yemen: WHO
A diphtheria outbreak has killed 73 people in war-torn Yemen since August, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday.
In a statement, the UN agency said some 1,294 suspected cases of diphtheria have been recorded in 20 of Yemen’s 23 provinces.
It listed Ibb and al-Hodeidah provinces in central and western Yemen as the hardest-hit by the disease.
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/diphtheria-outbreak-kills-73-in-yemen-who-3136543
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Yemen: Cholera Suspected Cases (From 27 April - 9 March 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-suspected-cases-27-april-9-march-2018
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Yemen: Cholera Attack Rate (%) Population (From 27 April - 9 March 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-attack-rate-population-27-april-9-march-2018
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Yemen: 1,076,472 cholera cases as of March 10
WHO's Cholera Response Dashboard reports 1,076,472 cases and 2,265 deaths as of March 10. That is an increase of 498 cases and one death in 24 hours.
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Film: Jemen - Der größte Cholera Ausbruch der Welt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijTN8J3c_Mg
Bemerkung: Wohl schon etwas älter.
cp2 Allgemein / General
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Audio: Interview With Ben Norton—Part 2: Yemen, South Korea, AIPAC, And Democrats
In part two of our episode with journalist Ben Norton, we discuss Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman's visit to the United Kingdom and ongoing war in Yemen. Norton addresses the significance a move by a few U.S. senators to withdraw U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war.
Later in the show, Norton talks about Senator Chuck Schumer and Democrats, who spoke at the Israel lobby's conference.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/17530738
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Film: Houthi landmines add to Yemeni misery
Civilians in Yemen are facing a fresh threat in the country's conflict. Residents say landmines laid down by Houthis in the area have cause more casualties than the fighting between the Houthis and Yemen's Saudi backed government.
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When Daniele from @ICRC_ye entered the historic city, Zabid was still 15 km from fighting. Yesterday, violent explosions took place just 7 km away from the world heritage site. Scores scores of civilians were killed in the city just before it, Hays. Will disaster be prevented?
https://twitter.com/afaiteICRC/status/971591830356848640
referring to
Film. Our colleague Daniele visited the historic city of #Zabid & neighboring Jarrahi, both only dozens of kms away from fighting, to check on needs in one of #Yemen’s poorest areas. He shares his observations & @ICRC_ye upcoming plans here:
https://twitter.com/ICRC_ye/status/968881484911149056
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A human rights organization has delivered documented information to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, which highlights the war crimes committed by senior military commanders from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Yemen .
The International Organization for the Punishment of War Criminals has announced the inclusion of ten people on its list of war crimes offenders, six of them senior Saudi and Emirati military officials , and calls for them to be judged for the atrocious acts they have perpetrated in Yemen.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1676135699106120
referring to
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ONG revela crímenes de militares saudíes y emiratíes en Yemen
Entre los delitos se menciona violación a muchas mujeres y dos prisioneros, en este último caso estuvieron involucrados cuatro militares, uso indebido de la fuerza militar, desaparición forzada, uso de armas prohibidas, arresto arbitrario, toma de rehenes y tortura a los detenidos.
En esta misma línea, denunció a Arabia Saudí y sus aliados por ignorar el sufrimiento de la nación yemení—reportado en reiteradas ocasiones por diferentes oenegés—y emplear la cruel táctica de mantener hambrientos a los civiles como una herramienta durante la guerra que ha causado una grave crisis humanitaria en el país más pobre del mundo árabe.
https://www.hispantv.com/noticias/yemen/371067/guerra-abrabia-saudi-crimenes-emiratos-militares
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Human Rights Organizations: Death, Destruction, Hunger, Siege Conclude Yemen’s War
Three years of war against Yemen, in which the coalition forces committed violations, which rose to the level of genocide. This was confirmed by a human rights organization that held a symposium in Geneva in conjunction with the Human Rights Council.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961221001266
remark: by Iranian media, not telling which organizations took part.
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Yemen to see scheduled cargo ops in late 1Q18
Air Djibouti is set to begin scheduled flights to the Yemeni city of Aden, one of the few foreign airlines to do so, reports ch-aviation.
Al-Sakhtari expressed his company's readiness to competitively price the flights in addition to the transfer of relief materials and medicines to all airports across Yemen if so requested by the Saudi coalition-backed alliance and the Aden-based Yemeni government.
Operations are on-board a B727-200 chartered from Kenya's Safe Air. No plans for passenger flights were disclosed given the precarious security conditions around Yemen.
http://www.arabianaerospace.aero/yemen-to-see-scheduled-cargo-ops-in-late-1q18.html and also https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/1675768845809472/?type=3
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Interactive map of Yemen
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Yémen : le Vietnam de l'Arabie saoudite ?
Il y a trois ans, l'Arabie saoudite décidait d'intervenir dans la guerre civile au Yémen voisin. Trois ans plus tard le pays semble s'être lui-même enlisé dans un conflit dévastateur pour les populations civiles, au risque de perdre la guerre aussi bien sur le terrain que dans les esprits.
https://www.franceinter.fr/monde/yemen-le-vietnam-de-l-arabie-saoudite
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Military bases in UAE foreign policy
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been one of the leading countries in the Middle East in terms of aggressive foreign policy. This activism is easily observed in Abu Dhabi's response to the revolutionary uprisings in the Arab world.
In line with this target, the UAE increased its activity in the region and carried out strategic moves like establishing military bases on the islands of Socotra and Perim in Yemen, the port town of Assab in Eritrea and Puntland and Somaliland regions in Somalia. These military bases are located particularly in the Horn of Africa, a region that is crucial for the security of international trade.
In order to eliminate possible threats to the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, the UAE government has been following a more active policy of intervention in the region and establishes military bases that are capable of land, sea and air forces to operate.
Through these bases, the UAE administration aims become an influential actor in the Horn of Africa region by having a military presence in the Gulf of Aden, Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea.
Although the Emirati leadership provides financial assistance to the people of these regions, it cannot prevent the negative perceptions against these bases.
https://www.dailysabah.com/op-ed/2018/03/12/military-bases-in-uae-foreign-policy
(* B H K)
Filme: Brutaler Bürgerkrieg im Jemen
Huthi-Rebellen und deren Unterstützer aus dem Iran kämpfen gegen eine Armee, die Unterstützung aus Saudi-Arabien erhält. Die Bevölkerung im Jemen leidet in Flüchtlingslagern an Krankheiten und es herrscht Lebensmittelknappheit.
https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute-journal/videos/brutaler-buergerkrieg-im-jemen-100.html = https://www.facebook.com/ZDFheute/videos/10156294867905680/
Jemen: Seit drei Jahren Krieg
Seit drei Jahren bekämpft sich im Jemen eine, von Saudi-Arabien angeführte, Militärallianz und die, vom Iran unterstützen Huthi Rebellen.
https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute-19-uhr/jemen-seit-drei-jahren-krieg-100.html
Bemerkung: Zu diesen Beiträgen bitte auch lesen:
(* B H K)
ZDF „heute“: Barbara Hahlweg und Uli Gack lügen 6 Mal in weniger als 2 Minuten eine iranische Beteiligung am Krieg im Jemen herbei
Die Kriegspropaganda des ZDF über den Konflikt im Jemen, der laut UN die größte humanitäre Katastrophe der Welt verursacht hat, erreichte am Samstag Abend einen neuen „Höhepunkt“, als Barbara Hahlweg und Uli Gack innerhalb von nicht einmal 2 Minuten 6 Mal eine Beteiligung des Iran an diesem Krieg herbeilogen – und die Wahrheit, dass Saudi-Arabien bei diesem Massaker von den USA, Großbritannien, Frankreich und Deutschland aktiv unterstützt wird, erneut komplett totschwiegen.
https://propagandaschau.wordpress.com/2018/03/10/zdf-heute-sechs-luegen-ueber-den-jemen/
(* B P)
Journalism: The fatal job in Yemen
Yemen is one of the most perilous environments for journalists to operate in.
A word in Yemen can cost one's life particularly if the speaker belongs to the media field.
When journalists professionally and neutrally cover events in Yemen, they know the extent of peril. They could be killed, wounded, arrested or disappeared. Since 2015, journalism in Yemen has been under war.
Over the last year alone, 300 violations were committed against journalists, media workers and media houses, according to a recent report by the Yemeni Journalists' Syndicate (YJS).
The violations range from disappearance, detention, blockade, equipment confiscation to murder.
The parties to the conflict in Yemen see no value and show no respect for the unbiased journalism. The legitimate government, the Houthi group, al-Qaeda militants and the southern separatists have been sharing a common enmity for the media that does not befit their ideologies and intentions.
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2018/3/10/journalism-the-fatal-job-in-yemen
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(* B H)
Save the Children: MOBILE HEALTH CLINICS: FIGHTING TO SAVE LIVES IN YEMEN
Last year, I was on a mission to Hajjah in northern Yemen where Save the Children is providing healthcare, water and food to the most vulnerable families.
I accompanied one of our health teams who travel to remote areas to provide life-saving services where people have no access to doctors.
As Yemen is in the throes of the world’s worst cholera outbreak, children are paying the highest price of a health system in ruins.
Our mobile clinics are a life-line to the most vulnerable children.
It was a long, dangerous, and difficult journey to reach people in need.
When we arrived at a school, hundreds of people were already waiting for us. The corridor was so full of people needing care that I couldn’t even enter the room.
Old women and mothers carrying their children queued for their turn to receive care. Many had walked for hours.
The suffering of the people in this clinic is evident. Sadly, their story reflects the reality of all Yemeni people.
We’re working as hard as we can, but we need more help. Please support our Yemen appeal if you can.
https://blogs.savethechildren.org.uk/2018/03/mobile-health-clinics-fighting-save-lives-yemen/
(A H)
WHO medical aid arrives in Yemen’s capital
The World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered 55 tons of medical aid to Yemen’s capital Sanaa, according to the country’s official media on Monday.
The Houthi-run SABA news agency reported that a cargo plane carrying 55 tons of medical equipment arrived at Sana International Airport.
https://aa.com.tr/en/health/who-medical-aid-arrives-in-yemen-s-capital/1086939
(B H)
An aid worker on Yemen: “It has been heart-breaking to see what has happened to this amazing country”
Kenneth Grant, an outgoing technical assistant with the EU in Yemen, looks back at his mission to assist the aid effort in one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
As a technical assistant with the EU, I have been responsible for managing EU funding for humanitarian programmes in Yemen.
Although I have worked in many other humanitarian crises before, it was the visits to the therapeutic feeding centres which impacted me most at the personal level. These are centres which, with the support of EU funding, provide life-saving treatment to severely malnourished children. It is very hard to see small children suffer from a war they have no part in.
It has been an intense and rewarding three years with the EU in Yemen. Peace cannot return soon enough to allow people to rebuild their lives.
(* B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen: Protection Cluster Update (March 2018)
The recent intensification of conflict has had a massive impact on the conflict-affected civilian population. Civilian casualties documented and verified by OHCHR in December 2017 were three times higher than the monthly average for the year. Governorates most affected by casualties in 2017 include Taizz (26%) where there has been intense, ongoing conflict, Al-Hudaydah (18%) where military offensives have recently reached as well as Sa’ada (11%).
The upsurge in fighting in Yemen has resulted in a new wave of displacement.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-protection-cluster-update-march-2018
(A H)
First Autism care center opened in Marib
The center will provide servicess for mothers, women and children, especially children suffering from autism.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16301
(* B H)
Yemen: A campaign by Shireen Al-Adeimi
Thank you for supporting the lifesaving mission of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Yemen!
Given the ongoing war in Yemen and the resulting humanitarian crisis, I am raising funds to support MSF's response to emergencies in Yemen. Your donation is specifically earmarked for Yemen and will be put to work immediately to deliver urgent medical care including treatment for cholera, malnutrition, emergency surgery, and lifesaving vaccinations for people in Yemen.
Please take a moment to share this donation page
(* A H)
Salaries of teachers continue to be unpaid in most of the country. All children in #Yemen have the right to Education! (Map)
https://twitter.com/RelanoMeritxell/status/972102840360603648
(A H)
First fishing boat delivered today to fisherman in #Hadramout. This project funded by @WorldBankMENA & @UNDPYEMEN not only creates jobs for fishers it encourages local manufacturing. (photo)
https://twitter.com/Wesamqaid/status/972569103981600770
(A H)
Another child succumbed to cancer as medicines are not entering #Yemen. Not enough, at least.
While airstrikes continue and food is little.
Sundos Abdul (@Yemeni_Lareine) volunteers at your.abilities.org NGO in #Sanaa. (photo)
(A H)
Film: Yemen - The First Creative Forum For Women In Taiz On International Women's Day
On the occasion of International Women's Day, the Women's Entrepreneurship Group in Taiz opened the first creative forum for women to stimulate women and contribute to job creation despite the war and siege that the city has experienced for nearly three years. More than 32 women who have their own small projects gathered to send a message that the women of Taiz deserve life despite the suffering they experience, and to highlight their ambition, will and what they created and accomplished despite the dire circumstances facing women and their insistence on continuing
(* B H)
Yemen's child soldiers fetch ammunition and bury bodies as war grinds on
Abdul Fateh’s childhood ended two years ago as he walked home from school.
Houthi rebels had seized his home city, Amran, leaving him and his family under the control of the militia which had quickly swept across Yemen.
As he and three friends walked back from lessons, an armed pickup truck driven by the fighters pulled alongside. They ordered the boys to join the group of similar schoolboys sitting in the back. If they did not, the fighters threatened to attack the boys’ homes.
Overnight the slight 14-year-old was to go from schoolboy to one of thousands of child soldiers pressed into Yemen’s grinding civil war. (login)
(* B H)
Film: War exacerbates the plight & number of #epilepsy patients in #Taiz
https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/972499239849820160
(B H)
Poor economy and war forcing Yemeni women to break with tradition and become breadwinners
The dire economic situation and hardship caused by the four-year conflict in Yemen has added to the burden faced by many women — and brought a dramatic shift in gender roles. Women such as Raweh have had to break taboos in their conservative society by going out to work in order to support their families.
“We have a difficult choice: Either work or see our families starve to death — so many women, including myself, decided to work,” Raweh said.
“Food is the most important thing for people, so when women lose their breadwinners and they don’t find someone to help, immediately they choose to work,” he told Arab News.
“Either they work or they see their family starve. So they usually choose work.”
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1263516/middle-east
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(B P)
Shiite Muslim who escaped Yemen seeks to break barriers
Through interfaith peace activism, Mohammed AL Samawi, a Shiite Muslim, tells his story of escaping Yemen with help from friends of different backgrounds in the hopes of completing his goal of breaking barriers and garnering understanding among Jews, Christians and Muslims.
That is a goal he will continue during a visit March 19 to Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood in partnership with Fairmount Temple and AJC Cleveland.
It was his interfaith work that made him a target within his community, causing him to move to Aden, Yemen, where he was surrounded by war. The connections he made helped him escape Yemen when he was trapped in his apartment three years ago.
His journey is recounted in his memoir, "The Fox Hunt," which is planned to be adapted into a movie.
(B H)
Yemen: Al Hudaydah / Taizz Displacement Update (4 March - 8 March 2018)
The security situation has not changed since last week. The local authorities in Al Hudaydah raised again the issue of creating IDPs camps but this time in Aljarrahi district, and they justified their request due to the slow response of humanterian actors in Al Hudaydah.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-al-hudaydah-taizz-displacement-update-4-march-8-march-201
(* B H)
In a Yemeni town, hardship awaits displaced civilians
Al-Mokha, located some 75 kms (47 miles) north of the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, and neighboring al-Khoukha and al-Heiss are among the few towns conceded by Houthi fighters since Yemen’s civil war started in 2015 after the armed group forced Hadi into exile in Saudi Arabia.
“At least 40,000 have been displaced in recent weeks,” Eshrak al-Soubai, Yemen’s deputy health minister, told Reuters.
“Most displaced people are coming from the areas of fighting in al-Heiss district (some 90 kms away) ... the situation is very critical,” she said during a visit to al-Mokha hospital, the only medical facility in the coalition-controlled western coast.
Last month, the United Nations said at least 85,000 Yemenis had left their homes in the area since fresh fighting erupted in December 2017.
Doctors and medical staff at al-Mokha hospital are struggling on a daily basis to provide aid and treatment for victims of the war and diseases.
Fishing, the main source of income for the majority of local residents, remains subject to approval from coalition forces. Several fishermen told Reuters they were allowed to sail only once or twice a week.
