Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 486 - Yemen War Mosaic 486

Yemen Press Reader 486: 1. Dezember 2018: Jemenitisches Tagebuch – Jemens Wasserkrise und Krieg – Fischer im Jemen – Jemen, Hunger und Dilemma für Reporter – Votum im US-Senat war symbolisch ...

Bei diesem Beitrag handelt es sich um ein Blog aus der Freitag-Community.
Ihre Freitag-Redaktion

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

... Kämpfe, Luftangriffe, Vorbereitungen für Friedensgespräche – und mehr

December 1, 2018: A diary from Yemen – Yemen’s water crisis and war – Yemeni fishermen – Jemen, Hunger, und Dilemma für Reporter – US Senate vote was symbolic – Fighting, air raids, preparations for peace talks – 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

cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle

cp2 Allgemein / General

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

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

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

cp8a Jamal Khashoggi

cp9 USA

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade

cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

Klassifizierung / Classification

***

**

*

(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

Einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:

Yemen War: Introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4040&cat_id=1

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

(** B H)

Of food, life and death. A diary from Yemen

World Food Programme (WFP) cameraman Marco Frattini, just back from Yemen, reflects on his experience documenting the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

This was my fifth trip to Yemen. Every time, I visited the same hospitals. Every time, it was worse than the last. Even before the war, the malnutrition wards were always full. Poverty took care of that.But this time, something was different. Not only were there not enough beds, or medicines: if you went back after a few days, some of the children you’d seen the previous time were not there any more. You wondered what happened to them. You knew. And you pushed away the thought to keep working.

You can’t help wondering how long these children have not been fed properly. You hear the stories of mothers so undernourished they can’t breastfeed, who boil the same handful of rice over and over again so they can give the water to their babies to drink. You almost find yourself asking ‘why have they waited so long to bring their children to hospital?’ Then you speak to the parents, each story echoing the next. The fathers — the sight of so many of them by their children’s bedsides surprised me, compared to what I’d seen in other countries — had lost their jobs when the war started. The lucky ones would work three, four days a month as casual labourers, in kitchens or building sites, for wages as low as US$1 a day. They had sold everything they had to get by. And when it got really bad, it was difficult to scrape together enough money to travel to the nearest hospital.

You have to harden yourself to see and hear all of this, find some kind of ‘protection mode’ in which you can operate. Watching things through a lens helps you maintain a certain distance. But they stay with you.

Sometimes during this trip I would force myself to cry at night, to let out the emotions bottled up in the day. I would call home to share my feelings – by Marco Frattini (with photos)

https://insight.wfp.org/of-food-life-and-death-1e696f641d61

(** B H)

An Update on Yemen’s Water Crisis and the Weaponization of Water

In a piece published last year, I examined the interaction of water and conflict in Yemen and Syria, two countries whose severe water shortages have enabled competing actors to wield this precious resource as a weapon in violent conflict to the detriment of millions of civilians.

One year on, the situation remains dire, particularly for Yemen, where the weaponization of water has brought the conflict to a critical stage in which the UN now estimates that 14 million people, or half of Yemen’s population, are facing “pre-famine” conditions. Water is one among several complex facets of the conflict and it remains difficult to determine the extent to which it has driven the violence. However, it is clear that for both sides, the struggle for access to water and control of its provision continues to be a strategic imperative, with the effect of mass civilian suffering.

Conclusion
While the UN and relief agencies have repeatedly warned that Yemen’s water crisis adds to fuel to the conflict and have called for both sides to stop targeting humanitarian supplies including water, the disjointed and often inconsistent calls to action have not been followed by any meaningful response from the international community. After three years of brutal fighting, water scarcity has further entrenched the actors in Yemen’s conflict, perhaps deepening what has become a war of attrition. At the same time, the long-lasting effects of the conflict—from the mass displacement of civilians to the destruction of critical infrastructure—are exacerbating the water crisis.
With no relief in sight, Yemen’s water crisis and its interaction with the conflict will continue to drive the country further toward humanitarian collapse.

http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/an-update-on-yemen-s-water-crisis-and-the-weaponization-of-water

(** B H K)

Yemen fishermen face starvation at home or death at sea

Ali Mohammed has been fishing off Hodeida since he was a child, but for the first time in 30 years, the Yemeni father of eight cannot feed his family.

He and his fellow fisherman are facing "tragedy", he said as he emptied his net at a harbour in the battle-scarred Red Sea city.

"We are really scared to go out to sea, to the extent that we say goodbye to our children every time we leave the house because we do not know if we are coming back."

The fighting poses a mortal threat to an industry the World Bank says employed some 10,000 registered fishermen in Hodeida and the surrounding province before the war.

"A rocket could strike you and you wouldn't know where it came from," Mohammed said.

"There are fishermen still missing at sea... they went out and never came back."

In the fish market near the harbour, white marble basins that were once filled to the brim with fish now hold what very little comes from the day's catch.

A few customers scurry behind anyone who has managed to catch fish that day, while the lucky fishermen who come back to the market with a big catch hawk their goods from the backs of trucks or carts.

"We used to have a lot more fish in the past because we were able to go further into the sea," Mohammed Salem Adwein said.

Fishing boats from the port used to go out as much as 100 nautical miles (185 kilometres) into the Red Sea.

"Now we go about 20-25 nautical miles (37-46 kilometres) out, and we are terrified," he said.

"The longer the conflict, the more difficult it is for the fishermen."

Tor al-Amer, who works at the docks, said Hodeida's fishermen face a bitter choice.

"A fisherman will starve to death if he stays home, but if he goes out to sea he will die from being bombed," he said.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-6445235/Yemen-fishermen-face-starvation-home-death-sea.html

(** B H)

In Yemen, Lavish Meals for Few, Starvation for Many and a Dilemma for Reporters

Crisis zones are often places of stark contrast, but in Yemen the gulf is particularly uncomfortable. The problem isn’t a lack of food; it’s that few people can afford to buy what food is available.

Years of blockades, bombs and soaring inflation have crushed the economy. A crushed state means there is no safety net.

As a result, beggars congregate outside supermarkets filled with goods; markets are filled with produce in towns where the hungry eat boiled leaves; and restaurants selling rich food are a few hundred yards from hunger wards filled with desperation, pain and death.

For a reporter, that brings a dilemma. Journalists travel with bundles of hard currency, usually dollars, to pay for hotels, transport and translation. A small fraction of that cash might go a long way for a starving family. Should I pause, put down my notebook and offer to help?

Some, in their anguish, turned the focus back on us.

Why didn’t we do something to save Amal’s life, they wanted to know. Did we just take the photo, conduct the interview and move on? Couldn’t we have somehow ensured that her family would get help?

The questions resonated. Reporters are trained to bear witness; aid workers and doctors have the job of helping people.

Donating money, or other forms of assistance, can be fraught with ethical, moral and practical complications. Is it fair to single out one person or family for help? What if they embellish their story for the next foreigner who comes along, thinking they could get more money?

Plus, we have a job to do.

But while we may try to mimic a stone, we are not stones, and every day in Yemen someone told me something that made a lump rise in my throat.

Usually it was a mundane detail, like the lack of a few dollars to take a dying child to the hospital. Yemen, you realize, is a country where people are dying for lack of a taxi fare.

Yemenis have to navigate such terrain, too.