A coalition commander said that sometimes fishermen were not allowed to venture out to sea “for security reasons”.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-displaced/in-a-yemeni-town-hardship-awaits-displaced-civilians-idUSKCN1GN0FL = https://voiceofpeopletoday.com/investigation-city-al-mukha-western-yemen/
(* B H)
Film: These kids should be enjoying the innocence of childhood, but in #Yemen they're learning how to survive in a war zone.
https://twitter.com/Refugees/status/972499328768999424
(B H)
RMMS Mixed Migration Monthly Summary: East Africa and Yemen (January 2018)
(B H)
Djibouti – Gueliléh, Badaf, Fonteherou et Orobor: Point de suivi des flux de populations, tableau de bord 4, période 1 – 31 Décembre 2017
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
Yemen's FM meets with new UN envoy
Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf met with the Resident Representative of the United Nations for Humanitarian Coordinator, Lisa Grande to Yemen.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490260.htm
(A E P)
Houthis hand out cooking gas vouchers for loyalists only
As the shortage of cooking gas is squeezing the general public in the Houthi-held capital Sana'a, the rebel militiamen are handing out vouchers for a cylinder lot of gas only to their loyalists at the official price of YR 1500.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16299
Remark: As claimed by anti-Houthi Islah Party media. – And a pro-Houthi film on the gas crisis:
(A E P)
Achieving the march on the worsening of the gas crisis 10-03-2018
The break in the gas crisis extinguished Just before the citizens breathe a sigh of relief, this gas station is one of the dozens of stations lined up by queues of citizens late at night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKX4J12TRJk = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/972559967902420992
(A H P)
Film: Cooking #gas #crisis continues to rock the capital #Sanaa, despite the arrival of gas carriers coming from the oil-rich #Marib, as residents confirm that the price of a 20-liter cylinder of gas in the black market has reached 9,000 YR.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/973217259815690240
(A P)
Some of the #Houthi loyalists have turned a public property (Street ) - near the central prison in the central province of #Ibb - into a private property, and have started constructing houses and blocking the street from both sides (photo)
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/972375184840765440
(* A P)
#Houthis have kidnapped 2 #UN employees in #Sanaa , “In a letter sent last Monday, officials from the UN informed UNSG Assistant for HR Andrew Gilmour about the incident & expressed other concerns over an attack on 8 UN staff in Sana’a, Ibb & Hdeidah (letter in images)
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/972229199468683267
(A P)
Human Rights Minister says Houthis following suit of ISIL
Minister of Human Rights Mohammed Askar has told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat daily that the Houthi kidnapping of two UN employees is " a serious signal for the militia has being following suit of ISIL and al-Qaeda behaviors."
The Shia Islamist rebels recently kidnapped two UN staff workers in Sana’a and detained them in a dark, two-meter-square room, denying them access to food, enough drink or toilet use for six days.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16300
(A H P)
Implementation of WFP's projects in Yemen discussed
Minister of Planning and International
Cooperation Abdulaziz Al-Komaim met on Sunday with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Resident Representative in Yemen Stephen Anderson.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490047.htm
(A H P)
FM praises ICRC's humanitarian role in Yemen
Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf met on Sunday with Resident Representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Yemen, Alexander Faite.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490051.htm
(A)
Men's anti-drug arrested two tons of Hshish in Jawf province
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news489979.htm
(* A)
Yemen's Sanaa: crisis of cooking gas is continuing. It just adds to blockade & crises aimed at starving ppl. Reports: Houthi militants have prevented 100s of gas trucks from entering Sanaa. Price of a gas canister at black market has reached 8.000 rials "increased by over 600%".
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/972034630386896896
(A P)
Film: Yemeni PM slams US, KSA for ongoing war
Press TV correspondent Mohammad al-Attab has interviewed the Yemeni prime minister. Abdel-Aziz bin Habtour sheds light on the impacts of the Saudi war on Yemen and the necessary measures needed to be taken to restore peace in the war-torn country.
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/03/10/555000/Yemen-US-KSA-war
and
Film: Saudi war impossible without US support: Yemeni PM
Yemen's prime minister tells Press TV that Saudi Arabia would not have been able to wage a war on the impoverished country without support from the United States.
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/03/11/555046/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-United-States-Iran
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
(A P)
One of Hadi close aides, Salah Sayadi, left Aden, south Yemen, this morning heading to Riyadh. That's only one day after he recognized that Saudi Arabia had put Hadi ( so-called legitimate president of Yemen ) under house arrest in Riyadh.
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/973468880239845376
Also, Sayadi recognized that UAE is occupying South Yemen. He says, here in his post, that he would return to Aden only as A " statesman or conqueror"!
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/973504943658237953
(A)
Film: Yemen – Life Returns To Gold More Beach After Visitors’ Reluctance Due To The Bombings
http://arab24.com/portal/index.php/en/2017-09-05-06-25-42/2017-09-27-09-45-44/2017-09-05-06-26-645547/item/9986-yemen-life-returns-to-gold-more-beach-after-visitors-reluctance-due-to-the-bombings and https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=YuCfd7lcx3I
(* A T)
Seven killed in military kitchen bomb attack in Yemen: witnesses
Seven people were killed in Yemen’s port city of Aden on Tuesday when a car bomb ripped through a military kitchen used by Yemeni forces trained and backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), medics said.
One of the dead was a young boy walking in the street at the time of the blast, they said. Fifteen people were wounded.
Witnesses said the blast was caused by a car laden with explosives, apparently driven by a suicide bomber towards the kitchen in al-Derain area in northern Aden. The force of the blast damaged stores and cars nearby.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, the second of its kind targeting security forces in the city.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/seven-killed-in-military-kitchen-bomb-attack-in-yemen-witnesses-idUSKCN1GP0LQ and https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-claim/islamic-state-claims-responsibility-for-yemen-military-kitchen-bomb-attack-idUKKCN1GP0W3?rpc=401 and also http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5494081/Suicide-bombing-hits-UAE-backed-force-Yemens-Aden-security-source.html
and
(* A T)
6 soldiers killed in suicide car bombing in Yemen's Aden
Six soldiers were killed on Tuesday in an incident of suicide car bombing in the southern port city of Aden, local police said.
and films:
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1676862529033437/
https://twitter.com/AnsarAllahMC/status/973654322113318913
https://twitter.com/AnsarAllahMC/status/973649538841042944
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/973465289215172614
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/973518675750916098
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/973485518892695552
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/973519053150150657
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/973542724900216834 (photos by ISIS)
film:
and
(A B T)
Daesh bomb attack hits UAE military kitchen in Yemen
The UAE has trained three security forces, including the “Security Belt Forces (also referred to as Al-Hizam Brigades) largely deployed in southwest Yemen; the Hadrami Elite Forces deployed in the governorate of the Hadramawt; and the Shabwani Elite Forces deployed to southern Shabwa”, according to a 29-page counter-terrorism report published last month.
According to a report by Yemen experts for the UN, the UAE-backed forces are primarily made up of Yemenis recruited from southern governorates, are paid an average of $800 per month and have been deployed in Abyan, Aden and Lahij.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180313-daesh-bomb-attack-hits-uae-military-kitchen-in-yemen/
(A H)
Film: Yemen - With The "Sweeping Torrent" Operations, UAE Sends Relief Convoys To Al-Mahfid Directorate
(A T)
Bomb explosions wound four civilians in Taiz, 7 soldiers in Aden
In the explosion occurred in Taiz, four civilians were wounded on Monday by a roadside bomb explosion, next to a popular market in the al Ajinat area, downtown Taiz, a security source said.
The source told Almasdaronline that an explosive device was planted in a car near Al-Dhafri station and detonated by unknown persons. Four civilians were wounded, some of them with serious injuries.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/97611
(A P)
Ben Aidan: Bullying Acts of Yemeni Occupation Troops in Hadhramaut Valley Necessitate Deployment of Hadhramaut Elites Forces in the Valley
Dr. Hussain Lakour Ben Aidan, an academic and political analyst, indicated that bullying acts of Yemeni occupation troops in Hadhramaut valley confirm the need for deploying Hadhramaut Elites Forces in the valley as the rest of Hadhramaut parts
My comment: By Southern separatists. “Yemeni Occupation Troops” seems to be the labeling of president Hadi’s army. The separatists praise UAE-backed “Security Belt” militia instead. And do not mention that these militia behave even much more bullying. – And these militia (That’s what must be meant in the following report) freely move everywhere:
(A P)
Anti-Terrorism Forces of Adan Security Department Attack a Weapon Market in Sheikh Othman and Confiscate Weapons and Ammunition
And it’s the UAE which backs all these militia:
(A K P)
After Visiting UAE, West Coast Commandership Returns to Battel Fields
And there is positive reporting about their UAE overlords:
(A H P)
UAE Red Crescent Signs an Agreement for Constructing a Water Pumping Unit in Gol Al-Rida
(A T)
Militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) that wounded seven Aden-based security forces north of Aden city on March 11.[5]
(A)
Application Form
Application form for entry into Dar al Mustafa for Islamic Studies, Tarim, Hadramawt, Yemen.
Welcome dear student. It is now possible for you to begin your journey of seeking authentic Islamic knowledge - with an unbroken chain of narration back to the Prophet (sallallhu alayhi wasallam) as well as attaining the sciences of spiritual purification and bearing the responsibility of calling to Allah – by applying to study at Dar al Mustafa, Tarim, Hadramout, Yemen.
www.darulmustafa.net/apply and home page http://www.darulmustafa.net/
(* A T)
Anti-Al Qaida operation in Abyan ends
UAE-backed forces kill local militant leader and arrest other terrorists
UAE-backed Yemeni troops have said they killed a local Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader, arrested many militants, and ousted AQAP from the southern Abyan province’s rural enclaves, after a military operation that ended on Sunday.
As part of ‘Operation Sweeping Torrent’, dozens of armoured vehicles carrying soldiers from the Security Belt and Rapid Deployment Force crossed into rugged regions last week in Al Mahfad that have long been perceived as Al Qaida safe havens.
Thanks to massive support from the UAE Armed Forces, Yemeni forces that regrouped in military bases inside and outside the country managed to expel the militants from their former strongholds, forcing them into taking refuge along a chain of mountains in Baydha.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/anti-al-qaida-operation-in-abyan-ends-1.2186663
(* A P)
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation inaugurates Hawlaf Port in Yemen
The Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation has inaugurated the Hawlaf Port in Socotra Governorate, Yemen, after completing a number of development projects, as per the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, along with the monitoring of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Foundation.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302673748
My comment: The UAE had occupied Socotra Island (“rented” for 99 year from Hadi government) and pulls the island into exploitation (for military and economic purposes) neglecting and destroying the natural heritage.
(A P)
Hadi invests the suffering of those forcibly deported from Saudi Arabia!
The failure of Hadi and his legitimacy in Riyadh to convince the brothers in Saudi Arabia any humanitarian exceptions estimated Yemeni expatriates returning thousands to Yemen
http://www.adengad.net/news/307026/ and translation https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ar&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adengad.net%2Fnews%2F307040%2F&edit-text=
(* A P)
Yemeni minister of Saudi-formed government calls Yemenis to take to streets To pressure Saudi Arabia for releasing Yemen exiled "President" Hadi, based in Riyadh for 3 years 8and text in image)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/972773599118544896
and
(* A P)
Yemeni min. urges citizens to come out on streets
Yemenis should call for return of their president who has been living in Saudi Arabia since 2015, says minister
Yemen's State Minister Salah Sayyadi on Sunday urged citizens to come out on the streets and call for the return of their president who fled the country in 2015.
In a post on Facebook, he said Yemen will plunge into a catastrophe unless President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi returns to the country from Saudi Arabia.
"Everyone should do their best to stop Iran's militia in the country and put an end to the coup," he said.
Some local activists and media outlets claim that Hadi is being held in the kingdom against his will.
https://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemeni-min-urges-citizens-to-come-out-on-streets/1085966
My comment: This shows a growing discontent of even Hadi’s minister against Saudi Arabia. – “Yemen will plunge into a catastrophe unless President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi returns to the country” is a silly joke. Whether he is in Saudi Arabia or in Yemen or at the South Pole would change little.
The legitimate government recognizes the detention of President Hadi in Saudi Arabia and calls for a demonstration to release him
The Yemeni government on Sunday called on the Yemeni people to demonstrate for the release of President Hadi, who said he was being held in Saudi Arabia.
The call came in the words of the minister, Salah al-Sayadi, who said that he should demonstrate to release President Hadi and return him to Yemen.
Ali al-Sayadi said that Yemenis should accept all the bad results coming in the dream unless President Hadi returns to Yemen.
http://www.adengad.net/news/307040/
(A P)
Tribal militants cut off Marib electricity
Residents of Marib city, east of the capital Sanaa, said on Saturday that the electricity had been cut off from the city until dawn, because of a tribal militants doing.
The electricity was suddenly cut off before 6 pm
http://almasdaronline.com/article/97539
(A P)
Declaration of Local Leadership of the Southern Transitional Council in Mansoura – Adan
On Saturday morning March 10th, 2018, Moon Light Hall hosted the establishing meeting of local leadership of the southern transitional council in Mansoura – Adan
(A P)
Hostile Powers Damaged by Victories of Hadhramaut Elites over Terrorist Groups Spread Media Chaos
Brigadier General Farag Salmeen Al-Ba Hasany, governor of Hadhramaut and commander of the second military zone, announced on Saturday morning that hostile powers damaged by victories of Hadhramaut Elites Forces over terrorist groups are trying to mislead Arab and international public opinion.
My comment: This report and the previous show who actually is ruling in Southern Yemen: It’s the separatist “Southern Transitional Council”, and also the governor of Hadramaut seems to be loyal to the separatists and not to the Hadi government, as he backs the pro-separatist militia.
(* B P)
1250 assassination incidents in #Aden since its liberation, most of them military personnel, including 21 imams and mosque preachers
The Union of Writers of #Aden Governorate has monitored more than one thousand and two hundred and fifty assassination incidents during the three years following the liberation of the province from the Houthis by mid-2015.
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(A P)
Iran Urges Dutch Push to End Saudi War on Yemen
Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami called on the Netherlands to use its influence in international bodies to help end a Saudi-led military campaign against people of Yemen.
(A P)
Yemeni Interior Minister: We will give all support to the new UN envoy to achieve his mission
Yemen’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Ahmed Al-Misri confirmed the country’s legitimate government would cooperate with the new UN envoy, saying they would provide all possible support for his mission, Saudi state-news agency SPA reported.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1265211/middle-east
My comment: Well, from all parties in this war exactly the Hadi government was the greatest blockade for all peace efforts.
(A P)
International Conference to be Held Next Month to Mobilize Humanitarian Support for Yemen
The United Nations is preparing for an international conference to be held in Geneva next April to mobilize more humanitarian support for Yemen, said Lise Grande, the UN newly-appointed humanitarian coordinator in Yemen.
The announcement came during a press conference held by Grande upon her arrival at Sanaa airport from Riyadh, where she held meetings with the leadership of the Yemeni government to discuss obstacles imposed by Houthi rebels to impede the work of humanitarian organizations.
The UN official is expected to hold meetings with Houthi militia leaders in Sanaa
(A P)
The UN appointed Lise Grande as the new Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen on March 11. Grande arrived in Sana’aon March 12 and announced that UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres will hold a conference aimed at increasing aid to Yemen on April 3. Grande met with Hadi government Foreign Minister Abdul Malik al Mikhlafi to discuss humanitarian aid distribution across Yemen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 11. Grande also met with the head of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) to discuss enhancing cooperation between KSrelief and UN in Yemen on March 11. Grande previously served as the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq.[3]
and
(A P)
UN Appoints Lise Grande As Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen
The United Nations has recently chosen its former humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, to assume the same task in Yemen, succeeding Jamie McGoldrick, who was accused by the Yemeni legitimate government of being biased towards the Houthi rebels.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1202266/un-appoints-lise-grande-humanitarian-coordinator-yemen
My comment: By Saudi media, including propaganda content. McGoldrick simply was not biased towards the Saudis and clearly spoke out, and there is a lot to say about Saudi war crimes…
and
(A H P)
The #UN #humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen arrives in #Sanaa International Airpot today, confiming that Yemen's humanitarian needs are the biggest in the world (photo)
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/973210821462495233
(A P)
Mattis in Oman to meet with Sultan Qaboos
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Oman on Sunday ahead of a meeting with Sultan Qaboos to discuss ongoing security concerns, including the situation in neighbouring Yemen.
Under Qaboos, Oman has maintained good ties with countries outside the six-country Gulf Cooperation Council bloc to which it belongs, including neighbouring Yemen.
Muscat hosted talks with Yemeni rebels towards resolving the war
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5487729/Mattis-Oman-meet-Sultan-Qaboos.html
and
(A P)
Mattis will discuss arms smuggling into Yemen on Oman trip
US Defense Secretary James Mattis has arrived in Oman and will meet Sultan Qaboos on Monday, with the pair set to discuss a packed agenda that includes arms trafficking into Yemen, defence relations and counterterrorism.
On his first trip to Oman as Pentagon chief, Mr Mattis said in a gaggle with reporters on Sunday that he will “find out” from his Omani counterparts “how they assess any [arms] trafficking that’s going on at all [into Yemen].”
My comment: The US is led by its own hypocrisy and double standards. Oman hardly would have any interest in arms smuggle to Yemen. And the US is pulling many thousands times more weapons into the Yemen war as even in the worst scenario Iran could do.
And
(A P)
Asked whether Oman is assisting Iran in this respect, Mattis said, “I’m not willing to say that.” He said he expects to discuss Yemen with Qaboos. Oman has long-standing commercial and political ties to Iran, an Omani neighbor and U.S. nemesis.
and
(A P)
Mattis discusses Qatar crisis and Yemen with Oman's Sultan Qaboos
'The Sultan assured Mr Mattis that he would try and arbitrate a peaceful conclusion in Yemen,' foreign ministry source says
“The Sultan assured Mr Mattis that he would try and arbitrate a peaceful conclusion in Yemen to stop further bloodshed,” the source said.
and
(A P)
Readout of Secretary James N. Mattis' Meeting with Omani Sultan Qaboos and Minister of Defense Al Busaidi
Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis met with Omani Sultan Qaboos yesterday at Bait al Barka Palace in Muscat to explore ways to further strengthen our defense relationship. The two leaders discussed how to best achieve a resolution to the Yemeni civil war. Oman contributes to regional security efforts by playing a key role in Gulf Cooperative Council counterterrorism efforts and ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis also met with Omani Minister of Defense Al Busaidi yesterday in Oman to discuss bilateral defense ties and regional issues including the Yemeni civil war and GCC rift.
The U.S. and Oman have maintained close defense ties since signing a military cooperation agreement in 1980.
My comment: Did Mattis drop his conspiration theory regarding Oman?
(* B P)
Has the United Nations outlived its utility?
Similarly, the UN’s failure to stop the atrocities in Yemen is counted as another failure.Interestingly, the cause of conflict in Yemen is not too different from Syria, as both are proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran over the cause of religious hegemony
If an organisation whose workers have diplomatic immunity cannot access conflict zones to collect data or provide aid, it is no less than a major failing. Just like in the case of Syria, any resolution on Yemen gets mired in months of unproductive discussions, with vetoes from the SC effectively hobbling actual progress. The biggest obstruction to progress is Saudi Arabia, as even though it is not on the SC itself, two of its staunchest allies – the US and the UK – are.
https://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/64675/has-the-united-nations-outlived-its-utility/
(* B P)
EU, UK, US & GCC want #Yemen conflict to end. Senators & orgs want US immoral war to end in Yemen. All + UN are concerned abut humanitarian crisis & working to end conflict. Dudes, if you're serious, just stop bombing Yemen & war ends then. One more thing, dont treat us as idiots
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/972341579754229760
(* A P)
Draft UN Security Council resolution condemns Houthi militia missiles in Yemen
The United Nations Security Council is expected to release a draft resolution which stresses the need to ensure humanitarian aid workers’ security in Yemen.
It also condemns Houthi militia ballistic missiles.
According to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, diplomatic sources said that UN Security Council members are negotiating a resolution which welcomes humanitarian aid efforts in Yemen established by the Arab-led coalition.
The draft resolution urges ending child-soldiers’ recruitment. It also calls on all member states to fully implement the international arms embargo.
My comment: The West seems to try it again.
(* B P)
U.N. ignores genocidal war on Yemen
On Feb. 26, Britain proposed a resolution in the U.N. Security Council blaming Iran for supporting so-called “terror activities” in Yemen.
If passed, this resolution could open the door to a NATO-led war against Iran. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley backed up this possibility.
Disturbingly (although not shockingly), the Security Council did not address Saudi Arabia’s war crimes and genocidal actions in Yemen.
The British resolution was a clear attempt to skirt the West’s own war crimes in Yemen – By Randi Nord
https://www.workers.org/2018/03/10/u-n-ignores-genocidal-war-on-yemen/
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
(A P)
Iran Categorically Rejects Saudi Allegations of Arms Supply to Yemen
The Iranian foreign ministry strongly rejected the Saudi officials' allegations that Tehran has supplied Yemen with missiles and weapons, stressing that such remarks are made out of desperation.
"The remarks uttered by some Saudi officials is very much telling the Saudi government's desperation for any fair political analyst," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Monday.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961221000900
and
Saudi Arabia is stuck in Yemen quagmire, Iran says
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi. “The Saudi Arabian officials’ remarks indicate the Saudi Arabian government’s frustration. This country assumed it could achieve its objectives in a short time when it started aggression against Yemen. However, after nearly three years, we are witnessing that Saudi Arabia is stuck in quagmire and could not reach its objectives,”
http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/422012/Saudi-Arabia-is-stuck-in-Yemen-quagmire-Iran-says
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(* B P)
Western Governments Whitewash Saudi Dictator MBS as 'Reformer'
While the U.S. and European governments claim Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is dedicated to "reform," analyst Ali al-Ahmed says this is propaganda that covers up his crimes in Saudi Arabia and Yemen
Ali Al-Ahmed is a Saudi scholar and expert on Saudi political affairs including: BEN NORTON: So Ali, what do you think? What are your thoughts on this? Clearly, Human Rights Watch is not buying this narrative that Prince Mohammed is a reformer. So, why do you think this narrative continues to dominate a lot of the media coverage?
ALI AL-AHMED: It's very easy. You can buy a lot of this stuff, and that's what's happening in the media, even the media in the UK have not really given this issue its fair coverage, and they didn't call a spade a spade.
In fact, I challenge any American or British official or any reporter out there to give me and list a single dollar that the US and the UK government has spent to improve human rights in Saudi Arabia or women's rights in Saudi Arabia, vice versa. They did the opposite. It is because of the US and the UK support to the Saudi monarchy, human rights in Saudi Arabia and in the neighborhood has gotten worse and made these governments more emboldened to execute, and torture, and abuse their population.
I reject utterly any wordings that comes out of the US and the UK government regarding their concern for human rights. They are not concerned.
You will have human rights abuses anytime, anywhere. But this is not the issue. This is the symptom. The issue is we have a political system that is ruled by a fleet of Saudi princes or now by one and supported by the West, especially the US and the UK. And we need that change to happen.
It is about, it's a problem within the Washington political regime and within the London political regime and culture because if it's not about oil, in my mind, because Venezuela has more oil than Saudi Arabia and sends more oil to the United States than Saudi Arabia does. But yet, you see how much they go after the Venezuelan government. So, it's not about that need. The fact is I think it's cultural. It's the fact that the UK government especially, which made the Saudi monarchy and created it.
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=21346
Comment: This is exactly what they are doing - the killing and repression goes on, but worse since this man has been in charge. Allowing women to drive was just a token to keep Saudis thinking progress is coming and to make the rest of the world think that there are real reforms - but the guardianship system remains, the discrimination against Saudi Shia is as bad as ever if not worse, the repression in Bahrain has been supported, and Yemenis are treated as if they are as worthless as a bit of dirt by this man.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156485825168641
(* B P)
Military Spending: The Other Side of Saudi Security
The shifts in Saudi Arabia's power structure that have taken place since King Salman came to power in January 2015 have created a new set of Saudi priorities for shaping Saudi Arabia's future. These new priorities have led to major changes in Saudi Arabia’s national security structure and leadership, and to calls for major social and economic reform.
Most of the earlier changes at top levels of the Saudi government and security structure were motivated by new King's desire to consolidate power at the top of the government and royal family.
What is clear, however, is that the Kingdom has been spending far too large a portion of its economy on security priorities that have yielded uncertain results.
What is clear, however, is that the Kingdom has been spending far too large a portion of its economy on security priorities that have yielded uncertain results.
Meeting this mix of threats would pose massive problems even if Saudi Arabia did not have an equal or higher priority for civil development and reform. Saudi Arabia has had to respond to security needs, and has made major progress in creating both modern military forces and more effective counterterrorism and internal security forces.
The U.S. and other outside states should also never forget that the stable flow of Saudi and total Gulf oil, gas, and product exports out of the Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea, Gulf coast, and by pipeline totals the equivalent of well over 20 million barrels of oil per day, and accounts for well over 30 percent of all seaborne-traded crude oil and other liquids. This flow is absolutely critical to Asia’s ability to export and to the health of the entire global economy. It can only be assured through the internal stability and development of Saudi Arabia – By Anthony Cordesman
https://www.csis.org/analysis/military-spending-other-side-saudi-security
My comment: A very long and detailed, but to my opinion quite twisted article. – Saudi Arabia for real is not threatened by a lot of security threats but has created a dangerous situation by its own aggressive and imperialist foreign policy. The article seems to be written from an US imperialism (or hegemonail foreign policy) point of view. But the world is more than the US and its interests.
(A E P)
Exclusive: Saudi businessman al-Sanea seeks last-ditch debt deal – sources
Saudi Arabia’s collapsed Saad Group, led by businessman Maan al-Sanea, has called a meeting with creditors in a last-ditch attempt to end a dispute over 16 billion riyals ($4.3 billion) of claims, sources close to the matter said.
Advisers to the group have asked creditors to meet in Dubai over the next few days, seeking a deal before Saudi authorities start auctioning, from March 18, billions of dollars of assets, including machinery, real estate, vehicles, belonging to Maan al-Sanea and his company, the sources added.
(A P)
Saudi Arabia must ban discrimination against women: U.N. rights panel
A U.N. rights watchdog called on Saudi Arabia on Monday to end discriminatory practices against women, including its pervasive system of male guardianship, and give them full access to justice.
In its conclusions, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) urged the Saudi government to“abolish practices of male guardianship”. It should enforce a recent order that would entitle all women to obtain a passport, travel or study abroad, choose their residency, and access health care“without having to seek their guardian’s consent”.
(* B E P)
Crown Prince’s Decision-Making Power Reaches Deep Into Companies
The government has pulled construction managers from Jeddah Tower, stopped broadcast of Turkish soap operas
Saudi Arabia’s young crown prince has reached into the daily affairs of some of his country’s biggest companies, yanking popular soap operas off the air and disrupting construction on the world’s tallest building.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is swiftly demonstrating his power over Saudi business interests, senior Saudi advisers said, after the detention of dozens of top businessmen, government officials and royal family members last year.
The government has quietly taken control of the country’s largest construction company, Saudi Binladin Group, and the Middle East’s biggest private broadcaster, MBC Group, people familiar with the takeover said.
It is now assuming veto power over investment decisions by the kingdom’s most colorful business personality, Prince al-Waleed bin Talal, according to senior Saudi advisers briefed on his case.
At his Kingdom Holding conglomerate, Prince al-Waleed and his team remain nominally in charge. But the Saudi government demonstrated its new influence in February when it ordered some of his senior managers to leave his biggest new project, Jeddah Tower, slated to be the tallest building in the world at over 3,000 feet high.
(A E P)
Saudi Aramco investors forced to 'stay patient’ as IPO is reportedly delayed
Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil behemoth had planned to begin trading on the country's domestic stock market — the Tadawul — and one or more foreign exchanges in the second half of 2018.
However, Aramco's listing is now no longer expected to take place this year, according to a Financial Times report citing British officials briefed on the matter.
Indecision at the highest levels of Saudi Arabia's government is thought to have stoked frustration among company executives.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/12/saudi-aramco-ipo-investors-must-stay-patient-amid-delay-reports.html
and
(A E P)
London set to land ‘delayed’ Saudi Aramco float
London remains in pole position to land the $2 trillion float of Saudi Aramco, despite a move to delay it until next year.
The Saudis had been looking to float 5% of the giant oil business this year as part of plans to open up the economy and raise money to diversify it away from oil.
City sources confirmed a “shift in tonality” about when the float might happen, but bankers still think London, rather than New York or Hong Kong, is likely to win the business.
https://www.standard.co.uk/business/london-set-to-land-delayed-saudi-aramco-float-a3787516.html
and
(A E P)
Saudi Aramco international listing looks increasingly difficult: sources
Saudi Arabia is increasingly looking to just float oil giant Saudi Aramco locally as plans for an initial public offering (IPO) on an international exchange such as London or New York hang in the balance, sources close to the process said.
and
(A E P)
Saudi Aramco international listing looks increasingly difficult: sources
Saudi Arabia is increasingly looking to just float oil giant Saudi Aramco locally as plans for an initial public offering (IPO) on an international exchange such as London or New York hang in the balance, sources close to the process said.
(* A P)
Norah O'Donnell's Interview With Saudi Crown Prince Was 2 Years in the Making
Norah O’Donnell’s interview with Mohammed bin Salman, the 32-year-old crown prince of Saudi Arabia known as MBS, should be considered a journalist coup.
O’Donnell spent years working to book bin Salman; she first put in an official request two years ago and met in person with the crown prince a year and a half ago at the Saudi embassy in Washington. After that it was a matter of reiterating her interest — directly and via contacts close to the Saudi kingdom — while “fending off others who wanted this interview,” she says.
O’Donnell spent a week in Saudi Arabia reporting the piece, which will examine the social, economic and political changes roiling the country. She talks to bin Salman about a range of issues — “Nothing was off limits,” she says — including the Sunni Muslim kingdom’s relationships with chief rival Iran; the United States (including his thoughts on President Trump); the kingdom’s role in the bloody civil war in Yemen.
My comment: Waiting for sycophancy, Thomas Friedman style.
(A P)
Saudi Arabia Establishes Departments to Deal with Corruption Cases
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, has approved the creation of specialized departments in the Public Prosecutor’s Office to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption.
My comment: The “great purge” will continue?
(A P)
Saudi transport ministry prepares women to drive cars safely
In preparation to implement Saudi King Salman’s decree allowing women to drive, the Saudi Ministry of Transport invited Saudi Women to its "Safe Driving Environment" forum to test driving simulations using the ministry's smart transportation system.
(B E)
Saudi crown prince shaky prospect in upcoming US visit
Recent Saudi government statements suggest that the sum of financial restitutions gained from released detainees exceeded $100 billion, which I doubt. Details of these restitutions were shrouded in secrecy, which further undermine transparency vows. A good enough reason for foreign investors to be very wary!
Thus, here’s some free investor advice: Consider volatile social dynamics within the kingdom before deciding whether it’s truly safe to invest. After all, instability and unpredictability in Saudi Arabia have become the new normals in the once-staid desert kingdom.
(A)
UAE says will have rail link with Saudi Arabia by the end of December 2021
(** B P)
Saudis Said to Use Coercion and Abuse to Seize Billions
In November, the Saudi government locked up hundreds of influential businessmen — many of them members of the royal family — in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton in what it called an anti-corruption campaign.
Most have since been released but they are hardly free. Instead, this large sector of Saudi Arabia’s movers and shakers are living in fear and uncertainty.
During months of captivity, many were subject to coercion and physical abuse, witnesses said.
To leave the Ritz, many of the detainees not only surrendered huge sums of money, but also signed over to the government control of precious real estate and shares of their companies — all outside any clear legal process.
The government has yet to actually seize many of the assets, leaving the former detainees and their families in limbo.
As the architect of the crackdown, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, prepares to travel to the United States this month to court American investment, Saudi officials are spotlighting his reforms.
But extensive interviews with Saudi officials, members of the royal family, and relatives, advisers and associates of the detainees revealed a murkier, coercive operation, marked by cases of physical abuse, which transferred billions of dollars in private wealth to the crown prince’s control.
Part of the campaign appears to be driven by a family feud, as Crown Prince Mohammed presses the children of King Abdullah, the monarch who died in 2015, to give back billions of dollars that they consider their inheritance, according to three associates of the Abdullah family.
And although the government said the campaign would increase transparency, it has been conducted in secret, with transactions carried out in ways that avoid public disclosure, and with travel bans and fear of reprisals preventing detainees from speaking freely.