While some are dying, others are getting on with living – By Declan Walsh (with photos9

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/29/world/middleeast/yemen-saudi-arabia-famine.html

(** A P)

Only in Washington does the Yemen vote look good

Even if the resolution gets the necessary votes just to be debated, it will undoubtedly receive a slew of amendments

But only in Washington, where Saudi Arabian lobbying looms large, would this vote - a procedural move that simply moves a joint resolution from committee to the floor in order to simply discuss withdrawing the US military from a clearly unauthorised war - receive such fanfare.
This vote was essentially symbolic and optimism surrounding it will be short lived. The next vote on this joint resolution will be on a motion to proceed to debate and it's not entirely certain that motion would have the votes to pass.
Confusing? Senator Chris Murphy thinks so. If it gets the necessary votes just to be debated, it will undoubtedly receive a slew of amendments by those that are disillusioned with Riyadh's role in Yemen but don't want to punish the other states in the anti-Houthi coalition (e.g., Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina).

A number of senators - even those who voted to discharge the resolution on Wednesday - are actually hostile to S.J. Res. 54 itself, assuring that it likely would not pass the Senate as is.

There is a long road ahead and, in all likelihood, if anything comes out of the Senate and is able to pass the House and either gain the support of the White House or overcome a Trump veto, it will be so watered down it would likely be a symbolic rebuke of Riyadh.
This process is long and the Saudi lobbying arm will be out in full force. So, while this was an important and symbolic vote that illustrated the Senate's frustration with the Saudis, it was just that: symbolic – by Marcus Montgomery

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2018/11/30/only-in-washington-does-the-yemen-vote-look-good

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

(* A H)

14 million vaccine doses delivered to Yemen's Aden: UN

Doses are sufficient for more than 13 million children, UNICEF says

More than 14 million doses of vaccine for children have been delivered to Yemen’s southern city of Aden (which currently serves as the government’s interim capital), the UN children’s fund (UNICEF) said Thursday.

"More than 14 million doses of measles and rubella vaccine have arrived at Aden’s international airport," UNICEF’s Yemen office said in a tweet, noting that the doses were sufficient to meet the needs of some 13 million children between the ages of six months and 15 years.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/health/14-million-vaccine-doses-delivered-to-yemens-aden-un/1325012

(A H)

Polio immunization campaign will continue until Thursday : Health ministry

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news516925.htm

Remark: Sanaa health ministry.

cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle

(** A H K)

Aid Shipments to Hodeidah Decline as Fighting Continues

According to the UN World Food Programme, shipments of aid to the contested Yemeni port of Hodeidah have been cut in half over the past two weeks due to fighting.

"Shipping companies appear to be reluctant to call to Hodeidah port because of the high levels of insecurity in the city," said WFP spokesperson Herve Verhoosel, speaking to reporters this week. "We need to reassure the private sector to say 'come back to the port.'"

The UN has repeatedly warned that fighting near Hodeidah's port could harm millions of Yemenis. An estimated eight million people in Yemen are considered food insecure, and the number may soon rise by an additional 3.5 million. As the port of Hodeidah handles the majority of the nation's food imports, a shutdown could endanger the flow of the aid supplies that currently sustain much of the country's population.

According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the food supply situation in Hodeidah is deteriorating.

https://maritime-executive.com/article/aid-shipments-to-hodeidah-decline-as-fighting-continues

(A K pS)

Film: Guardians of the Republic clean up large areas of Hodeidah airport and regain 3 MiG-21 and engineering teams take dozens of mines and explosive devices, some of them were planted in the bodies of aircraft

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd0e7H__Bqo

(* A K pH)

3 dead and 7 wounded, including women and children a result of the bombing of the forces of aggression the houses of citizens in al-Hawk district of #Hodeidah.

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.963391330380564/2030321783687508/

(* B H K)

UNICEF: Conflict shuts a third of schools in Yemen’s port city of Hudaydah

“More than 60,000 boys and girls are out of school because of the fighting in and around the port city of Hudaydah in Yemen. The violence has forced over a third of all schools there to close, with 15 located on the frontline and others badly damaged or being used as shelters for displaced families. Schools running double shifts in the area have had to scale back to just a few hours of instruction in the morning.

“In the worst affected areas of Hudaydah, only one in three students is able to continue their education and less than a quarter of all teachers are present in school. Most education personnel in Yemen have not received a salary in more than two years, and many have been forced to flee the violence or to find other opportunities to make ends meets.

“Despite the many hardships they face, countless teachers across Yemen continue to educate children in any way that they can. Their commitment to keep children learning is nothing short of heroic.

“There is no aspect of a child’s life in Yemen that isn’t deeply impacted by the conflict.

https://www.unicef.org/mena/press-releases/conflict-shuts-third-schools-yemens-port-city-hudaydah

(A K pS)

Two shells killed a woman and injured two others in Hodeidah

A woman was killed and a young man and a girl were injured by a shell fall on Friday morning in a residential neighborhood in Hodeidah.

The two shells hit a house and a grocery store in the 24th Street in al-Hodeidah, killing an elderly woman and injuring a young man and a girl according to residents.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161600

Remark: It seems these shells had been fired by anti-Houthi UAE-backed militia.

(A K pH)

New War Crime: Citizen Killed, 5 Others Injured in US-Saudi Raid on Hodeidah

A citizen was killed and five others, including two women and a child, were wounded, on Friday, in a new war crime of the US-Saudi aggression in Hodeidah.

According to Al-Masirah Net reporter in Hodeidah, a US-Saudi aggression drone targeted four houses in the 24 neighborhood in Al-Mena district.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4043&cat_id=1

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news517092.htm

(A K pH)

Film: Crimes against the Saudi-American aggression on the West Coast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb5iWkLKJew

(A K pH)

[Nov. 29:] Injuring 8 Civilians by US-Saudi Airstrike, Hodiedah

US-Saudi aggression targeted a civilian's house in Al-Jah district in Hodiedah, injuring 8 civilians, including two women. Almasirah Net correspondent quoted medical sources that 3 of the cases are in critical condition and their chances of survival are slim.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4038&cat_id=1

(A K pH)

Child Killed by Saudi-Mercenaries’ Fire in Hodeidah

According to Al-Masirah Net reporter in Hodeidah, the Saudi-mercenaries opened fire on citizens in Al-Suwaiq area of Attohayta district, leading to the death of the child.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4047&cat_id=1

(A K pH)

Saudi-led four air strikes hit Hodeidah

The strikes targeted the citizens 'farms and property in al-Tuhitah district

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news517015.htm

(* A P)

dozens abducted by Houthi militia in Hodeidah over the past few days, some sent to Houthi prisons in Hajja and Sanaa without their families knowing anything about their whereabouts.

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1068124816891363329

(* A H)

Islamic Relief: Hodeida: stockpiling emergency supplies as fresh bombs hit port

Salem Jaffer Baobid, Islamic Relief’s Hodeida project coordinator, said: *

Last night there was fighting again, and I could hear bombing and heavy shelling in the direction of the port.

The last few days have been quieter, but no one here really thinks that this will last. No one has faith in the peace process or believes that it will succeed.

Islamic Relief has been using the lull to stockpile emergency supplies, mainly food rations, in the city.

We are hoping for the best – but know that we have to be prepared for the worst. If the fighting resumes and the city is cut off, it will be a living nightmare. I fear we will soon see an escalation and a further deterioration, which will be catastrophic.

People literally have nothing left. They have long ago sold jewellery and furniture. You walk into peoples’ homes now and their living rooms are empty. They will have just kept the very basics, mattresses, sheets and some clothes. Even the bed frames have been sold.

Middle class families who once had businesses, have become paupers and are now completely reliant on food aid.

The other day we distributed 30,000 food packs containing enough food to feed 150,000 people for a month. But hundreds more people flocked to our offices begging for food, saying they had not received anything.