But the opaque and extralegal nature of the campaign has rattled the very foreign investors the prince is now trying to woo.
“They want to pressure you and your kids so that you will sell your assets to be allowed to travel again,” one relative of a released detainee said. “It is the same inside and outside of the Ritz.”
But they have little recourse because what remains of their lives and fortunes, as well as the well being of their families, depends on their standing in Saudi Arabia.
“No one can talk about what happened in the Ritz,” said one associate of a former detainee. “In the end, they all have to live in Saudi Arabia.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/11/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-corruption-mohammed-bin-salman.html
and a shorter extract
(* B P)
Saudi Arabia used abuse to seize billions during purge: NYT
In interviews with former detainees and relatives, newspaper finds 17 detainees were hospitalised after facing abuse.
At least 17 Saudi detainees were subjected to physical abuse during what was termed an anti-corruption campaign that saw the arrest of hundreds of prominent businessmen and princes in November, the New York Times has found.
The newspaper interviewed relatives, advisers, associates of the detainees, as well as Saudi officials, who denied the allegations.
"Relatives of some of the detainees said they were deprived of sleep, roughed up and interrogated with their heads covered while the government pressured them to sign over large assets," the article, published on Sunday, said.
According to the newspaper, the 17 detainees were hospitalised after facing abuse, while one Saudi general died in custody.
and
(* B P)
Saudi royals tackling corruption, or just cashing in on foes?
Authorities say the arrests netted more than $106 billion in exchange for the release most of the detainees. Critics, however, say the arrests were more to consolidate Crown Prince Mohammed's power than to go after the kingdom's endemic corruption.
The biggest problem for the Saudi royal family in the wake of the crackdown -- especially as it seeks deeper U.S. investment ties -- may be the complete secrecy surrounding how it was carried out. Almost no information has been released as to how the sums reclaimed from the prisoners were determined, and many of those formerly wealthy and powerful Saudis remain unclear as to what assets they've lost.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-crackdown-corruption-or-critics/ and also http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-king-establishes-anti-graft-prosecution-units-474204916
and
(* B P)
Saudi general 'may have been tortured to death' during Ritz-Carlton crackdown
The most dramatic accusation involves Major General Ali al-Qahtani, an aide to a senior Saudi prince seen as a potential rival to the 32-year-old Prince Mohammed, who died in government custody in mid-December.
Sources told the newspaper that the general’s “neck was twisted unnaturally as though it had been broken” and that his body had burn marks which appeared to be the result of electric shocks.
General Qahtani was taken to hospital in November but was reportedly returned to his interrogation after being seen by doctors. The government has not offered an official explanation for how he died.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/12/saudi-general-may-have-tortured-death-ritz-carlton-crackdown/ and also https://www.truthdig.com/articles/saudi-crown-prince-implicated-ritz-carlton-murder/
(A K P)
#SaudiArabia to host a mega joint military exercise for 30 days named '#GulfShield', which will take place in the Kingdom's Eastern Province. Air, Naval and Land Forces from GCC and other Arab/Islamic countries will be participating.
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/972918038583427072
(* A P)
Israeli and Saudi officials reportedly hold series of secret meetings in Egypt
PA official quoted saying Jerusalem-Riyadh ties are undermining the PA, with Saudis no longer viewing Israel as 'greatest enemy in region'
According to the PA official, the talks — held at a luxury hotel, with Egyptian officials present — also dealt with the economic interests of Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, particularly in the Red Sea region.
(* B P)
Saudi execution rate doubles under MBS, says rights group
Another report says that Pakistanis in Saudi are incarcerated in the thousands with little recourse
Saudi Arabia's execution rate has doubled since Mohammed bin Salman was appointed crown prince in 2017, according to the anti-death penalty rights group Reprieve.
The group said 133 executions have taken place in the eight months since his appointment last June, compared with 67 in the eight months before.
There have been 33 executions so far this year, roughly split between people convicted for murder and drug dealing.
Reprieve said Saudi Arabia was on track for a record 200 executions in 2018 if that accelerated rate continues. It said several of those on death row in Saudi Arabia were convicted of crimes while still children.
Thousands of Pakistanis imprisoned in Saudi Arabia and dozens sentenced to death in the ultra-conservative kingdom have been denied their legal rights to a defence, a report in Islamabad warned on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia executes more Pakistanis than any other foreign nationality annually, nearly all for heroin smuggling, according to the study by Justice Project Pakistan and Human Rights Watch (HRW).
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-execution-rate-doubles-under-mbs-says-rights-group-871160445
My comment: “Reforms”, Prince Salman style.
(A P)
#Qatif 2015 deied 2 days. Rumored to be a Cancer patient & that he was baned from treatment
Today after less than 2 months from the first incident, another detainee victim reported dead after a struggle with his tumor and ban from treatment 61yro (photos)
https://twitter.com/QatifRev/status/955206863431327744
https://twitter.com/QatifRev/status/972837302472007681
(* A H P)
Saudi Arabia, which has been bombing & beseiging Yemen for 3 yrs, has deported 40K Yemeni expatriates including illegal migrants in last 3 months. Instead of helping them, at least treating em as refugees, it sent em back to die in airstrikes, Houthi shelling or from starvation
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/971876530392530945
(** B P)
In Saudi-Arabien läuft der neue Sklavenmarkt auf Twitter – „Preis: 4500 Euro, inklusive Transport“- Saudi Arabia-‘Shocking’ Twitter Posts of Maids Treated As ‘Slaves
Das ist kein Witz! Die UN wählte Saudi Arabien in die Kommission für Frauenrechte. und bis 2019 ist der „Experte“ für UN-Menschenrechtsrat ebenfalls aus Saudi Arabien. Und während viele Länder, die ihre Frauen nach Saudi Arabien schickten, um dort zu arbeiten schockiert feststellen mussten, dass Frauen auf Twitter zum Verkauf angeboten werden, haben Globale Experten vom 26. bis 27. Februar 2018 das erste internationale humanitäre Forum in Saudi-Arabien besucht. Das 1. Internationale Humanitäre Forum in Riad fand unter der Schirmherrschaft von König Salman bin Abdulaziz statt. Und während sich die Regierung in Großbritannien freut, dass der Waffenhersteller, BAE Systems, einen Auftrag in Milliardenhöhe mit Saudi-Arabien für den Kauf von 48 Typhoon-Kampfflugzeugen abgeschlossen hat, schließt das konservativste Land der Welt, gerade Verhandlungen mit Länder über Frauen ab, die dann in Saudi Arabien arbeiten sollen.
Und während die Welt sich freut, dass Frauen in Saudi Arabien endlich Autofahren dürfen, was als Meilenstein in der Geschichte für Frauenrechte gefeiert wird, sieht es hinter den verschlossenen Türen dramatisch aus. Oder wie der neue Skandal, der Länder von Bangladesch bis zu den Philippinen , von Vietnam zu den Ländern Nordafrikas erschaudern lässt, auf Twitter. „Wir sind in die Sklaverei zurückgekehrt“, protestierten sie in lokalen Zeitungen. In Saudi-Arabien läuft der neue Sklavenmarkt auf Twitter. Frauen werden auf Twitter zum Verkauf angeboten, so als seien sie ein Gegenstand. Dienstmädchen „inklusive Transport“ zu verkaufen.
https://netzfrauen.org/2018/03/10/saudiarabia-2/
(A P)
Wife of Raif Badawi asks Saudi Crown Prince for royal pardon in UK.
The wife of a Saudi blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes for writing about freedom of speech is urging Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to grant him a royal pardon during his UK visit this week.
http://en.brinkwire.com/198958/wife-of-raif-badawi-asks-saudi-crown-prince-for-royal-pardon-in-uk/
(* B P)
Mohammad bin Salman is not a revolutionary. He’s the prince of PR
Don't be fooled: the crown prince is an old-fashioned despot
Theresa May’s aim will be to show that Britain can thrive outside the EU, but she should think twice before co-opting this new strongman.
Jared Kushner and David Petraeus are fans of the restless prince. So is Boris Johnson.
Boris, Kushner and the others are not the first westerners to go gaga over an eastern arm-twister.
MBS is an old-fashioned despot whose power comes from his limitless brief and the fact he has demolished the old consensual form of Saudi royal politics (each branch of the family had a share of power, including perks and peculation), and replaced it with himself. For all the triumphalist PR, MBS is in Britain to save his plan. Barring an implausible long-term rise in oil prices, the kingdom desperately needs foreign investment if it isn’t to burn off its reserves in welfare spending and plunge into a financial crisis.
The US’s policy towards Saudi Arabia was summed up by Philip Gordon, Obama’s former regional point-man: ‘Buy more American weapons, announce investments in the US, pledge to fight Islamic extremism, and, in return, we will give you unconditional support — for your confrontation with Iran, war in Yemen, isolation of Qatar, and whatever domestic practices you see fit.’
https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/03/mohammad-bin-salman-is-not-a-revolutionary-hes-the-prince-of-pr/
(* B P)
Saudi Arabia's crown prince has made modernising into a weapon
MBS' charm offensive tour, which includes stops in Britain and the United States, is aimed at courting investors from the arms, finance and tech sectors.
Last month, in a wide-ranging military shakeup, MBS ousted the chief of staff and prominent commanders of ground and air forces and brought in new blood.
“The timing of the shakeup right before he visits the US and the UK is not incidental. The Saudis want to calm fears about involvement in Yemen and secure more co-operation with their allies," said Courtney Freer.
Reorganising religion
MBS has emphatically vowed that the kingdom would return to a “more moderate Islam”.
As MBS continues his foreign tour, the domestic challenges of modernising an oil-dependent economy and gradually opening up a deeply conservative society abound. His ascent to power as crown prince in June 2017, after ousting his uncle and swift purges of the old guard, indicate that any dissent against his grand plans will simply be crushed.
My comment: “more moderate Islam” in Saudi Arabia will be a scam. – The last paragraph quoted here is crucial: the best to say is that Saudi Arabia would change from a religious to a political dictatorship, with “making money” as main ideology.
(B P)
Saudi Prince Fahad, the coolest royal out there?
Yes, he is a Saudi royal, and yes, his Instagram name is Yolo Fahad... and he is one of the coolest royals you'll ever come to know.
Prince Fahad Bin Faisal Al Saud is a successful Saudi prince in his 30s and is trying his best to leave the most positive of marks in the Arab region and the world.
Based in Berlin, Germany, he has ventured into the industry of video games and tech entrepreneurship in general.
https://stepfeed.com/saudi-prince-fahad-the-coolest-royal-out-there-8872
(A P)
SAUDI ARABIA'S WOMEN LAWYERS GRANTED NEW LEGAL POWERS AS KINGDOM AIMS TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE
Starting on Monday, Saudi Arabia’s female lawyers will have expanded powers to work as public notaries, according to the country’s Justice Ministry.
After the changes are implemented, women lawyers will have capabilities that more closely resemble those of their male colleagues
(A P)
SAUDI ARABIAN WOMAN LOCKED IN ROOM AND THREATENED BY FAMILY SEEKS HELP FROM REDDIT
A young woman in Saudi Arabia has taken to the social media platform Reddit to ask for help escaping an abusive family situation.
(A P)
SAUDI ARABIA FEMINIST ACTIVIST DETAINED AS COUNTRY CLAIMS IT IS INCREASING WOMEN’S RIGHTS
As Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman touts moderate Islam and makes a public display of giving women more rights, human rights activists say the country is quietly arresting women’s rights activists.
Human rights activist Noha al-Balawi, who is based in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, has been held in detention for 17 days and could be imprisoned for up to five years for advocating for women’s rights on social media, activists say
http://www.newsweek.com/saudi-arabia-activist-detained-womens-rights-801459
cp9 USA
(* B P)
Will Trump Help Saudi Arabia Build a Nuclear Program?
Media reports say the U.S. is considering selling nuclear reactors to Saudi Arabia. Analyst Ali al-Ahmed is skeptical, and says Trump has just removed the fig leaf of concern for human rights abuses by the Gulf dictatorship
BEN NORTON: Why is Saudi Arabia pursuing a nuclear program in the first place?
ALI AL-AHMED: Well, it is very much to compete with Iran, and Saudi Arabia, the Saudi monarchy always thinks of itself as a major player, as a leader of Arabs, a leader of Muslims. And Pakistan has a nuclear energy and nuclear bomb, Iran has nuclear energy and why shouldn't Saudi Arabia? But this record, we have heard it before. 30 years ago, the Saudis said they will build a nuclear energy, and they haven't done it. So, the fact that they're just saying it, even lobbying for it, it doesn't mean it will happen.
I doubt it very much that the American establishment will support Saudi efforts to build a nuclear energy program, even a civilian one because this is a hornet's nest that the Americans don't want to start. And they don't want Israel to be in any way affected negatively because nuclear arms is something that you can't undo any
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:21324:Will-Trump-Help-Saudi-Arabia-Build-a-Nuclear-Program%3F and film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shttNuib8wg
(* A P)
Donald Trump: Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/973540316656623616
(* B K)
US-Marine testet Laser-Kanone vor der Küste im Jemen
Die USA wollen Drohnen und kleinere Flugzeuge mittels Lasersysteme von Schiffen aus abschießen. Tests laufen bereits.
Rüstungskonzerne wie Lockheed Martin investieren seit vielen Jahren viel Geld in die Entwicklung von mächtigen Laserwaffen, die von Kampfflugzeugen, aber auch Schiffen aus verwendet werden können, um kleinere Flugzeuge, aber auch Drohnenabzuschießen. Bis 2021 sollen US-Kampfflugzeuge mit entsprechenden Waffen ausgestattet
US-Aktivitäten vor der Küste Jemens. Das Krisengebiet diene quasi als "Live-Labor", indem die Laserwaffen bereits jetzt offensiv und defensiv eingesetzt werden. Zum einen werden derartige "Laser-Kanonen" verwendet, um mit dem gebündelten Strahl Flugobjekte abzuschießen, aber auch die Verbindung zwischen Drohne und Steuerungseinheit zu kappen.
https://futurezone.at/science/us-marine-testet-laser-kanone-vor-der-kueste-im-jemen/400006934
Mein Kommentar: Nur „Tests“? Und warum gerade vor dem Jemen, haben die USA keine eigenen Küsten? Das Ganze ist tatsächlich eine Verstärkung der US-Einmischung im Jemenkrieg – zugunsten von Saudi und Co.
And reports in English: https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/03/08/yemen-coast-a-live-fire-laboratory-for-firing-lasers/ and also http://www.newsweek.com/us-forces-face-laser-weapons-surge-yemen-coast-838823?piano_t=1
(* B P)
Saudi crown prince comes to Washington
Saudi Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman is buoyed by his successful visits to Cairo and London as he comes to Washington. Riyadh is sticking to its hard-line foreign policy and expects complete support from the Trump administration. But unstated are Saudi concerns about the scandals and chaos surrounding the administration and their potential consequences.
The crown prince is eager to secure international support for his tough line toward Iran and Qatar and his 3-year-old war in Yemen.
The Saudi relationship with the Trump team is closer than with any president since George H.W. Bush and the liberation of Kuwait.
Behind the formal meetings and official statements, the Saudis will try quietly to evaluate the future of the Trump team. The removal of Jared Kushner’s top-secret clearance and the mounting legal jeopardy surrounding his future imperil the prince’s most valued interlocutor – by Bruce Riedel
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/03/saudi-crown-prince-mbs-washington-visit-trump.html
(A H)
Brooklyn Multicultural Orgs Efforts Help Yemen
Brooklyn’s Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities yesterday joined together to spearhead a drive to ship a growing number of large containers filled clothing and health and medical supplies to war-torn Yemen.
https://www.kingscountypolitics.com/brooklyns-multicultural-orgs-unite-to-help-yemen-people/
(* C)
Muhammed bin Salman’s U.S. visit marks 75 years of U.S.-Saudi ties
The alliance between the United States and Saudi Arabia turns 75 this year. Ahead of Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman’s much-anticipated visit to the United States, beginning March 19, it’s worth looking back on the three quarters of a century that the two countries have been partnered. Sometimes, Washington and Riyadh have worked closely together as friends, and sometimes they’ve become estranged, working for opposite goals.
The odd couple began its relationship in 1943 when Prince Faysal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud came to Washington to meet with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the White House in the middle of World War II.
The U.S. encounter with Saudi Arabia began, appropriately, with oil —specifically American oil companies’ interest in exploiting the enormous reserves of oil they believed where under the sand in the kingdom – by Bruce Riedel
(A P)
Poll Results: What You Said About Saudi Prince Meeting Trump
We asked you: Should Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Get an Official Invitation to Visit America?
68.6% said yes
24% said no
7.4% said you are unsure.
As usual in our polls we asked for your comments. Here are just a few:
https://clarionproject.org/poll-results-said-saudi-prince-meeting-trump/
(A K P)
US, Saudi forces launch ‘friendship’ war games amid Yemen offensive
Saudi and US military forces have launched joint “friendship” war games in the kingdom’s northern region as the Riyadh regime presses ahead with its deadly campaign against Yemen with Washington’s support.
The maneuvers, dubbed Friendship Military Exercises 2018, are due to continue for several days with the announced objective of boosting military ties between the two countries, Saudi state news outlet al-Arabiya reported Monday.
and
Here's the exercise logo showing 21 Islamic countries along with the #US and the #UK.
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/973094019986313216
(* B K)
US Pouring Weapons Into War-Torn Yemen
If there’s one thing Yemen has no shortage of, however, it’s weapons, with the US ensuring a massive supply continues to pour into the hands of Saudi and Emirati forces.
US arms sales are themselves at a record high during this war
https://news.antiwar.com/2018/03/09/us-pouring-weapons-into-war-torn-yemen/
(B K P)
Yemen: There’s No Business Like War Business
The purpose of the Yemeni war is two-fold. One, an excuse for Salafi Wahhabist Saudi Arabia to continue a legacy of killing Shia infidels. Secondly Yemen is another beta test for extermination and war profiteering by the ZioCon Crime Syndicate in the US. Ask Aunt Millie and Uncle Ralph on the streets of America what this is all about and I doubt if more than 2% even know where Yemen is on the map.
http://www.newnationalist.net/2018/03/11/yemen-theres-no-business-like-war-business/
(* A P)
USA: Parteiübergreifende Initiative zum Krieg im Jemen
Politiker aus den Reihen der Demokraten und der Republikaner wollen Saudi-Arabien die Unterstützung entziehen
Ein überparteiliches Bündnis will dieser vom Demokraten Barack Obama begonnenen und vom Republikaner Donald Trump fortgeführten Politik mit Hilfe der War Powers Resolution ein Ende machen. Bekanntester Vertreter der Initiative ist der Senator Bernie Sanders
Unterstützt wird Sanders vom Republikaner Mike Lee aus Utah, vom Demokraten Chris Murphy aus Connecticut und von anderen Mitgliedern der beiden Parteien in- und außerhalb des Kongresses.
Im Senat ist die Unterstützung für eine Beendigung der Kriegshilfen für die Saudis weniger groß: Dort geben sich unter anderem der republikanische Mehrheitsführer Mitch McConnell und die Establishment-Republikaner John McCain und Lindsey Graham als Anwälte des Ölkönigreichs.
In der US-Bevölkerung sind einer Umfrage von J. Wallin Opinion Research und Gunster Strategieszufolge 57 Prozent der Ansicht, dass US-Militärhilfe für Länder wie Saudi-Arabien, Pakistan, Afghanistan und den Irak kontraproduktiv ist. Lediglich 29,6 Prozent halten solche Hilfen für zielführend, weitere 13,4 Prozent sind sich bezüglich der Wirkung nicht sicher.
https://www.heise.de/tp/features/USA-Parteiuebergreifende-Initiative-zum-Krieg-im-Jemen-3990502.html
(* B K P)
Film: US-Senator Murphy: Illegaler Krieg im Jemen - USA exportieren Gewalt und töten Zivilisten im Jemen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk5gFNnX_s8
(* A P)
Why Should We Care About Yemen?
Although our participation in the Yemeni civil war is billed as an extension of the war on terror, our role in this conflict ensures that millions of people will inevitably experience real terror, up close and very personally. It is imperative that we hold our government accountable for their role in this mass slaughter of civilians and the resultant humanitarian crisis that threatens to consume an entire country. It’s time to demand that our military stop providing logistical and intelligence support to the Saudis and their allies, and instead work to broker a functional cease fire amongst the various factions warring in Yemen.
Please call the Congressional switchboard (202 224-3121) and demand that your senators co-sponsor and vote YES on S.J. Resolution 54
http://masspeaceaction.org/why-should-we-care-about-yemen/
(* B P)
The Lesson the Trump Administration has Failed to Learn about Yemen
Both the Trump and Obama administrations have advanced two fictions over the last three years to obscure U.S. complicity in Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe. From former Secretary of State John Kerry to his successor, Rex Tillerson, U.S. officials have insisted “this is not our war” and emphasize that a political settlement is the only way to end it. However, U.S. actions – consisting of continuous, unchecked U.S. political and military support for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which are leading bombing missions that indiscriminately target Yemeni civilians already struggling under Houthi rebel rule – hardly support this position.
In its unconditional backing of the Saudi-led coalition, the Trump administration has promoted an “escalate to de-escalate strategy” in Yemen and resisted having a frank conversation with its allies on steps to end the intervention.
https://www.justsecurity.org/53635/lesson-trump-administration-failed-learn-yemen/
(* B P)
Film: Jake Tapper & Bernie Sanders | SXSW 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YBunslGSgs&t=1557s
and
Bernie @SenSanders on the US in #Yemen: "We should not be supporting that very destructive war." @JakeTapper interview at #SXSW #SXSW2018 #SXSW18. Full transcript in thread below. 1/
https://twitter.com/SunjeevBery/status/973208672389263360
(* A P)
Senate fissure opens up over ending Yemen war
Tea Party conservatives and progressive liberals are ready to shake up America’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Establishment centrists? Not so much.
Lawmakers have introduced dueling Senate resolutions regarding US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, spotlighting a cross-party split ahead of next week’s White House visit by the war’s architect, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In response, Senate Foreign Relations Committee members Todd Young, R-Ind., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., introduced a resolution last week that seeks to condition, but not end, US support for the war. Their resolution would require the secretary of state to certify that the Saudis are pursuing both “an urgent and good faith effort to conduct diplomatic negotiations to end the civil war in Yemen” and “appropriate measures to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen by increasing access for all Yemenis to food, fuel and medicine” in order for US aerial refueling to continue.
Anti-war activists contend that the new resolution is simply a tactic to continue the war while taking oxygen away from the Sanders/Lee push.
Any senator can bring the Sanders resolution to the Senate floor for a vote starting today because it was introduced pursuant to the War Powers Act
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/03/senate-fissure-opens-over-ending-yemen-war.html
and
(* A P)
A Bogus ‘Compromise’ Senate Bill Would Prolong Atrocities in Yemen
The Young/Shaheen measure would allow continued US participation in Saudi war crimes. Support the Sanders/Lee/Murphy bill instead.
On March 8, Republican Senator Todd Young and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen introduced a new bill that poses a grave threat to this historic effort to stop the war.
The bill would require the secretary of state to submit certification to determine “whether the Government of Saudi Arabia is undertaking: (1) an urgent and good faith effort to conduct diplomatic negotiations to end the civil war in Yemen; and (2) appropriate measures to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen…”
Of course, the secretary of state could simply make this certification. We have seen this trick many times.
That is why it is so important for both the media and voters to confront US senators, especially Young and Shaheen. They can only have cover if the public does not know what they are doing.
https://www.thenation.com/article/a-bogus-compromise-senate-bill-would-prolong-atrocities-in-yemen/
and see also these threads on twitter
https://twitter.com/SenatorShaheen/status/973229409934172160
https://twitter.com/KateKizer/status/973368229195407360
and
(A P)
Yemen is experiencing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, and our moral principles and national security interests are best served by effective efforts to alleviate humanitarian suffering there.
https://twitter.com/SenToddYoung/status/973340361409089536
Comment: Moral principles? Are you joking, ya @SenToddYoung? Stop U.S. involvement in the Saudi war on Yemen & Yemenis, sir. That's the only solution, morally and legally.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/973598582619213824
Comment: Translation: It is moral principle to try to treat some wounds, give some food. Stoping participation in blockade, in bombing Yemeni civilians and civilian infrastructure (major reason behind the disaster) is not!
https://twitter.com/StopDestroYemen/status/973616139078127616
and
(* A P)
@SenatorShaheen and @SenToddYoung: Stop Starving Yemeni Children
We expect a roll call floor vote soon in the Senate on the Sanders-Lee-Murphy bill [SJRes54] to end U.S. participation in the catastrophic Saudi war in Yemen.
But now come the Washington dirty tricks to try to protect the Saudi princes and allow their war crimes in Yemen to continue. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana are conspiring with Republican leader Mitch McConnell to sabotage the vote on the Sanders-Lee-Murphy bill. They are threatening to try to substitute another bill that would allow U.S. participation in the war to continue in place of the Sanders-Lee-Murphy bill to end the war.
The Young-Shaheen bill would allow U.S. participation in Saudi Arabia’s war to continue if Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "certifies" to Congress that the Government of Saudi Arabia is undertaking “(1) an urgent and good faith effort to conduct diplomatic negotiations to end the civil war in Yemen; and (2) appropriate measures to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen by increasing access for all Yemenis to food, fuel, and medicine.”
Sign our petition. Press Jeanne Shaheen and Todd Young to withdraw their horrible bill to keep starving Yemeni children to death, to pledge not to offer it as a substitute for the Sanders-Lee-Murphy bill; and to pledge to oppose any effort to offer it as a substitute for the Sanders-Lee-Murphy bill. https://www.change.org/p/senatorshaheen-and-sentoddyoung-stop-starving-yemeni-children
(A P)
Monday Briefing: Senate moves to end US engagement in Yemen conflictI
In support of the demand for an end to U.S. engagement in the Yemen conflict, the Senate resolution makes several exaggerated assertions, including that U.S. military personnel assist in aerial targeting and help coordinate military and intelligence activities.
U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has been incidental to the war effort. An end to U.S. involvement will not mean that the coalition will be forced to withdraw. But, on the eve of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the U.S., the Senate resolution should be seen as a warning to the administration and to the Saudis that patience over the continued conflict in Yemen and the humanitarian consequences is wearing thin in Washington. – by Gerald Feierstein, ex-US ambassador to Yemen
http://www.mei.edu/content/article/monday-briefing-senate-moves-end-us-engagement-yemen-conflict
My comment: Oh no, this resolution hardly is “exaggerated”, as Feierstein means. – US involvement is so heavy that the resolution simply fits. And the US administration and the Saudis do not need just a “warning” (what would include that they could continue the war), but simply a clear stop. For Feierstein read http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/middle-east-institute-gerald-feierstein-uae-saudi-yemen
(* A P)
This Is the Best Chance Yet to Stop the U.S. War on Yemen—Where Are the Major Human Rights Orgs?
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are declining to take a formal position against the U.S.-backed Saudi war on Yemen.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, the most powerful human rights organizations in the world, are declining to endorse a political push to end U.S. participation in the catastrophic Saudi-led war on Yemen.
The groups are taking no position on a new bill, S.J.Res.54, even as it gains political momentum and a groundswell of grassroots backing from About Face: Veterans Against the War, Just Foreign Policy, United for Peace and Justice, Oxfam America, Indivisible and other organizations.
https://www.alternet.org/world/best-chance-yet-stop-us-war-yemen
(A P)
Senators Will Vote on Pulling Troops Out of Yemen, But When
Lee’s office said Monday it would be eager to get the resolution to a floor vote this week, if possible. That is because next week appears socked with debate on an omnibus spending bill to keep the discretionary accounts of the government funded for the remainder of fiscal 2018.
There is no timeline for calling up the Yemen resolution this week in part because of the procedural hurdles on a banking regulatory rollback that have taken longer than advocates for the measure would have hoped.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/policy/senators-will-vote-pulling-troops-yemen
(* B P)
When Congress Tests Authority, Military Brings Out Big Guns
Trying to end war means doing battle with the Pentagon's patented tricks.
Now that key senators have introduced measures that would end U.S.-aided hostilities in Yemen, we can expect that a coordinated backlash from the military establishment is imminent.
The multi-trillion-dollar military-industrial-counterterrorism complex (MICC) has a business model for scuttling legislation that would end or curtail the involvement of the United States in military operations overseas.This typically involves leaking classified falsehoods, i.e., a false statement that the executive branch has classified to prohibit disclosure to the general public on the theory that disclosure might damage the national security of the United States (Executive Order 13526).
The MICC falsehoods will also maintain that Iran, which provides indeterminate military assistance to the Houthis, will be emboldened to seek restoration of the Persian Empire under Cyrus and Darius.
But the national security nightmare that these falsehoods portend if S.J.Res. 54 passes vanishes upon close examination.
Simply put, the predictable attack on S.J.Res. 54 by the military through favored media figures that will be witnessed in the forthcoming days should be taken cum grano salis, in other words, with a grain of salt – by Bruce Fein
(* B P)
Pentagon to Congress: You Can’t Stop Us from Fueling Saudi Arabia’s War in Yemen
On February 28, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced Senate Joint Resolution 54, a resolution that seeks to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. Even before the resolution was introduced, the Department of Defense responded with the extraordinary claim that Congress lacked the legal authority to “override the President’s determination as Commander in Chief” and end the United States’ involvement in the conflict.
It is bad enough the extent to which the Defense Department has treated Congressional silence as a blank check to wage war wherever and whenever it wants. The Pentagon’s claim that Congress lacks the power to limit U.S. involvement in the Yemeni civil war is an even more serious encroachment on Congress’s constitutional authority over the military.
Congress has never voted to authorize the U.S.’s involvement in the Saudi war against the Houthis, as the House of Representatives recognized in a resolution that passed last fall.
But the Defense Department’s letter goes beyond defending the legality of U.S. aid to the Saudi coalition under current law. It also claims that “[e]ven if enacted into law, the Joint Resolution would not achieve its apparent purpose of restricting U.S. support” for the Saudi-led coalition, because “that support does not constitute ‘hostilities.’”
This ignores the text of the draft resolution, which explicitly states that the United States’ current actions in support of the coalition in Yemen fall within the definition of hostilities – by Katherine Hawkins
(A P)
General counters senators, says US needs to support war in Yemen
The U.S. should continue supplying fuel, intelligence and munitions to Saudi Arabia for its war against rebels in Yemen amid a Senate push to cut the support, the head of U.S. Central Command said Tuesday. “Recently, Saudi Arabia has followed many of the things that we have done in terms of how we stand up architectures to investigate civilian casualties. These are problems that we have on occasion even as good as we are,” Votel said. “From my perspective, it is better for us to stay engaged with them and continue to influence. They want this type of support and they want to improve their capabilities.”
The general said it is “absolutely essential that we stay engaged” for the people of Yemen, which the United Nations has said is in the grips of a severe humanitarian crisis.
My comment: Twisted. Is this man insane? “it is “absolutely essential that we stay engaged” for the people of Yemen”.
And: In an exchange with Mazie Hirono, Gen. Votel said about Yemen: “We're not party to this conflict.” Incredible.
https://twitter.com/samknight_one/status/973580824539992064
Comment: This is the lie that the government has been hiding behind for 3 years
https://twitter.com/DanielLarison/status/973614906808430592
(* B P)
Film: Ron Paul: Military Coup: Pentagon To Ignore Congress On Yemen
The Defense Department has sent Senate Majority Leader McConnell a letter informing him that even if Congress passes legislation limiting US military action in Yemen, the Pentagon will ignore it. Will Congress finally wake up on Afghanistan and Yemen and return to its Constitutional obligations? Time to smack down an out-of-control Executive Branch?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FrUbiSQJZA
(* B K P)
How US Is Reaping Fruits of Saudi War on Yemen
It’s not a real challenge to understand why the US refuses to end its support for the Saudi-UAE coalition bombing the poorest country in the Arab world, much less invest in diplomacy to end the Yemen conflict and increase humanitarian access to the more than 20 million Yemenis who need some kind of help:
1- The Trump White House has made it clear that it wants to derail the 2015 nuclear deal in pursuit of a still a more belligerent approach towards Iran and its allies.
3- Thanks to the unnecessary conflict, US arms sales are themselves at a record high
4- The US sends weaponry into Yemen that is not well-documented and carefully tracked
In a nutshell, US arms sales to Saudi Arabia are a major driving force in allowing them to continue the war.