It was chaos. Everyone was pushing

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/hodeida-stockpiling-emergency-supplies-fresh-bombs-hit-port

cp2 Allgemein / General

(* A K P)

Interactive Map of Yemen War

https://yemen.liveuamap.com/

(? B K P)

Film by The Young Turks: When Will The War In Yemen End?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U4MLV_bS5Y = https://www.facebook.com/TheYoungTurks/videos/580098792444558/

(B K P)

Audio: Ali Mohammed Al-Sharei, Political Department Head of Al-Haq Party, Sanaa - Yemen On The War In #Yemen and upcoming peace talks

https://soundcloud.com/aveeksen/Yemen-the-war-and-upcoming

(A H K)

Humanitarian Crisis Unlike Any We've Seen in Decades Being Cause by US Ally in Yemen

As Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and philosopher John Gray have argued, famine in the modern world is inextricably tied to politics. It’s not a lack of food. According to a 2017 Johns Hopkins study, the amount of food Americans waste every year alone could easily feed 250 million people.

What turns a bad harvest into a humanitarian catastrophe is the actions of governments—when hunger is deployed as a weapon of war, as in the Soviet Union in the 1930s and in Ethiopia in the 1980s.

And in Yemen today.

Making matters worse is American complicity in the suffering of the Yemeni people.

https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/eric-metaxas/humanitarian-crisis-unlike-any-weve-seen-decades-being-cause-us-ally-yemen

(? B P)

Film: Pamela Bennett, Interview part 1 with Hassan Al-Haifi Live
Hassan is a journalist in Yemen

https://www.facebook.com/pamela.bennett.7543/videos/1977594595657671

(* B K P)

New hope emerges for end to war in Yemen in wake of Jamal Khashoggi’s killing

The murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi has evoked mixed feelings for Abdulrasheed Alfaqih.

“Yemen is one big Saudi consulate,” Alfaqih said, sharing a catch-phrase that has emerged in Yemen since Khashoggi’s death.

“All Yemenis are like Khashoggi,” Alfaqih added, “but without the Washington Post” to expose and broadcast their fate.

Alfaqih is one half of a Yemeni power couple. With his wife, Radhya Almutawakel, he co-founded an independent human-rights group in Yemen, called Mwatana, to document the death and destruction caused by the ruthless war between the Saudis and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Their work has been hailed by rights activists, cited by major news outlets, and noticed by Saudi officials who ordered their detention last summer in a short but harrowing ordeal.

The human-rights duo has tried for years to get world leaders to pay attention to the Yemen war’s disastrous consequences, with minimal success. But Khashoggi’s murder has changed that.

Alfaqih and Almutawake are now in the U.S., pressing their case with the Trump administration and lawmakers in Congress. In private meetings on Capitol Hill and at the White House earlier this month, they pleaded with policymakers to use America's international leverage to force a negotiated settlement.

“I’m scared,” Almutawakel told USA TODAY in an interview before Thanksgiving. Yemen has never captured so much attention, she said, the Saudi government has never faced this kind of pressure to account for its role in the war.

“If it doesn’t happen now, we will never win,” she explained.

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/11/29/jamal-khashoggi-yemen-war-human-rights-saudi-arabia-united-states-congress-trump-administration/2131388002/

(* B H K)

„JJemen ist der schlimmste Ort für Kinder auf der Welt

Der Jemen wurde lange vernachlässigt, sagt Susanna Krüger, Geschäftsführerin der Kinderrechtsorganisation „Save the Children“ (Foto: Save the Children), im Gespräch mit Daniel Hadrys.

Sie waren kürzlich selbst in der jemenitischen Hafenstadt Hodeida. Was haben Sie dort erlebt?

Ich habe eine Stadt voller Angst erlebt. Seit dreieinhalb Jahren wird die zivile Infrastruktur bewusst attackiert. In Krankenhäusern gibt es keine Möglichkeit mehr, Menschen zu behandeln. Kinder können nicht mehr zur Schule gehen. Im Jemen wächst eine Generation ohne Bildung heran. Auf den Straßen leben Tausende von Geflüchteten in zeltähnlichen Unterkünften. Ich habe einige unserer Gesundheitszentren besucht und Kinder gesehen, die kurz vor dem Hungertod stehen. Wenn man sie in den Armen hält, bleibt einem der Atem stehen. Die Stromversorgung ist schwierig, weil Kraftwerke bombardiert wurden. Auch Schulen und Krankenhäuser wurden zu Angriffszielen.

Das Foto eines verhungerten Mädchens namens Amal wurde zum Sinnbild für die Lage der Kinder. Wie groß ist ihre Not?

Amal ist kein Einzelfall, sondern leider gibt es unzählige Kinder, die das gleiche Schicksal teilen. Jemen ist der schlimmste Ort für Kinder auf der Welt.

https://www.schwaebische.de/ueberregional/politik_artikel,-jemen-ist-der-schlimmste-ort-f%C3%BCr-kinder-auf-der-welt-_arid,10971383.html

(* B H K)

Jemen ist ein Land ohne Hoffnung

Julian Zakrzewski ist nicht sonderlich optimistisch, obwohl Zuversicht sein Job ist. „Die Situation im Jemen war nie schlimmer“, sagt der 32-Jährige in einem Internet-Telefonat. „Und sie wird sich weiter verschärfen.“ Zakrzewski leitet die Jemen-Mission für die humanitäre Organisation Acted, einem Partner der Welthungerhilfe.

Zakrzewski sorgt sich, dass all dies die Bevölkerung brechen wird. „Jemeniten sind normalerweise sehr belastbar. Sie haben in einer konfliktbeladenen Region mehrere Kriege überlebt“, sagt er. „Wir befürchten, dass bald die Bewältigungsstrategien der Bevölkerung versagen.“

Zakrzewski und seine Mitarbeiter leisten mithilfe des Welternährungsprogramms lebensrettende Sofortmaßnahmen. Mit Lebensmitteln und Geldgaben wollen sie die akute Not lindern. Langfristig will Acted mit Kleinstkrediten für Farmer und der Verteilung von Samen und Agrargeräten die Landwirtschaft beleben.

„Wir können die Krise aber nicht lösen. Das ist eine politische Entscheidung.“ Bei den Konfliktparteien sieht er keine Bereitschaft dazu. Die EU sei in der Pflicht, die Beteiligten an den Verhandlungstisch zu bringen.

Auch Sebastian Sons von der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik sagt kein baldiges Ende des Bürgerkriegs voraus. „Die Positionen sind sehr festgefahren“, so der Nahost-Experte.

https://www.schwaebische.de/ueberregional/politik_artikel,-jemen-ist-ein-land-ohne-hoffnung-_arid,10971382.html

(* B H K)

Life in Yemen Is Sophie's Choice

The world’s worst humanitarian crisis keeps getting worse, and Yemeni civilians have no good options.

People rummaging through trash for food. Families subsisting on leaves. Children receiving medical attention far too late for them to be saved.

Such stories have become the norm in Yemen

To hear aid workers on the ground tell it, though, the current situation isn’t just untenable—it’s bound to get worse. “It’s entire communities who have exhausted their coping capacities, not just families,” Scott Paul, who oversees Oxfam America’s policy advocacy in Yemen, said following his latest trip to the country last month.

The reason behind each and every one of the individual crises in Yemen—including a strangled economy, widespread food insecurity, and the largest cholera outbreak in modern history—is the political crisis that started it all.

Now, nearly four years on, the conflict is at a stalemate.

A stalemate doesn’t mean that the country has become any less dangerous, though.