As much ink as has been spilled about the morass the Americans and the Saudis have stumbled into in Yemen, this war of aggression has nothing to do with trying to intensify efforts to counter Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961220001561
(* A P)
Senators Bernie Sanders And Mike Lee Come Together Over War Powers Resolution
Senators Bernie Sanders and Mike Lee are coming together over legislation in the form of a Senate resolution to remove U.S. Armed Forces involved in Saudi Arabian hostilities against Yemen — an intervention which has not been authorized by Congress, but instead by the Obama administration in 2015.
those who have worked on the resolution believe it could test Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s leadership.
“McConnell solicited a response from Pentagon to try to prevent a victory.”
“McConnell preempted the introduction of the bill by sending out a Pentagon lawyer flak analysis to every Senate office before we dropped the resolution,”
“For over a year, the executive branch has ignored the most basic, bipartisan efforts by Congress to obtain the legal justification for a secretive war being carried out by the United States in collaboration with Saudi Arabia,” the congressional aide told TheDC Saturday. “This is the first-ever Senate vote to end an unauthorized war in U.S. history.”
http://dailycaller.com/2018/03/10/bernie-sanders-mike-lee-war-powers-resolution/
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(B K P)
Cartoon: Cashing in.
(A K P)
#Saudi Air Force Tornado 760/ZE119 continues flight testing of Paveway IV at Warton (photo9
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/973585778935648257
My comment: Killer kinship.
(* B P)
World leaders always decide to let bygones be bygones when rich visitors are in town
Theresa May’s fear that the UK is going to go down the plughole if we really do leave the EU was bound to plunge her into the most unsavoury shopping expeditions
You can always tell a fraud, however, by the number of sub-clauses piled up around statements of humanitarian assistance. A real cracker emerged from Downing Street this week when we were assured that Theresa and Mohammad planned – wait for it – “to continue working together to explore ways the UK can support Saudi Arabia to progress (sic)...reforms.” Phew! What it meant, of course, was that Theresa and Mohamed would discover how to improve the miserable UK arms export figures to the Kingdom – a measly £1.1 billion in the past half year, a tiny £836 million of hardware sold to the Saudis in the long months between April and June.
Which is why Theresa is doing something faintly familiar when she courts the kings and princes and emirs of the Gulf. In order to get their money, she is appeasing them. Yes, appeasement is her policy with wealthy Arabs, in the most literal sense of the word. She is satiating their appetite for war against the Shia. She is turning her back on the Yemen war, a quarrel in a far away country – you might say – between people of whom we know nothing – by Robert Fisk
(A K P)
Großbritannien und Saudi-Arabien gegen Iran und Hisbollah
Saudi-Arabiens Kronprinz Bin Salman hat London besucht. In einer gemeinsamen Abschlusserklärung betonen beide Seiten, dass der Iran sich nicht in die Angelegenheiten anderer Staaten einzumischen habe.
Mein Kommentar: Während Briten und Saudis es sich ja als ganz selbstverständlich herausnehmen, sich selbst in anderen Staaten einzumischen (inklusive dort alles in Ruinen zu bomben). Pervers.
(* B P)
Tory links to Russia and Saudis run deep. So where’s the outrage?
The Conservative party is in the pocket of foreign powers that represent a threat to the national security of Britain. It is a grotesquely under-reported national scandal, lost amid a hysterical Tory campaign to delegitimise the Labour party with false allegations of treason
In the past five years, moreover, Saudi Arabia and other autocracies spent £700,000 on luxury trips for MPs, more than 80% of whom were Tories. Just under £200,000 of that was money from Saudi Arabia to pay for the excursions of 41 MPs, 40 of whom were Conservatives. Now why would they possibly be doing that?
(A P)
An anti-arms campaigner schools a Conservative MP in a BBC debate
Hot on the heels of the UK and Saudi Arabia agreeing a preliminary arms deal, Conservatives have been championing the Saudi regime. The latest is Conservative MP Philip Dunne, who appeared on the BBC‘s The Big Questions to debate the UK’s arms trade.
He didn’t spend much time discussing the morality of selling weapons to governments accused of war crimes and human rights abuses though. Instead, he focused his energy on defending Saudi Arabia.
On the BBC, Dunne continued his long-running defence of the UK’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. He also downplayed the UK’s arms sales to the country.
Dunne was quickly shot down by Ryvka Barnard from campaign group War on Want. In a cutting reply, she responded that the arms deal was:
Not a small element for the people in Yemen who are suffering, who are being killed by the Saudi bombing.
(* B K P)
Just to be absolutely clear on UK knowledge of Saudi war crimes in Yemen. Here is a Home Office report of June last year citing numerous attacks on civilian targets.
https://twitter.com/markcurtis30/status/972420547538771968
referring to
(* B K P)
Country Policy and Information Note Yemen: Security and humanitarian situation
[from April 2017, based mainly on information available in the internet]
Comment: This is really worth examining because it shows that the UK government knew exactly what was happening in Yemen and it seems it caused them a headache simply because they weren't sure if they could resist an independent inquiry. Not because of the suffering in Yemen. Vote Labour.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156473312913641
(* A P)
Even Guardian writers think the paper’s latest decision is one step too far
Media outlets today usually rely on advertising revenue to stay afloat. And for online outlets, it’s difficult to control what adverts pop up. For print outlets, though, there’s little excuse for actually choosing to publish a controversial advert.
But just how low are outlets willing to go to get advertising money?
As The Canary reported on 7 March, a Saudi Arabian propaganda campaign emerged across London just as crown prince Mohammed bin Salman visited the city. And The Times and other billionaire-owned media outlets unsurprisingly supported these adverts, which suggested that bin Salman was “bringing change” to the country.
Many Guardian readers, however, expected better from an outlet that has often reported on Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record and alleged war crimes in Yemen. And they were very disappointed to discover that the paper had also printed the Saudi propaganda:
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The Guardian view on Saudi Arabia and Yemen: Britain’s shame, Britain’s duty
The visit by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has highlighted UK responsiblities in the devastating war
A successful peace initiative will need to involve them all, as complex as that will be; a simple deal bearing no relation to realities cannot hold. It will also require persuading Riyadh to be clearer and more realistic about its aims. Britain’s shameful role in Yemen gives it an extra duty to press that case. But for now it seems more focused on security and promoting Typhoon sales.
My comment: the Guardian itself had played a strange role.
(A P)
Yemen: Politicians, experts, activists raise alarm after MBS trip
Concerns over Britain and Saudi Arabia's roles in Yemen bloodshed swell following crown prince's visit to London.
a conference in London on Saturday
The controversial three-day visit by the Saudi crown prince, also known as MBS, drew criticism from some sections of the British public, with protesters calling for his arrest over his role in the calamitous war in Yemen.
At the London conference, politicians, academics and campaigners joined British opposition politicians in slamming Prime Minister May for rolling out the red carpet for the Saudi prince, and for failing to criticise the kingdom's record in Yemen.
delegates were not convinced by recent reforms.
"Liberalisation is a distraction from the war in Yemen … this is a strategy," said Miles.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/180310204215697.html
(* B P)
Film: Why did Britain roll out the red carpet for Saudi crown prince?
His trip to the UK is the first since he took on this new role as crown prince. Will British politicians confront bin Salman about Saudi Arabia's human rights record and role in Yemen?
Guests: David Hearst - Editor in Chief, Middle East Eye
Khalil Jahshan - Executive Director, Arab Center Washington DC
Anas Altikriti - President, Muslim Association of Britain
(* B P)
Britain has a long history of making convenient friendships
You see the problem? When it comes to money, guns and power, we will cuddle up to any Arab autocrat, especially if our masters in Washington, however insane, feel the same way about him — and it will always be a “him”, won’t it? And we will wash our hands with them if or when they have ceased to be of use, or no longer buy our weapons or run out of cash or simply get overthrown. Thus I can feel some sympathy for young Mohammad – by Robert Fisk
https://www.dawn.com/news/1394301
(A P)
Crown Prince Returns to Saudi Arabia from UK Trip
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1200451/crown-prince-returns-saudi-arabia-uk-trip
(A P)
New era in Saudi-British ties
Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom committed to a long-term partnership to support Vision 2030 covering a wide-range of fields as Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, concluded a three-day historic visit to Britain.
In his cable to the Queen, the Crown Prince said, “My profound thanks and gratitude for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to me and the accompanying delegation.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/article/530160/SAUDI-ARABIA/New-era-in-Saudi-British-ties
Remark: By Saudi media.
(A P)
Saudi crown prince thanks British PM May after landmark three-day visit
Following his departure from the United Kingdom after a three-day visit, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a cable of thanks to Prime Minister Theresa May on Saturday
(A P)
Britain, Saudi Arabia call for Hezbollah disarmament
'The two countries agreed to work together to support the Lebanese Government and to work together to disarm Hezbollah from its weapons and counter its destabilizing role,' statement concluding Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman's visit to London says.
Britain and Saudi Arabia called for the disarmament of Hezbollah in a joint statement released Friday to conclude the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman to London.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5153385,00.html
My comment: What a nonsense is this? Saudi Arabia, supported by Britain, meddling into Lebanese inner affairs. This would not at all mean “support the Lebanese Government” (of which Hezbollah is a part) but endangering the fragile inner peace in Lebanon.
(* A P)
UK-Saudi aid deal national disgrace: Minister
Britain’s shadow aid secretary blasts London for inking a hefty aid deal with Saudi Arabia with the purported aim of creating infrastructure in poor countries at a time when the Riyadh regime is killing Yemeni people and has pushed their country, the poorest in the Arabian Peninsula, into the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/03/10/554953/UK-Saudi-Arabia-Salman-Osamor-May-Corbyn-Yemen
(A P)
Amnesty Int'l slams fighter deal between Saudis, UK
Amnesty International criticized the sale of the Eurofighter Typhoon airplanes and called it 'adding fuel to a humanitarian fire'.
'Selling more fighter planes to a country leading a military coalition that is already laying waste to homes, hospitals and schools in Yemen, is just adding fuel to a humanitarian fire,' said Amnesty International according to Aljazeera.
http://www.irna.ir/en/News/82857828
(* B P)
Megalomaniac Crown Prince Fails to Win Over Londoners With Charm Offensive
It takes more than a charm offensive to win over the hearts and minds of Brits who are overwhelming opposed to the state visit of a de facto ruler accused of war crimes and gross human rights violations.
Unsurprisingly, the PR campaign has been met with derision. “So, he’s paying for his own welcoming campaign, isn’t that a bit weird?” mocked one journalist. Others were more colourful in expressing their feelings on Twitter: “If you have to resort to an ad spend to generate a crowd, maybe you’re a bit of a sh*t,” said a Londoner who also complained that the capital had been turned into Riyadh.
The Financial Times pointed out sarcastically that when a foreign leader comes to visit Britain, it is usually the host nation that spruces up the streets to create a good impression. Saudi Arabia’s supporters, though, seem to have taken matters into their own hands.
Unaccustomed to the personality cult that is crafted carefully by authoritarian regimes, Brits naturally asked who the ads were meant for: “Ads praising MBS all along the M4 [a major motorway] this morning. Are they targeted at Brits, or at the Crown Prince’s motorcade?”
https://www.mintpressnews.com/megalomaniac-crown-prince-fails-win-londoners-charm-offensive/238747/
(* B P)
People have found out what really happened on the Saudi prince’s visit and they aren’t happy
But this propaganda machine has been in action long before bin Salman’s visit. Bin Salman has vowed to return Saudi Arabia to “moderate Islam”. Senior Conservative ministers have celebrated this.
However, this new “vision” has not stopped the Saudi Arabian government executing its own citizens.
The Conservatives have latched onto this new “vision” but it doesn’t make these arms sales more palatable. Because the UK is supplying weapons to a regime that is killing innocent civilians. People have a right to be sick to their stomachs.
Get involved!
– Support the Stop the War coalition, CAAT, PPU, the Arab Organisation of Human Rights, Global Justice Now, and all the groups opposing Saudi Arabia’s state visit to the UK.
(A P)
Groups like Amnesty International hoped that Welby would use the event as an opportunity to raise awareness about human rights in the region. But others claimed it reflected badly on Welby, in light of Saudi Arabia’s suppression of dissent and continued military action in Yemen. The response was quick and damning.
By refusing to meet with the crown prince, the head of the Anglican church could have sent a very clear message.
and
(A P)
Justin Welby Raises Concerns Over Religious Freedom for Christians in Talks With Saudi Crown Prince
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, met with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz in Lambeth Palace, and said he had a "cordial and honest" discussion on religious freedom for Christians.
"The archbishop shared his concern about limits placed on Christian worship in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and highlighted the importance for leaders of all faiths to support freedom of religion or belief,
and
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Archbishop: Saudi leader wants different faiths to flourish
The leader of the Anglican church says Saudi Arabia's crown prince is committed to the flourishing of different faiths in his strict Sunni Muslim kingdom.
http://www.whig.com/article/20180308/AP/303089779#
My comment: LOL. He should try to inaugurate a church in Saudi Arabia.
(A P)
Conservative Lawmaker Who Attacked Corbyn over Yemen Received Luxury Paid Trip from Saudi Arabia
Conservative MP Helen Whately claimed Jeremy Corbyn is "so poorly informed on Saudi and Yemen." She previously led an all-expense-paid Tory junket to meet with the Saudi monarchy.
When the United Kingdom's leftist opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn criticized the government for supporting a catastrophic Saudi war on Yemen and welcoming the Saudi crown prince to London, he was attacked by a pro-Saudi Conservative member of Parliament, who claimed the Labour Party chief is "so poorly informed on Saudi and Yemen."
What this right-wing lawmaker failed to mention is that she previously received thousands of dollars in hospitality expenses from the Saudi regime, while on a luxury junket to meet the Saudi king.
Since the trip, Whately has repeatedly defended the Saudi regime, and denounced its progressive critics.
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=21329
(A P)
Film: Chris Williamson MP spoke to demonstrators outside Downing Street on Wednesday to ask why they were protesting against his visit.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1673585886027768/
(A P)
Film: Protesters gathered outside Downing Street calling on the #UK to stop arming Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign in #Yemen
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1673576162695407/
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1673565372696486/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7X6Tili18A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpqd94EF1ek
(* A P)
Aljazeera on Salman’s visit
Film: When Saudi “reformer” MBS gets Royal treatment and tea time with the Queen for his war crimes against civilians in #Yemen
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1673601616026195/
(A P)
Saudi crown prince inspects fragments of the world’s oldest Quran in London - in pictures
The Birmingham Quran, thought to be from the time of the Prophet Mohammed, is on display at Lambeth Palace in London
The Saudi crown prince was joined by the UK's Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the Church of England, at Lambeth Palace where the treasured text is housed.
(A E P)
US2U attends Saudi British Joint Business Council meeting
US2U Consulting's director, Rachel Blackburn, was pleased to attend the meeting this week at the Mayfair Hotel in London on the historic occasion of the Saudi Crown Prince visiting the UK.
The meeting was attended by Dr Majed Al Qasabi, Minister of Commerce and Investment, Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri, Minister of Economy and Planning, and Ibrahim Al Omar, Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority.
(A)
How Saudi artists are capturing the spirit of a kingdom in the process of radical reform
‘Saudi Cultural Days’, an exhibition at Phillips auction house in London, explored political and cultural themes through a multitude of mediums, including photography and VR
Clearly, one can only achieve a very limited “knowledge and understanding” from a small cross-arts survey such as this. And we must wait for a fuller picture of how Saudi artists are responding to the political liberalisation in the country.
My comment: Political propaganda by presenting art? There is hardly any “political liberalization” in Saudi Arabia.
More overview article of Prince Salman’s visit, various headlines:
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(A K P)
Waffenexporte verbieten statt verdoppeln
Der im neuen Koalitionsvertrag angekündigte Genehmigungsstopp für Länder, die im Jemen Krieg führen, kommt viel zu spät. Es ist bezeichnend für CDU, CSU und SPD, dass bereits genehmigte Waffenlieferungen ausgeführt werden können, wenn die Empfänger nur zusichern, dass das gelieferte Kriegsgerät nicht im Jemen eingesetzt wird.
(A K P)
Berlin nickt eifrig Exporte ab: Übergangsregierung lässt Waffen liefern
Das ganze Land wartet über Monate hinweg auf die Bildung einer neuen Bundesregierung. Nicht so die Waffenindustrie: Die geschäftsführende Regierung genehmigt Waffenexporte über zwei Milliarden Euro - und das in großem Stil an zweifelhafte Regime.
Top-Empfänger deutscher Rüstungsgüter war Ägypten, das Lieferungen im Wert von etwa 285 Millionen Euro erhielt.. Ebenfalls genehmigt wurden Exporte von Rüstungsgütern nach Katar (67,5 Millionen Euro)
https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Ubergangsregierung-laesst-Waffen-liefern-article20329271.html
(A K P)
Gebärdensprachvideo: Aktuelle Entwicklung im Nahen und Mittleren Osten, Bundestagsdebatte vom 22. Feb.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eueRhYex-Vw
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
YÉMEN NE PEUT PLUS ATTENDRE Enfin une question écrite au Ministre des Affaires étrangères
In French: #Yemen cannot wait any longer.
Letter by Alliance internationale pour la défense des droits et des libertés AIDL the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
comment la France compte-t-elle s'assurer que l'utilisation des armes une fois livrées – si c'est encore le cas - est normalement encadrée ?
Devant un tel drame humain, comment la France compte-t-elle jouer son rôle de membre permanent du Conseil de Sécurité à l'ONU et user de son potentiel diplomatique pour venir en aide aux millions de femmes, d'hommes et d'enfants yéménites qui se sentent abandonnés ?
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
(B K P)
Saudisches Streben nach der Großmacht
Der Nahost-Experte Pieter Wezeman über Rüstungsexporte nach Nahost und die Rolle Deutschlands bei der Belieferung verschiedener Staaten
Die USA liefern sie [Kampfflugzeuge, Marschflugkörper], genau wie Großbritannien Kampfflugzeuge geliefert hat, an dem Deutschland mitbaut. Sie können bekommen, was immer sie für notwendig halten. Der allseitige Wille zur Belieferung mit Waffen aus den USA und Westeuropa, aber auch Russland sowie China trägt ganz bestimmt zum saudischen Streben nach der regionalen Großmachtrolle bei.
http://www.fr.de/politik/waffenexporte-saudisches-streben-nach-der-grossmacht-a-1465149
(* B K P)
Laut der britischen Zeitung The Guardian liefern die USA und die europäischen Staaten über 98 Prozent der von Saudi-Arabien importierten Waffen.
Die Rüstungsexporte der USA, dem weltweit größten Waffenexporteur, stiegen zwischen 2008-2012 sowie 2013-2017 um 25 Prozent. Die USA haben in den Jahren 2013-2017 rund 98 Staaten mit Waffen versorgt und bestritten mehr als ein Drittel der weltweiten Waffenexporte.
Ferner hieß es in dem Bericht: "Die Rüstungsimporte der Nahost-Region, die in den vergangenen fünf Jahren in zahlreiche gewalttätige Konflikte verwickelt gewesen ist, machten 2013-2017 32 Prozent der weltweiten Waffenimporte aus. Die Rüstungsimporte in die Region verdoppelten sich zwischen 2013 und 2017 und in den fünf Jahren davor. Die USA, England und Frankreich waren die Hauptlieferanten von Waffen in die Region, während Saudi-Arabien, Ägypten und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate die Hauptimporteure waren.
(* B K P)
SIPRI: Conflicts fuel weapon deliveries to Middle East, Asia
The flow of arms to the conflict-ridden Middle East more than doubled over the past five years, the research institute said. The US and European countries, including Germany, supplied the bulk of the weapons.
Arms imports by countries in the Middle East jumped by 103 percent during the 2013-2017 period compared with the previous five years, a report on global arms sales by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) showed on Monday.
"Widespread violent conflicts in the Middle East and concerns about human rights have led to political debate in Western Europe and North America about restricting arms sales," said SIPRI researcher Pieter Wezeman in a statement.
"Yet the USA and European states remain the main arms exporters to the region and supplied over 98 per cent of weapons imported by Saudi Arabia," he said.
Saudi Arabia, which is leading a massive military campaign against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, saw its arms imports increase by a staggering 225 percent in the 2013-2017 period compared with 2008-2012.
The United States cemented its position as the world's top arms exporter during the five-year period ending 2017, selling about a third of the world's weapons.
US arms exports jumped 25 percent in the 2013-2017 period compared with the previous five years, the SIPRI study showed.
Exports to states in the Middle East accounted for half of the total US weapon exports in that period.
http://www.dw.com/en/sipri-conflicts-fuel-weapon-deliveries-to-middle-east-asia/a-42930458
(* B K P)
Nearly half of US arms exports go to the Middle East
Saudi Arabia is world’s second biggest importer, with global US sales up by 25% in past five years
Nearly half of US arms exports over the past five years have gone to the war-stricken Middle East, with Saudi Arabia consolidating its place as the world’s second biggest importer, a report has shown.
The US, which is the world’s biggest exporter, increased its sales between those two periods by 25%. It supplied arms to as many as 98 states worldwide, accounting for more than a third of global exports.
The UK, which rolled out a red carpet for the Saudi crown prince on his visit to London last week, exported nearly half of its arms to the Saudi Arabia, which has increased its imports by 225%. Sipri’s report noted that Saudi Arabia uses its imported weapons in large-scale combat operations, particularly in Yemen.
Iran, which is under an international arms embargo, spends a fraction of what its Arab neighbours spend on weapons, instead relying on proxies and soft power to advance its policies.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/12/nearly-half-of-us-arms-exports-go-to-the-middle-east
(* B K P)
Study: Saudi Arms Imports Rose 225% in 5 Years Amid War on Yemen
A study shows Saudi Arabia’s arms imports has seen a 225-percent rise over the past five years, saying the Riyadh regime has bought almost all of its weapons from the US and the Europeans amid its bloody military campaign against Yemen.
American weapons constitute 61 percent of the imports and British ones 23 percent, said the report titled “Asia and the Middle East lead rising trend in arms imports, US exports grow significantly", presstv reported.
“The US and European states remain the main arms exporters to the region and supplied over 98 percent of weapons imported by Saudi Arabia,” it read.
Based on the report, Saudi Arabia is now the world’s second largest arms importer after India, while global US sales are up by 25 percent.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961221000812 and also http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/03/12/555166/Saudi-Arabia-United-States-United-Kingdom-Yemen
(B K P)
La France, troisième exportateur mondial d’armement
[France, the world's third largest arms exporter]
Les industriels français de la défense ont vu leur part de marché croître de près d’un point à 6,7 %, sur la période 2013-2017 par rapport à 2008-2012, selon le Sipri.
(* B C K P)
A short timeline on the History of the #UK #BAE and #BAC [British Aircraft Corporation] weapon sales to #SaudiArabia: (with film)
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1675955749124115/
cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy
(* B E H)
Yemen’s war pushes women to the digital worldThrough online trade, women have been able to earn a steady income; this has been necessary as salaries were irregularly issued to government employees, amounting to 1.2 million people, and numerous public and private sector associations have closed. Many women decided to engage in e-commerce through social media platforms, notably Facebook and WhatsApp.
The products women market and trade are varied, including items such as cosmetics, shoes, clothes, bags, handmade items, household items, perfumes and candy; men tend to focus their trade on cars, real estate, and weapons.
Although trade through social media is thriving in Yemen and is very lucrative for some, consumers still fear the concept.
There are many women who are seriously thinking about experimenting with social media, and they are making many online friends as a constructive step towards starting their own projects.
https://www.almadaniyamag.com/english/2018/3/11/yemens-war-pushes-women-to-the-digital-world
(B E)
#Yemen isnt all doom and gloom! Summer 2017 i met with http://sabcomeed.com looking to process & export #coffee. Now operational they pay 105% more to farmers for red cherries. In 2018 they plan to roll out mobile banking to farmers -financial inclusion (photos)
https://twitter.com/Wesamqaid/status/972908682848751617
(* B E)
Yemen’s ambassador to Washington says country faces challenges due to low GDP
Yemen’s government faces challenges due to a 10 percent decline in the country’s gross domestic product over the past year, as well as the deterioration of state revenues by more than 65 percent, Yemen’s ambassador to Washington has said, according to Saudi state news agency SPA.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1263746/middle-east
(* B E)
Gaza, Yemen and a lesson for Big Tech
‘The internet is creating opportunities for some of the world’s least-connected people to improve their lives’
It is important to remember that the internet is also creating opportunities for some of the least connected people in the world — those cut off by wars and walls — to build businesses and improve their lives.
The Rowad Foundation in Yemen was created in 2013 by local entrepreneurs to help start-ups access international markets. Executive director Adeeb Qasem tells me that the logistics of travel and transporting goods overseas are “complicated” but that the internet gives Yemenis hope. Some work as freelance programmers and graphic designers, while others are running businesses such as Anamehani, a platform for finding plumbers, painters and more, which has expanded beyond Yemen into Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp6
(B T)
The politics is rather straightforward: ISIS in #Yemen are the Al Qaeda terrorists who refused to make a deal with the Saudi/UAE coalition to roll over and play dead for US audiences.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/973487923332112384
In a way, ISIS in Yemen are simply Al Qaeda terrorists who actually have principles, no matter how warped: They don't like being lapdogs for Saudi/UAE BS CT ops against AQAP designed to fool & impress the Pentagon.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/973532076073996292
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Saudi Arabia sends 19 thousand food baskets to Yemen
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1265231/middle-east
(A P)
Saudi Arabia leads the drive to curtail Iran’s hegemony
Riyadh needs to widen their network of partnership in energy and trade with the rest of the world to neutralise Tehran’s designs in the region
The energetic young leadership in Saudi Arabia is facing insurmountable challenges and the most imminent one by far is Iran’s aggressive policy in the region and beyond. Iran’s, to coin a phrase, “Arc of Ambitions” stretches from Baghdad through the Gulf, Syria, Lebanon and the Saudi’s “soft belly”: Yemen. Since the signing of the nuclear deal with the P5+1 group of world power, Tehran’s top clerics and their powerful army of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, do not hide their country’s policy and openly claim their intervention in the region aims to prominently establish Iran as the centre of power in the region.
Saudi Arabia, as the only regional Arab power left in the driving seat to lead the Arabs in their endeavour to face up to the Iranian vicious and destructive attack, finds itself in an unprecedentedly historic situation in the struggle for self-preservation.
(A P)
FM calls UN to press Houthis over public salaries
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdul-Malik al-Mekhlafi has called on the United Nations today to pressure on Houthis to arrange a mechanism of collecting revenues from their held territories and handing them over to the government so that the government can afford and pay the salaries of public employees there.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16338
My comment: Why should the Houthi government hand any money to the Hadi government? Payments stopped due to Hadi government’s disastrous Central bank maneuvers.
(A P)
Crown Prince reenergizes Saudi-UK partnership
While in London before and during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the UK last week, it was quite clear to me that officials and businesses were exceptionally excited he had chosen to visit Britain during his first foreign tour since becoming Crown Prince. London was beside itself with anticipation, albeit living up to the British preference for low-key displays of joy. The visit was full of symbolism, including lunch with Queen Elizabeth and dinner with the Prince of Wales. The art and culture exhibits were quite impressive as well.
However, it was on substance that the visit can be safely considered a defining moment in the relationship between the two countries.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1263976/opinion
(A P)
Partnerships in Battles of the Future
Britain sought to show exceptional attention to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to London. This is not strictly tied to the historic ties between Saudi Arabia and Britain or the deals and agreements that were expected to be announced during his trip. Saudi Arabia is experiencing a comprehensive reform and modernization workshop. This battle demands partnerships and expertise possessed by advanced countries. Britain, which is preparing to exit the European Union, needs economic partners that can compensate for the losses it will incur from Brexit. On top of the above-mentioned reasons, the new Saudi Arabia represents a trustworthy partner.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1202191/ghassan-charbel/partnerships-battles-future
(A P)
Saudi Shiites and their role in the ‘new Saudi Arabia’
Saudi record in protecting Shiite citizens
Shiite role in strengthening the nation
The bane of ‘political Islam’
Shiite presence in Saudi Arabia is based on a conviction that strengthens by the day – a conviction that is based on loyalty to the country and its political leaders, the rejection of foreign interference and violence and the taking up of arms, maintenance of civil peace, not adopting sectarian and racist rhetoric, confirming principles of Islamic unity, adoption of dialogue and communication to resolve problems and faith in law as a reference to guaranteed equal opportunities among citizens without any sectarian discrimination.
Equal opportunities, common vision
Shiites in Saudi Arabia – and all the Saudi people – now have a chance to truly participate in establishing ‘the new Saudi Arabia’ and to efficiently contribute, alongside the political leadership, to build their future without any fear of ‘takfiri’ fatwas (religious edicts) or sectarian discrimination. These fatwas and practices are over now and will never return again as is confirmed by the royal will.
My comment: LOL. Look at Awamiya how this really works.
(A P)
Mohammed bin Salman is the agent of Saudi Arabia’s change, not custodian of its past
As a young Saudi woman living in London, I desperately want Saudi Arabia to adapt to the modern world. That’s why I’ve found much to support in the agenda of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – and wanted his visit to Britain which has ended Friday to succeed.
That may sound odd: wanting modernity and backing a future absolute monarch. But Mohammad bin Salman is the agent of Saudi Arabia’s change, not the custodian of its past.
As a reformer, he is tackling what is least good about Saudi Arabia – and is taking criticism for it from ultra-conservatives. If people want Saudi Arabia to reform, I believe that they should look to bolster and encourage its top reformer.
(A P)
Stopping Weapon Sales Will Not Help Yemen, the World Must ‘Intervene Directly’: Q&A with Journalist Nadia Al-Sakkaf
Nadia Al-Sakkaf worked for several years as a reporter, she became Editor in Chief of the Yemen Times. She was appointed Minister for Information in Yemen in 2014, the first woman to hold the position.
She talked to Al Bawaba about the humanitarian situation in Yemen, the role of outside players in the conflict, and what’s next.
“I would like more committed involvement in terms of bringing solutions.
For example, why not push towards having an international navy at Hodeidah Port to help with the blockade? The reason the Saudis are saying that they need to protect the port is that weapons are being smuggled into the country.
So for example, there could be a credible international force taking charge of Hodeidah Airport. It’s fine by Yemenis and I’m sure it would be fine by the Saudis since it would be a neutral organization, such as the U.N.
I think that the U.K. as a leading power in the world should push towards international interventions, instead of letting it implode. It’s a no-brainer in a way. They’ve done this in Africa.
If this [US, UK arms sales to Saudis] stops, the Saudis are going to find somebody else and they are going to import the weapons from there. It will help ease the emotional guilt. It will not help the U.K. economy, as the U.K. benefits from these sales, and the U.S. as well. It won’t help their prosperity. It might help their righteousness but it’s not going to do anything about the Yemen war per se.
Instead, I think the solution to this is not to say 'We’ll stop giving you weapons,' it’ll be to intervene directly in the country. I would like to see peacekeeping troops.
My comment: What a propaganda junk is this???
(A P)
Yemeni women address 10-point message to new UN envoy
A group of Yemeni women activists have addressed to the UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths a message of 10 points that they presented as a roadmap to resolving the military standoff in the country.
The message called for: forcing the Houthi militia to hand over heavy weapons and cities they control, end their years long blockade of Taiz city and stop recruitment of child fighters
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16298
My comment: This sounds like a pro-Hadi government propaganda action.
(A P)
Al Houthis more dangeorus than Al Qaida, says Yemeni premier
The Iran-backed Al Houthi movement is the most dangerous threat to security and stability in Yemen as they have killed thousands of Yemeni soldiers and mounted a coup against the internationally-recognised president, Yemen’s prime minister said.
In an interview with the Egyptian Al Youm Al Sabaa newspaper, Ahmad Obeid Bin Daghar said that he sees Al Houthis as most dangerous group in the war-ravaged country even more so than Al Qaida or Daesh and his government would intensify military operations until they agree to disarm, exit major cities and turn into a purely political party.
My comment: LOL.
(A P)
US Ambassador to Yemen: War Merchants are Getting Richer
"When I look at the overall situation in Yemen, there is an Iranian ambition, in which Tehran is looking for a foothold in Yemen, and I think it is very logical that Saudi Arabia sees this as a problem for Iran's ambitions," US Ambassador to Yemen Matthew Tueller described the issue of the conflict in Yemen.
Discussing role of US in pushing for a solution, the ambassador indicated that this year brings more opportunities.
"We have an impact on the legitimate government, and I think we can use this influence, as well as technical means to help legitimacy achieve this role successfully," he said.