No corner of Yemen has been left unspared by the widespread food insecurity.

Those who have savings aren’t much better off.

Most Yemenis are not only priced out of affording food or essential medicines, but they are also unable to pay for the cost of travel to the country’s few remaining health facilities. And even if they make the trip, they often find clinics and hospitals unable to offer treatment.

Yemenis tending to ailing children then face an impossible decision: Spend even more to travel to another facility, in the hope of finding treatment, or marshal their few remaining resources for the rest of the family.

For the Yemeni people, however, there is little appetite for optimism. “The way they see it,” Paul said, “nobody cares about them.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/11/senate-considers-withdrawing-support-saudis-yemen/576820/

(* B K P)

The response to the crisis in Yemen shows the hypocrisy at the heart of Western foreign policy

Hunt is right about the UK having a special responsibility. This is not just because of its pen-holder status at the UN, but also because of the complicit role that the UK government has played in the war.

Hunt is right about the UK having a special responsibility. This is not just because of its pen-holder status at the UN, but also because of the complicit role that the UK government has played in the war. Since the war began in March 2015, Hunt and his predecessors have licensed almost £5 billion worth of fighter jets and bombs to the Saudi military. The arms sales have been underpinned by a deep well of political support and close military collaboration.

Around six thousand BAE employees and 200 MOD personnel are based in Saudi Arabia providing continuous maintenance, support, and training to the Royal Saudi Air Force, without which support large parts of the air force could not operate. Yet, despite growing pressure, and despite the central role of UK-made weapons in the conflict, Hunt has repeatedly refused to countenance ending the arms sales.

After almost four years of war, the need for a political solution in Yemen is greater than ever. Arms dealing governments like the UK and US have a particular responsibility to work towards peace. That doesn’t just mean calling for a ceasefire, it also means ending the arms sales and political support that have fuelled this terrible war – by Andrew Smith, CAAT

https://www.redpepper.org.uk/the-response-to-the-crisis-in-yemen-shows-the-hypocrisy-at-the-heart-of-western-foreign-policy/

(* B P)

The G20 summit’s favorite guest is Saudi Arabia

MBS, who hasn’t made due with the support Trump has given him, will be attending this summit with a different mission. MBS, with these visits he made on his way to Argentina, wants to demonstrate that he is attending the meeting as the representative of the Arab countries, which are also his allies in Yemen War and whom most of the G20 countries have some sort of relation with. On the other hand, MBS, who is presenting himself as a leader who can constitute peace with Israel that is considered to be legitimate and right by most of the G20 countries, has already taken measures against the heavy criticism he would be subjected to.

It is very well known that although the leaders of the countries, which constitute 80 percent of the world’s GDP, are coming together under a common theme, all want to preserve the status quo and want to have a bigger share from the world’s GDP.

Nothing different will happen this year, and murders committed, war crimes, human rights violations and efforts to prevent environmental disasters will be overlooked and those who are responsible will get away.

The most important issue for G20 countries is protecting their commercial interests. The fact that energy and weapons are still the primary elements of world trade shows who is going to be the guest of honor.

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/columns/zekeriyakursun/the-g20-summits-favorite-guest-is-saudi-arabia-2046784

(* B H K P)

Yemen: To Build a Fire in the Heart of Our Country

This year, on the eve of Thanksgiving, I turned to historian and activist Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States,for a way to hold and live with the terrible knowledge that once again my country is putting the projection of power and the pursuit of hegemonic objectives (controlling global energy resources; maintaining ties with US-friendly regional allies, etc.) ahead of simple humanity. Instead of the Vietnamese, the latest target of the US government’s malevolent, calculated indifference to massive human suffering are the people of Yemen.

What matters most to me are the humanitarian consequences of this three-year-conflict, which shows no sign of stopping any time soon.

ACLED now estimates the true number of people killed in Yemen is probably between 70,000 and 80,000.ACLED’s estimates do not include the thousands of Yemenis who have died from the war’s indirect consequences, such as starvation and preventable diseases like diphtheria and cholera.

And thanks to people like Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton, Donald Trump, and his bosom buddy the Little Prince of the world’s leading autocracy and exporter of terrorist doctrine, it’s getting a whole lot meaner and nastier.

The good news is that this crisis is finally getting the attention it deserves.

What was true then is no less true today: “Nothing justifies the killing of children in Yemen. Nothing.” – by George Capaccio

https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/11/29/yemen-to-build-a-fire-in-the-heart-of-our-country/ = https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/11/27/nothing-justifies-killing-children-yemen-nothing

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* B H)

Film: Kinder im Jemen zahlen den Preis für den Krieg

Acht von zehn Kindern im Jemen benötigen dringend humanitäre Hilfe. Das Gesundheitssystem steht kurz vor dem Kollaps. Laut einem UNICEF-Bericht sind mehr als 2,2 Millionen Kinder unterernährt.

https://www.dw.com/de/kinder-im-jemen-zahlen-den-preis-f%C3%BCr-den-krieg/av-38195348

(* B H)

Map: Yemen: Emergency Dashboard, November 2018

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-emergency-dashboard-november-2018

(* B H)

Film by Oxfam: 14 million people are facing famine in Yemen right now. This is the story of one of them, a 7-year-old boy suffering from malnutrition, shared by one of our staff in #Yemen.

https://twitter.com/Oxfam/status/1068308633333583878

(* B H)

Film by Mark Lowcock, UN Relief chief: My message from the Dharwan IDP camp in #Yemen. This war needs to end, these people deserve a better future.

https://twitter.com/UNReliefChief/status/1068222815827050496

(* B H)

Gemeinsam Notapotheke sein: Spendenkampagne für Jemen

Jemen JETZT!“ – Apothekerkammer Nordrhein unterstützt action medeor mit einem Spendenaufruf

Kranke und verletzte Menschen ohne Aussicht auf Behandlung, abgemagerte Kinder und ein vollkommen zerstörtes Land: die Bilder aus dem Jemen geben einen Einblick in die dramatische Situation der Zivilbevölkerung nach Jahren des Bürgerkrieges.

Auch die Apothekerkammer Nordrhein beobachtet besorgt die sich immer weiter verschärfenden Berichte über die Gesundheitssituation der jemenitischen Bevölkerung. „Wir wollen unseren Beitrag leisten, um den Menschen im Jemen zu helfen“, berichtet Präsident Lutz Engelen. Seit fast fünf Jahren verbindet das Medikamentenhilfswerk action medeor und die Apothekerkammer Nordrhein eine Partnerschaft.

https://www.aknr.de/aktuelles/gemeinsam-notapotheke-sein-spendenkampagne-fuer-jemen

(* B H)

Neues Projekt im Jemen – gefördert von der SKala-Initiative

Seit Ausbruch des Krieges 2015 spielt sich die schwerste humanitäre Krise unserer Zeit im Jemen ab. Rund 75 Prozent der Bevölkerung des Landes sind aktuell auf Leistungen von humanitären Akteuren, wie zum Beispiel Handicap International angewiesen. Bisher konnte HI nur um die Hauptstadt Sana’a herum aktiv sein. Dank der finanziellen Unterstützung durch die Skala-Initiative können jetzt die Leistungen auf den Süden des Landes ausgeweitet werden. Auch dort können wir nun den Verwundeten und anderen schutzbedürftigen Menschen helfen.

https://handicap-international.de/de/neuigkeiten/neues-projekt-im-jemen-skala-initiative

(* B H)

Yemen barrels toward famine as U.S. debate continues (with maps)

https://www.axios.com/yemen-barrels-towards-famine-as-us-debate-continues-2ac98537-09fd-4a01-8421-227eb25d774a.html

Comment: Very interesting maps on the food security projection. Note the areas in red, which are labelled emergency areas. These areas are probably already in famine, but the tardiness of collection of death statistics means that the world powers can wriggle out of declaring Yemen what it is - a famine. These governates were meeting or exceeding the criteria for famine in 2017, according to UN sources. Now it must be much worse.

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157182596228641

(B H)

In May 2015, I started distributing aid items to IDPs & most vulnerable families after receiving a small amount of money from a lady called MONA & later I established @monarelief as a #Yemen-i charity based in Sana'a. Charts below of our work in numbers during 2015-2018 (infographic)

https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1066721858979008514

(A H)

Jewish minority members in Sana'a receive food aid baskets from Mona Relief

Mona Relief's team delivered today Jewish minority members in the Yemeni capital Sana'a their monthly food aid supplies. It is the eleventh time the organization has provided aid to the tiny Jewish community that remains in Yemen, as part of the NGO’s wider humanitarian relief projects (photos)

https://www.monareliefye.org/single-post/2018/11/29/Jewish-minority-members-in-Sanaa-receive-food-aid-baskets-from-Mona-Relief

https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1068187093799563264

https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1068062513865125888

(* B H)

UN Children's Fund: Yemen Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (October 2018)

KEY FINDINGS

Between September and October, the value of the Yemeni Riyal (YER) continued to depreciate against the US Dollar (USD). At the time of data collection the exchange rate in the parallel market was 745 YER per USD, an increase of 9.5% when compared to September.

Median price levels for most commodities increased between September and October

Price inflation, transportation, and liquidity issues remained the challenges most frequently cited by vendor KIs. Shortages of fuel were also highlighted as a main challenge

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-joint-market-monitoring-initiative-october-2018

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

(* A P)

Film: Houthi-backed FM: Proud of rockets fired into Saudi

We challenge Hisham Sharaf who also responds to allegations of human rights abuses by Houthi forces.

"We didn't say that we are clean 100 percent, things happen during the war," says Hisham Sharaf, the Houthi-backed foreign minister in Sanaa, in response to accusations from various human rights groups that Houthis have blocked foreign aid, tortured detainees, used child soldiers and shelled civilian areas.

"If we get 10 percent of that, the Saudis and their coalition is responsible for 90 percent of the killing in Yemen," Sharaf says.

https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/upfront/2018/11/houthi-backed-fm-proud-rockets-fired-saudi-181130111637756.html

(A P)

#Houthi militia gunmen have stormed the house of former Minister of Expatriates' Affairs, Mujahid Al-Quhali and assaulted him before his family, as they also threatened him in case he leaves the country, according to verified local sources.

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1068608052956413952

(* B P)

What you need to know about the Yemeni, international attitudes about the most humantrian crisis in Yemen!

International and Yemeni official appealed for a halt to fighting in Yemen amid intense diplomacy to end the ongoing campaign by the Saudi-led coalition, backed by the US,that pushed millions to the brink of famine.

The official spokesman of Ansarullah, Mohammed Abdel Salam, said that the stance of the British is an essential part of war against Yemen, since the United Kingdom continues to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia in large numbers.“The UK is directly involved in the operations on the Western Coast of Yemen and in joint operating rooms, providing intelligence support. It is a part of the US project in the region,” He told Al-Thawra newspaper in an interview on Wednesday.

He also described participation in the next round of UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden as “meaningless” amid incessant airstrikes by the coalition against his country.

The head of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, called on the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs to condemn the coalition’s obstruction of oil vessels heading to the port of Hodeidah

http://www.yemenextra.net/2018/11/29/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-yemeni-international-attitudes-about-the-most-humantrian-crisis-in-yemen/

Remark: Houthi viewpoints.

(A P)

Al-Houthi militias release the TV cameraman Fouad al-Khader

After three weeks of detention in Houthis prisons, the Cameraman Fouad al-Khader have been released Friday morning

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161599

(A P)

Five dead and wounded, including a woman, in a clash between tribes and Houthis in Ibb

A dispute between a citizen and a Houthi local leader at the Rababa District security headquarters in the isolation of Bani Omar in “Qafr Al-Safel” yesterday evolved to an exchange of gunfire and killed a citizen and a woman and the Houthi leader,

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161593

(B P)

Houthi leader proudly talking succes n recruiting & training children."InshaAllah those will go fight America & Israel.A generation that wil fight enemies of Allah" Video endd wt children chanting Houthi slogan "Death 2 American,Death 2 Israel, Curse Jews, Victory 2 Islam"

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1068436058906472450

referring to

Film: A clip showing a member of the Al-Houthi militia, supported by the regime in Iran, boasted about recruiting and training school children in Yemen. Tweet übersetzen

https://twitter.com/DOTArabic/status/1068218086870929408

My comment: It’s remarkable that this video is spread by the US Dep. of State: The US is a warring party in Yemen, also taking part in the propaganda war.

(* A P)

UN envoy to accompany Houthis from Sanaa to Yemen talks in Sweden

Peace talks are set to resume on December 5

The UN special envoy to Yemen is expected to ensure Houthi attendance at peace talks next week by travelling to Sanaa to personally accompany the rebel delegation, diplomatic sources told The National on Thursday.

Martin Griffiths will travel with the rebels from the Yemeni capital to Sweden early in the week to prevent the collapse of another round of UN-mediated peace talks over Yemen's civil war. The rebels refused to travel to Geneva for talks in organised in September.

“Peace talks are hoping to start on December 5, but the negotiations between the two sides are yet to be finalised,” the diplomatic source said. Logistics for the new round have not been finalised.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/un-envoy-to-accompany-houthis-from-sanaa-to-yemen-talks-in-sweden-1.797152

(A E P)

Houthis Oil company lowers fuel prices

(A E P)

The Houthis oil company announced a reduction in the price of fuel in their controlled areas on Wednesday, starting in December.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161537

(A P)

Batons, beatings, electrocution, and then detention are the punishment of those who dare to criticize the deterioration of the economic situation. Watch the video

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1068143679297212416

(B P)

Inter-Houthi Bickering Intensifies in Yemen

Differences among Yemen’s Houthi militias are on the rise against a backdrop of corruption and bias accusations facing the Iran-backed group’s leadership.
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leading militias in Yemen, now faces the heat of blame for the group’s recent battleground defeats.
Amassing casualties and disbanded militia ranks are the two chief grievances parties from inside the insurgency are blaming on al-Houthi’s poorly assigned officials.
“Houthis have put Major General Yehya Ashami, a top insurgent leader, under house arrest in Sanaa,” a source speaking on condition of anonymity said.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1483561/inter-houthi-bickering-intensifies-yemen

Remark: As claimed by Saudi news site.

(B K P)

The mothers I spent time with are terrified that their sons will b taken away to fight alongside the #Houthis (many have been taken by force). “Boys are no longer being taught to work towards becoming doctors or engineers -but to take up arms and defend, protect their dignity.”

https://twitter.com/BBCNawalMaghafi/status/1067480520563613696

Listening to the radio in #Sanaa.. a soft spoken female presenter read “They bombs us and our children with the American and British bombs, they say we are the terrorists. We have god on our side.. we must all support Ansar Allah in their fight against the aggressors”

https://twitter.com/BBCNawalMaghafi/status/1067480992900886528

My thoughts: I wonder what every mother/father with sons is thinking when listening to this.. (Many if whom can no longer feed their sons themselves) ... And people wonder how the #Houthis are recruiting.

https://twitter.com/BBCNawalMaghafi/status/1067481335722315784

https://twitter.com/BBCNawalMaghafi/status/1067481952196935680

cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government

(A P)

Governors of Lahj, Abian and Al-Dalia Honor the Representative of UAE Red Crescent in Aden

https://en.smanews.org/governors-of-lahj-abian-and-al-dalia-honor-the-representative-of-uae-red-crescent-in-aden

Remark: UAE-backed separatists spread pro-UAE propaganda.