Tueller confirms the cooperation between the US and the coalition countries, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in combating terrorism in Yemen.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1201406/us-ambassador-yemen-war-merchants-are-getting-richer
My comment: This is really odd propaganda. Taking Iran to explain anything in Yemen means fully adopting Saudi propaganda. – And: The greatest war merchants making the greatest deal about the Yemen war is the US itself selling arms to the Saudis and their allies. – And: The US is part of the problem in Yemen and not part of the solution. The US politics for a great part has caused this war, and up to now they always had pushed for prolonging it. – On Tueller’s horrible and totally biased role read https://theintercept.com/2017/12/13/yemen-war-peace-talks-matthew-tueller/
(A P)
Princess Reema: We Need to Get Over the Fixation on the Appearance of Saudi Women
“I would like for the dialogue of what we look like to no longer be in the narrative,” one of Saudi Arabia’s top female officials Princess Reema bint Bandar told Chatham House, an independent policy institute based in London, on Friday. She was in London as part of the delegation accompanying Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
“We look and sound different, but our mental capacity is equal” said the US-raised Princess, an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and key figure in the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s program of socioeconomic change in her role as the Vice-President for Development and Planning at the Saudi General Sports Authority.
My comment: Ah. She’s a Prince Salman propagandist. If the “Fixation on the Appearance of Saudi Women” is any problem, let’s solve it the simple way: As in the US and Germany and Russia and China and Bolivia and and and simply let Saudi women dress in the public as just THEY FOR THEMSELVES want, without any special rules differing from the US Germany Russia China Bolivia and and and.
(A P)
GCC Relief Coordination Meeting for Yemen Reviews Plans in Riyadh
The Gulf Cooperation Council’s body tasked with coordinating relief and humanitarian aid provided by member states to Yemen held a meeting on Friday in Riyadh in the presence of representatives from the British International Development Ministry.
Remark: Saudi & allies’ relief propaganda.
(A P)
The UAE presenting itself as benefactors:
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/uae-operates-water-pumps-aden
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/erc-establish-solar-water-pump-system-shabwa
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/erc-intensifies-relief-work-shabwa-yemen
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/erc-begins-operating-artesian-well-gfalawamer-district-yemen
(A P)
Saudi Arabia has drawn unjustified ire and unfounded accusations
I do not understand why those who claim to be secular and civil and those who accuse Saudi Arabia of espousing an ideology that promotes terrorism are furious that the Saudi leadership is intent on forming a multi-cultural and religious alliance between different religions and cultures to promote peace, harmony and synergy in its war against terrorism and terrorist ideology.
Is it not necessary for Saudi Arabia to be involved in an ideological war against terrorist groups which promote their beliefs among Muslim youths in Muslim as well as western countries?
Saudi Arabia is the origin of Islam and a destination for all Muslims, so why do these people fight its good efforts, or in the best case scenario, they ignore them or doubt them or underestimate them?
My comment: This “multi-cultural and religious alliance” is little more than a propaganda trick. – And, oh no: Saudi Arabia IS NOT the origin of Islam – Arabia is. That’s a very great difference.
(A P)
Gargash: Saudi Arabia’s pivotal role evident in UK historic visit
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash praised on Friday Saudi Arabia's role during Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman's historic visit to Britain.
(A P)
UK rolls out the red carpet for Mohammad Bin Salman
Britain is an important ally, a long-standing friend and understands Saudi Arabia’s outlook
Prince Mohammad’s Vision 2030 to reinvigorate and re-energise Saudi Arabia’s economy and society also present enormous potential opportunities for British-based businesses and corporations. And with Brexit imminent, the successful visit of Prince Mohammad afforded UK businesses an ideal opportunity to explore deep and meaningful trade ties further afield than the European Union they are about to leave.
The UK is an important ally in fighting terrorists and extremists
Prince Mohammad’s Vision 2030 to reinvigorate and re-energise Saudi Arabia’s economy and society also present enormous potential opportunities for British-based businesses and corporations. And with Brexit imminent, the successful visit of Prince Mohammad afforded UK businesses an ideal opportunity to explore deep and meaningful trade ties further afield than the European Union they are about to leave.
The UK is an important ally in fighting terrorists and extremists
http://gulfnews.com/opinion/editorials/uk-rolls-out-the-red-carpet-for-mohammad-bin-salman-1.2185534
(A P)
The impression in London? MBS means business
However, the British are also known for their sense of fairness; which is why, as the crown prince heads back to Riyadh, the overwhelming impression he left behind in London is that MBS means business.
It is one thing to merely talk about reform, but when talk is accompanied by action of the type we saw in the British capital over the past few days, then there really is no room for doubt.
The number of agreements reached was remarkable.
With much skepticism laid to rest, the British now realize they have a real partner in the new Saudi leadership, and have finally sampled a taste of the real change that is happening on the ground.
To have achieved so much in just two years, with oil at record low prices, regional conflicts and lots of doubt — this is Saudi Arabia’s “If you are going through hell, keep going,” Churchillian moment.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1262996/opinion
(A P)
Western media wakes up to the Saudi transformation
Over the years we have become accustomed to seeing the international news media distort and caricature almost every aspect of Saudi politics and society. Whenever Saudi Arabia came up, in US news especially, we could expect an ill-informed talking head to berate our country for this and that. But a shift has occurred recently in how the media approaches Saudi Arabia, the effort they are making to understand us, and even the encouragement they are expressing for changes and reforms under way for some years now. A quick look at the past week’s English-language press shows a positive and optimistic portrait of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1263191
(A P)
When the new Saudi Arabia met the new Egypt
Saudi-Egyptian relations have moved to a phase of complementarity.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz’s recent visit to Egypt was special by all norms and has set new standards for what future inter-Arab relations should be like.
It was a meeting between a new Egypt and a new Saudi Arabia; a meeting with a clear regional dimension. It was a meeting between two Arab countries seeking practical ways of complementing each other and not just an opportunity to repeat meaningless slogans.
https://thearabweekly.com/when-new-saudi-arabia-met-new-egypt
Remark: From Egypt.
(A P)
What Iranians learnt about MBS from state TV (Clue: Not a lot)
However, Iran’s rulers cannot hide the reality from their own people. Ordinary Iranians understand very well the importance of these trips with regard to the crown prince’s policies toward Iran.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1263281
My comment: Saudi propaganda mocking Iranian propaganda – that’s really funny.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K PH)
Saudi coalition air raids day by day:
March 7: https://twitter.com/LCRDye/status/972397840176689152
(A K)
#Saudi air strikes are targeting several areas in Dhamar city now
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/973490970598805504
Kids are ruining out from schools afraid of #Saudi bombardment in Dhamar city now
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/973491423893950464
(* A K PH)
58 Saudi air strikes, ground bombing hit civilian properties in several provinces on Sunday
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490079.htm
(A K PS)
Arab Coalition destroys Houthi weapons in Beidha
The Arab Coalition has destroyed weapons belonging to the Houthi militia through air strikes on a range of mountains of Nate'a and Malajem areas in the province of Beidha in central Yemen.
A military source told the state-run news agency Saba that the raids resulted in the destruction of weapons, ammunition and military vehicles.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16339
(A K PS)
Saudi-led airstrikes target Al-Dailami Air Base, Sana'a airport
The Saudi-led Arab coalition aircrafts bombed al-Dailami airbase and Sana'a airport on Sunday with more than 10 airstrikes, eyewitnesses said.
The eyewitnesses told Almasdaronline that the aircrafts bombed the air base under the control of the Houthis, more than a dozen air raids, led to columns of smoke raised from the target location.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/97576
My comment: As the Houthis do not have any air force, even a [former9 air base hardly can be a “military target” of any relevance. Well, mission accomplished: Sanaa airport was damaged again. And look:
(A K PH)
Airstrike wages Hodeidah International Airport
The US-backed Saudi aggression warplane shelling a raid on Hodeidah International Airport resulted, very huge damages in the citizens' houses, a secretary told Saba on Monday.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490090.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490067.htm
(* A K PH)
Film: The American - Saudi aggression rises from its crimes against the Yemenis
A series of crimes committed by the American-Saudi aggression during the past few days, which claimed the lives of dozens of martyrs and wounded, countless crimes
https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1996553670670946/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/972922914424188928
(A K PS)
Photo. #RSAF F-15SA from the 55th Sqn flying a combat mission in support of Opr Restore Hope.
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/972841509514043395
(A K PH)
Film: The crimes of the aggression in Saada and the continuation of the bleeding of innocent people 10-03-2018
Blood haemorrhage in Saada does not stop for one hour. The air raids of the American-Saudi aggression in the province resulted in the martyrs and wounded innocent civilians
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atmMvP-AotY = https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1995991700727143/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/972562071480094721
(A K PH)
Film: Aggression destroys a citizen 's house and burns a farm at the Directorate of Baqam Sa'ada 10-03-2018
The destruction of houses and the burning of farms Baqem Directorate in Saada became a daily target for the raids of the American-Saudi aggression, where the aggression destroyed the home of a citizen and burned another farm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkVqQ1fqggU = https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1995959030730410/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/972561002981142528
(A K PH)
Three civilians injures of Saudi aggression jets in Saada
Baqem border district in Saada province
The aggression fighter jets launched an airstrike on Baqem district, resulting to the injuring of a child, young man and an old man all of them from one family with seriously injures
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news489964.htm
and
(A K PH)
Names and photos: 3 citizens, including children, were wounded in an attack on Baqim Directorate in Saada Governorate (photos)
http://al-ahd.net/2018/03/11/بالأسماء-والصور-إصابة-3-مواطنين-بينهم-أ/
and
(A K )
Film by Daily Mail: Saudi-led coalition airstrikes have targeted a market in Yemen
A series of Saudi-led coalition airstrikes have targeted a market in Northern Yemen's Saada province. The strikes happened a day after Saudi Arabia accused Yemen's rebels of firing missiles at them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmjthtoXSkM
(A K)
Cluster bomb explosion wounded 2 children today in Althaher area #Saada #Yemen
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/972456273852731393
(A K PH)
Three citizens killed in Saudi raids on Marib
Three citizens killed when the US-Saudi aggression warplanes launched two airstrikes on Saturday in Serwah district in Marib , a local source told Saba. The hit was at farm in al-Hglan district in Serwah
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news489860.htm
(A K)
A civilian citizen was killed and another one injured by an airstrike that targeted the car they were on-board on the main road of al-Mansoriah of #Hodeidah province, west #Yemen (photo) (March, 10)
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/972387368866144256
(* A K PH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
March 13:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490188.htm Marib p.
March 12:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490182.htm Hajjah p.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490076.htm farms, Hodeidah p.
March 11:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490059.htm Sanaa p.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490055.htm Hajjah p.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490052.htm Amran p.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490060.htm Jawf p.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news490064.htm Serwah, Marib p.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news489968.htm Hajjah p.
March 10:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news489872.htm Nehm, Sanaa p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
(* A K)
Houthis target military hospital in Yemen’s Taiz: Army
The Shia Houthi militia on Tuesday struck a military hospital in Yemen’s southwestern city of Taiz, resulting in a number of civilian casualties, according to a Yemeni military official.
"Houthi fighters shelled a military hospital in the city center, leading to an as-yet-undetermined number of civilian deaths and injuries," army spokesman Colonel Abdul Basset al-Bahr told Anadolu Agency by phone.
According to al-Bahr, the hospital building -- along with much medical equipment -- was damaged in the attack.
https://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/houthis-target-military-hospital-in-yemen-s-taiz-army/1087548
(A K PS)
Houthi rockets rain down on Karesh houses
Houthis have reportedly fired a number of rockets on the villages and houses in Karesh area north of Lahj province.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16337
(A K PS)
Houthis kill a pregnant mother southern al Hodeida
A pregnant mother was killed on Monday by Houthis artillery attack on Hays city, southern al Hodeida province
http://almasdaronline.com/article/97610
(A K PS)
Three Yemeni Red Crescent wounded by artillery shelling in al Bayda
Three members of the Yemeni Red Crescent team were injured as they entered to pull out Houthis bodies, who remained in the battle sites in Nate district in al Bayda province, central Yemen.
A field source said that the team was attacked as they were trying to retrieve more than 20 bodies of the Houthis militants in the vicinity of al Qaraha and al Hamra mountain western Nate district.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/97578
(A K PS)
The Navy finds naval mines off Midi coast
The engineering teams of the naval formation of the 5th military zone found on Sunday new naval mines off the coast of Midi city, which was previously planted by Houthi militants.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/97575
(A K PH)
Film. Injured four innocent children with mercenaries shells US-Saudi aggression in the Directorate of Sama' in Taiz, March 11
https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1996529270673386/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/972903163765379072
(A K PS)
Arab Coalition Forces destroy missiles depots in Yemen
The Saudi-led Arab Coalition forces bombarded munition caches and missile depots used by the Iran-backed Houthi militias on Yemen's Red Sea Coast as part of a series of air strikes against the coup perpetrators' bastions and pockets in the area.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302673667
(* A K)
Has the U.S. joined the war on #Yemen? 2 armed drone strikes on Houthi forces in Hays district, Hodeidah governorate latest night. Not a known Saudi/UAE capablity.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/972713486970220544
(A K PH)
Film: Wounded in a rocket attack Saudi Directorate of Zaher Saada 10-03-2018
Wounded most of them children in a rocket attack targeting the innocent people in the Directorate of Zaher, Saada province
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHT1jafShTw = https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1995958214063825/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/972551128654274562
(A K PH)
Saudi Fire Kills a Woman and Demolishes a Health Unit in Saada Province
The Saudi Forces on Friday intensified its rocket attacks, air raids, and artillery bombardments, killing a woman and destroying a health unit in Saada Governorate, northern Yemen.
Saudi missiles and shells targeted Razih district along the Saudi border, slaughtering a woman and turning her home into rubble, a local source told Yamanyoon.
Several neighboring houses were also damaged. The bombing destroyed a health unit, the sole one in the area.
https://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=103786&lang=en
(A K PH)
A woman killed, houses destroy in Saudi artillery on Sadaa
At least a woman killed and citizens' houses destroyed when the artillery unit of Saudi aggression shelled attacked on Sadaa, a secretary official told Saba on Saturday. The artillery hit Ben Suah area in Razeh district in Sadaa province
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news489864.htm
(* B K PH)
Yemeni Army Destroys 300 Saudi-Led Coalition Tanks, Military Equipment, Fires 20 Ballistic Missiles in 2 Months
Yemen's al-Najm al-Thaqib news website reported on Saturday that 189 military equipment, including 27 armored vehicles and 3 tanks, were smashed in January by the Yemeni army, adding that 4 arms caches of the Saudi-led coalition were set on fire and 174 mercenaries and 72 Saudi military men were targeted by the Yemeni snipers.
It added that 20 armored vehicles and 5 tanks of the Saudi-led coalition were destroyed in February and 125 vehicles of other types were damaged
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961219000808
(* A K PS)
Tens of Houthi militants killed, vehicles destroyed in airstrikes by Arab Coalition
Backed by the UAE Armed Forces, the coalition fighter jets pounded the militias’ military enforcements in the farms in the districts of Mansouria, Beit al-Faqih, Tahtia and Jarahi in the Red Sea Coast of Yemen.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302673458
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(* B E H K)
How Dave Eggers' new book filters the American Dream through Yemeni coffee
Dave Eggers' new book The Monk of Mokha tells the true story of a young Muslim-American doorman who dreams of reinvigorating the coffee industry of his war-torn ancestral homeland, Yemen. For The Arts Hour, the author tells CHLOE VELTMAN about Mokhtar Alkhanshali's dangerous journey from a fancy San Francisco lobby to remote plantations and back.
In his latest non-fiction book, Dave Eggers – the bestselling author of the memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and the dystopian tech novel The Circle – focuses on the life of Mokhtar Alkhanshali and illustrates the powerful contributions that young immigrants make to American life.
The Monk of Mokha tells the story of this resourceful Yemeni-American who, despite growing up in a rough downtown neighbourhood of San Francisco, goes on to become a swashbuckling coffee entrepreneur.
(B)
Jemen: Der bunte Kampf der Künstlerin Haifa Subay
Die Streetart-Künstlerin Haifa Subay malt in Jemen mit starken Bildern gegen den Krieg an. Eines der Bilder zeigt einen Jungen, der ein Bein durch eine Landmine verloren hat.
(B)
Haifa Subai, la grafitera que pinta entre bombas el dolor de Yemen
A sus 27 años, esta artista y activista cubre los escombros con pinturas dedicadas a "las víctimas silenciadas" del hambre y la guerra. Su sueño: estudiar Arte y vivir en paz.
http://www.elmundo.es/papel/historias/2018/03/12/5aa52f8d22601d402a8b4669.html
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-391-yemen-war-mosaic-391
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-391 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-391:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
und alle Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
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