(A P)

In a Significant Statement, Southern Resistance Warns the Legitimacy and its Supporters from Holding any Event that Rises “Yemenization” Slogan or Yemeni Flags in Aden

On Tuesday November 27th, 2018, Southern Resistance of Aden issued a significant statement warning the legitimacy from holding any events in Aden that rise the slogan or flags of Yemenization on the occasion of celebrating 51st anniversary of the first independence of the south in any of Aden’s squares. The southern resistance warned against provoking the southern people or humiliating the bloods of martyrs.

https://en.smanews.org/in-a-significant-statement-southern-resistance-warns-the-legitimacy-and-its-supporters-from-holding-any-event-that-rises-yemenization-slogan-or-yemeni-flags-in-aden

My comment: Southern separatists fight against flags of the Republic of Yemen.

(A T)

Taiz security forces raid an explosives workshop in al-Samil market

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161595

(A E P)

Prime Minister: there are plans for the economic file

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik said on Thursday that the government is working the main aspects of economy and services, which has contributed to the improvement and halting of the collapse of the local currency.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161596

My comment: The Hadi government has little power and will achieve little.

(A E P)

Marib governor launches the general plan of city modernization

The governor of Marib province, Major General Sultan Al-Ardah, Thursday launched the provincial capital modernization master plan, which coincides with the celebrations of the 51st anniversary of the departure of the last soldier of the British colonizer from the south.

The planned area of the city includes 20,000 and 750,000 hectares, with 110 residential units in 33 districts in eight main sectors.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161594

(* A P)

Yemen’s Oil-Rich Shabwa Province Declares Independence, Orders Saudi-Allied Government Out

The National Council of Shabwa issued a statement and has given the government loyal to former Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and his officials in the province three days to hand over power to the Council, which will run Shabwa until a local government can be established.

Shabwa governorate, an oil-producing province in eastern Yemen, announced its independence from Yemen on Wednesday. A national council headed by the Chairman of the People’s Assembly of the Sons of Shabwa, Ahmed Musaed Hussein, has been reportedly formed to manage the affairs of the province.

The National Council issued a statement and has given the government loyal to former Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and his officials in the province three days to hand over power to the Council, which will run Shabwa until a local government can be established. There has been no comment yet from Hadi’s government.

Last month, the National Council formed its own security force called the “Shabwa,” led by Major General Ahmed Musaed Hussein, and promised that all those who have been given a deadline will be expelled from Shabwa by force if they do not meet the deadline, according to the statement by the group.

https://www.mintpressnews.com/yemen-oil-rich-shabwa-province-declares-independence/252391/

My comment: This looks like local separatists. Yemen falls apart.

Comment by Judith Brown: This is extremely important but has not appeared in any mainstream news. When Al Qaeda occupied Mukalla at the start of the war eventually UAE negotiated with them and they left with their weapons and UAE took over control of the port. They and their weapons moved unmolested to Shabwa governate in central yemen. Some of the AQ lookalikes were recruited into Salafi militias such as the Giant Brigades and Security Belt that are aligned with UAE. In effect AQ is not always unpopular as a ruling group as although they are very religiously conservative and not defenders of human rights they astutely work with local tribes and sheikhs in order to gain acceptance. It now appears that a Salafist militia is in control of Shabwa and it's oil and tax revenue from goods passing through the province - very similar to the control of Mukalla when they were there. The other oil
Governate of Marib is also virtually independent and more stable than it has been for decades under control of an astute governor and Yemeni forces under the control of the ultra conservative Vice President and military commander Ali Muhsin and Shabwa looks as if it heading in the same direction. […]

Why is this not top news? Does the Western world not want the truth to come out - that Al Qaeda has gained in strength in every way since the onset of the Saudi led coalitions assault on yemen and Hadi is gradually losing more and more control

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157185864388641

(A)

Combustion of a ship in front of Socotra port carrying 25 cars and foodstuffs

the ship was carrying 25 cars, foodstuffs, consumables and building materials, which were coming from the United Arab Emirates, and that the flames had been completely devoured.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161533

(A E P)

Military and economic decisions by Hadramawt governor after returning from Abu Dhabi

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161565

(A P)

Saudi and American ambassadors visit Alrayyan base and port in al-Mukalla

The Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed al-Jaber and the United States Matthew Toller, arrived in the city of Mukalla, on Thursday.

The two ambassadors arrived aboard a Saudi plane to the airport of al-Rayyan, a large part of which has become a joint United Arab Emirates and remains closed to civil aviation since the end of the control of al-Qaeda gunmen in the city mid-2016, according to Al-Msadar online.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161562

and

(A P)

Arab Coalition hands over management of ports, coastal security in Hadramaut to Yemeni Coast Guard

The Arab Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, today handed over, to the Yemeni Coast Guard, the management of ports and coastal security in Hadramaut.

It also supplied Yemeni forces with boats equipped with weapons, communication devices and advanced radars, to guard and protect the coast of Hadramaut.

The handover, at which it was declared that the Hadramaut Coast Guard is fully equipped and ready, took place during an official ceremony in Mukalla

http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302724342

and also https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/yemeni-coastguard-given-control-of-ports-in-hadramout-1.797484

photos: https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1068132129975005184

https://twitter.com/USEmbassyYemen/status/1068137086018940929

film: https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1068412890162569217

Remark: What does the US embassy care for this?

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

(* A P)
Transitional Political Council for the South (STC) Vice President Hani Bin Brik asserted on November 28 that peace is not possible in Yemen if the STC is not included in UN-led peace consultations. Bin Brik confirmed that neither the STC nor the Southern Movement have received invitations to attend talks in Sweden set to begin on December 4. Bin Brik stated that the STC continues to reject the Hadi government’s authority in southern Yemen and that it is drafting a constitution for the south.[3]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-november-30-2018

(* A P)

Jemen-Gespräche sollen in der kommenden Woche in Schweden stattfinden

Bisher habe aber noch keine der Seiten ihre Teilnahme zugesagt

Die Gespräche für eine Beendigung des Jemen-Krieges sollen bereits in der kommenden Woche stattfinden. Das teilte der britische Botschafter für den Jemen, Michael Aron, am Donnerstag per Twitter mit. "Die politische Lösung ist der Weg nach vorne und diese Konsultationen sind ein großer Schritt, sie zu erreichen."

Die Gespräche sollen unter der Schirmherrschaft der Vereinten Nationen stattfinden. Einen festen Termin hatten die UN bisher nicht bekanntgegeben.

Ein hochrangiger Huthi-Vertreter stellte die Teilnahme seiner Bewegung an den Friedensverhandlungen in Schweden in Aussicht, knüpfte sie aber ian umfassende Garantien. So müsse gewährleistet sein, dass die Huthi-Delegierten sowohl sicher an- als auch abreisen könnten, schrieb Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, Anführer des Höheren Revolutionskomitees.

https://www.derstandard.de/story/2000092726237/jemen-gespraeche-sollen-in-der-kommenden-woche-in-schweden-stattfinden

(A P)

Film: Bürgerkrieg im Jemen - UN-Generalsekretär: "Sind an entscheidendem Punkt"

https://www.facebook.com/ZDFheute/videos/269334447107816/

(* A P)

Prospects grow for Yemen talks in Sweden next week

Yemen’s warring parties suggested on Thursday that they would attend U.N.-sponsored peace talks expected to be held in Sweden next week

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/prospects-grow-for-yemen-talks-in-sweden-next-week-idUSKCN1NY0UB

and

(* A P)

Al-Houthi: National Delegation May Arrive to Sweden December 3rd

The head of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi, said Thursday that the National Delegation may arrive to Sweden in the beginning of the coming month to participate in the peace talks, sponsored by the United Nations.
"I think the National Delegation will be there in Sweden, God willing, on December 3rd if safe exit and return is guaranteed and if there are positive indicators that demonstrate the importance of peace in other parties," Houthi said in his Twitter account.

"We hope to expedite the evacuation of the injured for treatment as a first step and a beginning to lift the siege and ban on the oppressed Yemeni people," he added

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4044&cat_id=1

(* A P)

Saudi TV report, Houthi chief raise hopes for Yemen peace talks

Prospects for UN-brokered summit in Sweden appear bolstered by a Saudi TV report and Houthi chief's remarks.

A delegation of Yemen's Saudi and UAE-backed government will arrive in the city of Stockholm for the summit next week after Houthi counterparts show up first, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television channel reported on Thursday.

Hopes for the summit, which would be the first of its kind since 2016, appeared to be bolstered further by the head of the Houthi's supreme revolutionary committee, who said on Thursday that the group's delegation could attend the talks if their safe exit and return is guaranteed.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/saudi-tv-report-houthi-chief-raise-hopes-yemen-peace-talks-181129173340138.html

and also https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-peace-talks-set-next-week-sweden-houthis-say-1607714178

(* A P)

Yemen's peace talks to start in Sweden next week: British envoy

U.N.-sponsored peace talks between Yemen’s warring parties are expected to start next week in Sweden, Britain’s envoy to Yemen said on Thursday, as Western allies press for an end to the war that has pushed the country to the verge of starvation.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/yemens-peace-talks-to-start-in-sweden-next-week-british-envoy-idUSKCN1NY0UB

but (* A P)

UN chief tempers hopes on Yemen as rebels back peace talks

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough on ending Yemen's brutal war, saying he hoped talk

But Guterres lowered hopes on the timing of the talks, which are being arranged as millions of Yemenis are feared to be on the brink of starvation.

"I don't want to raise too much expectations, but we are working hard in order to make sure that we can start meaningful peace talks still this year," Guterres told reporters in Buenos Aires, where he will take part in the G20 summit.

https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/un-chief-tempers-hopes-yemen-rebels-back-peace-talks-doc-1b79kt1

and also https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-argentina-guterres-yemen/u-n-s-guterres-hopes-yemen-peace-talks-will-resume-by-year-end-idUSKCN1NY2PP

My comment: So what??

(A P)

Sweden plans for Yemen peace talks, but no details announced

https://sverigesradio.se/sida/gruppsida.aspx?programid=2054&grupp=3583&artikel=7102021

(B P)

In Yemeni conflict, signs of diplomatic progress finally appearing

https://www.axios.com/in-yemeni-conflict-signs-of-diplomatic-progress-finally-appearing-80999a9a-f62f-459c-9c88-02481bb2d0ee.html

My comment: There is little reason for optimism.

(* A P)

Yemeni Leaders Losing Confidence in UN as Negotiations Falter and Saudi Airstrikes Continue

Ansar Allah, the political wing of Yemen’s Houthi resistance movement, says ongoing airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition will make the next round of UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden meaningless. The chief negotiator for Ansar Allah, Mohammed AbdulSalam, said to a local newspaper:

There is no point in negotiations with a party that is looking to obtain through talks what it has failed to achieve through a military campaign.”

Ansar Allah criticized the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, saying that Griffiths has not introduced a comprehensive political framework for a solution to the Yemeni conflict. Specifically, he has offered no solution that takes into account a government transition with the inclusion of all Yemeni political parties.

Ansar Allah further noted that Griffiths is focusing on issues that are trivial and not fundamental to peace talks. Ansar Allah spokesman AbdulSalam said about Griffiths’ approach:

He [Martin Griffiths] is only looking at the possibility of bringing the warring parties together, without specifying the most important procedures for negotiations and a framework that needs to be agreed upon by all sides. If he does not offer a clear and comprehensive political framework that would form the nucleus of the next round of peace negotiations, he will not be able to hold any further talks.”

https://www.mintpressnews.com/yemen-leaders-losing-confidence-in-un-as-negotiations-falter-and-saudi-airstrikes-continue/252451

(* A P)

Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah criticizes UN envoy for failing to deliver promises

Spokesman Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah Movement Mohammad Abdul-Salam criticized UN special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, for failing to take any steps toward building trust and doing nothing for peace in Yemen but making empty promises.
“In his recent trip to Yemen, Griffiths offered nothing new and failed to deliver on his promises for building trust,” said Abdul-Salam, who is also the movement’s chief negotiator in Yemen peace talks.
Since he began his mission as the UN special envoy for Yemen, Griffiths has failed to do anything beyond making promises, the Houthi official said.

http://en.abna24.com/news//yemen%E2%80%99s-houthi-ansarullah-criticizes-un-envoy-for-failing-to-deliver-promises_918698.html

Comment by Judith Brown: This is always the issue with outsiders, especially the UN that has no power in itself, it is a weak and compliant to the powers of USA, US and France. If the UN officials aim for acceptance by those three powers (who control the Security Council) then they have to keep within their 'rules' - however unworkable and untenable. But if they keep within Western power 'rules' then they lose the confidence of those who are rebelling against power. So peace becomes elusive. Benomar tried to […]

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157182681448641

and

(* A P)

Yemen peace talks ‘meaningless’ amid incessant Saudi-led attacks: Ansarullah

The spokesman and chief negotiator for the Yemeni Houthi Ansarullah movement has described participation in the next round of UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden as “meaningless” amid incessant airstrikes by Saudi Arabia and its allies against the impoverished Arab country.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Yemeni Arabic-language al-Thawra newspaper, published on Thursday, Mohammed Abdul-Salam said United Nations Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths had not presented an innovative initiative and had failed to implement his confidence-building measures.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/11/29/581503/Yemen-peace-talks-meaningless-amid-incessant-Saudiled-attacks-Ansarullah

(* A P)

Film: Do the Houthis have a plan for peace in Yemen?

We challenge the Houthi-backed Yemeni FM Hisham Sharaf, and speak to Francis Fukuyama about 'identity politics'.

In this week's UpFront, we ask Hisham Sharaf, the Houthi-backed foreign minister in Sanaa, about their quota of responsibility in the crisis and the civilian casualties in the ongoing war in Yemen.

"We didn't say that we are clean 100%, things happen during the war," says Hisham Sharaf, the Houthi-backed foreign minister in Sanaa, in response to accusations from various human rights groups that Houthis have blocked foreign aid, tortured detainees, used child soldiers and shelled civilian areas.

"If we get 10% of that, the Saudis and their coalition is responsible for 90% of the killing in Yemen," Sharaf says.

Editor's note: This episode was recorded prior to a report that alleges the UAE and Saudi Arabia threatened not to attend upcoming talks if a UN ceasefire resolution, drafted by the UK, was passed.

https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/upfront/2018/11/houthis-plan-peace-yemen-181130095711884.html = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kab4q3bgwLc

(* B P)

A Glimmer Of Hope For Peace In Yemen? – Analysis

The war in Yemen has coincided with the failed Saudi narrative of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, but if Saudi Arabia was prepared to spin the truth over the Khashoggi affair, how can we believe their narrative on the war in Yemen while it is becoming increasing obvious to the global community that the Yemen war will not be resolved militarily? Currently, the global community is constructing an effort to pressure both the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition harder for peace in Yemen, but with the most recent outbreak from the Khashoggi affair, Saudi Arabia is in a much weaker position where other nations can criticize Riyadh and not just the Houthis.

If the peace talks happen, which is likely, there may be an agreement to end the international intervention in Yemen probably within the next few years given the fact that the Saudis are weakened to the point of spending billions of dollars for a war that has miserably failed over the past three and a half years and there is more of a willingness from the United Arab Emirates to reach a political solution.

There are two major issues that are still obstacles towards a political solution in Yemen.

First is the assertion of the legitimacy of President Hadi, and the other major issue is the demand that the Houthis have to withdraw all of their forces from areas under their control. Given that the Houthis control the population areas and the northwestern part of the country, they may not be willing to do this or lay down their arms. The Houthis want to talk now because they are at the peak of their power despite making the fatal mistake of killing Ali Abdullah Saleh a year ago and they lost a lot of support as a result.

A ceasefire needs to be implemented, and it cannot be a precondition for talks. The fact of the matter is that all sides need to stop the fighting, but it is so difficult when there are so many forces taking part in this war – by Vincent Lofoso

http://www.eurasiareview.com/29112018-a-glimmer-of-hope-for-peace-in-yemen-analysis/

(* A P)

Yemen Rejects ‘Safe Passage for Wounded’ Cover up to Extract Iran Proxies

The Yemeni internationally-recognized government, for its part, still awaits an official invitation, however, has kickstarted preparations for attending the meeting expected to be held in a resort north of Stockholm near Uppsala city.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Al Yamani said that the Aden-based government headed by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi loudly rejected airlifting any terrorist affiliated with Iranian proxy Hezbollah or the Quds Force by United Nations carriers.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1484851/yemen-rejects-%E2%80%98safe-passage-wounded%E2%80%99-cover-extract-iran-proxies

My comment: The Hadi government tries to obstruct peace talks again, by setting preconditions.

(* A P)

UAE, Saudis 'blackmailed' states into blocking UN resolution on Yemen

UK-backed UN resolution called for an end to violence in Hodeidah and safe passage of aid

Diplomats told British newspaper The Guardian that the UAE and Saudi Arabia had threatened to pull out of talks to end the war in Yemen, scheduled to take place in Sweden, if the Security Council passed the resolution.

The countries allegedly stalling the resolution include Unites States, while the Netherlands, Poland, and Peru supported the resolution's passing, according to The Guardian.

France, Russia, and Sweden however, did not comment on where they stood on the draft resolution.

"The reason [the Saudis and Emiratis] are so against the resolution is they just don't want the Security Council to constrain their capacity for military action," a diplomat familiar with the situation told The Guardian.

"They believe they can finish off the Houthis."

This diplomatic source added that the Saudis had "blackmailed a number of missions saying it was possible the [Saudi-backed] government of Yemen won't turn up in Stockholm if this goes through."

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/emiratis-and-saudis-blackmailed-countries-over-un-ceasefire-resolution-202780826

(* A P)

Yemen ceasefire resolution blocked at UN after Saudi and UAE 'blackmail'

Britain had drafted resolution to avert famine

The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, had strenuously opposed the resolution when the UK foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, visited Riyadh on 12 November.

But a UK push last week to have the resolution adopted quickly, ran into opposition led by the US mission. The US, China, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia all argued that the resolution should be delayed until the start of planned peace talks.

According to diplomatic sources, only Poland, the Netherlands and Peru actively supported quick passage of the resolution. France, Russia and Sweden were among the remaining council members who did not express an opinion.

Diplomats familiar with the negotiations said Saudi Arabia and UAE intensively lobbied council members over the past week, threatening that the talks in Stockholm might not take place if the resolution passed.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/29/un-yemen-ceasefire-resolution-blocked-saudi-uae-blackmail

Remark by Iona Craig: “The Saudis blackmailed a number of missions saying it was possible the govt of Yemen won’t turn up in Stockholm if this goes through...the reason [the Saudis and Emiratis] are so against this resolution is they...believe they can finish off the Houthis.”

Latter point: "they believe they can finish off the Houthis” is why there's little expectation of real progress in Sweden. The coalition's theory of 'take Hodeidah and the Houthis will cave' is a deeply flawed assumption and recent history tells us the reverse would likely happen

https://twitter.com/ionacraig/status/1068104551658594306

(A H P)

UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: Senior UN rights official concludes visit to Yemen, urges warring parties to prevent renewed fighting

At the end of a visit to Aden and Sanaa, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Andrew Gilmour urged the warring parties to do “absolutely everything humanly possible” to prevent renewed fighting in the port city of Al Hudaydah. Renewed fighting would plunge millions more Yemenis into an even deeper crisis, and could contribute to what may turn out to be a massive famine.

He underlined the utter unacceptability of any party to a conflict deliberately creating massive humanitarian suffering as a tactic of war, and urged the immediate removal of restrictions on delivery of emergency food and medical supplies. He echoed a strong statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet earlier this month.*

Accountability for international crimes was an essential step forward, urged Gilmour, who also reiterated the need to restore law and order in the entire country.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/senior-un-rights-official-concludes-visit-yemen-urges-warring-parties-prevent-renewed

and

(A H P)

Yemen: The battle rages on, hardships continue, children suffer most

Meanwhile, after visiting Aden, the seat of the Yemeni Government, and the capital Sana’a – which is held by the Houthis - Andrew Gilmour, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, urged the warring parties to do “absolutely everything humanly possible” to prevent renewed fighting in Hudaydah.

He underlined that it is unacceptable for any party to the conflict to deliberately create humanitarian suffering as a tactic of war and urged that delivery restrictions on emergency food and medical supplies be immediately removed.

Mr. Gilmour stressed the importance of accountability for international crimes and reiterated the need to restore law and order throughout the entire country.

In Aden, after meeting with Mothers of the Detainees who recounted harrowing and tragic tales of missing husbands, sons and brothers, he requested the government there, and the de facto authorities in Sana’a, to end unlawful detention and release all names of those in custody.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/11/1027081

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

(* A P)

Freundlicher G20-Empfang für saudischen Kronprinzen

Der saudische Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman ist ungeachtet der Khashoggi-Affäre beim G20-Gipfel in Buenos Aires von den Staatsführern der USA, Russlands und Chinas empfangen worden. US-Präsident Trump ließ erklären, er habe mit dem Thronfolger Freundlichkeiten ausgetauscht, wie mit fast jedem anderen Teilnehmer auch. Russlands Präsident Putin begrüßte Mohammed bin Salman besonders freundlich per Handschlag zur ersten Arbeitssitzung. Auch Chinas Staatschef Xi, Frankreichs Präsident Macron und die britische Premierministerin May trafen sich mit dem Kronprinzen.

Macron sprach den Thronfolger nach Angaben des Elysée-Palastes auf den Fall Khashoggi und die von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Militäroffensive im Jemen an.

https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/trotz-khashoggi-affaere-freundlicher-g20-empfang-fuer.1939.de.html

und auch https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/ausland/internationale-politik/id_84873782/momente-des-g20-gipfels-wer-fehlt-auf-diesem-foto-.html

https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/ausland/internationale-politik/id_84872798/newsblog-zum-g20-gipfel-neues-handelsabkommen-zwischen-usa-mexiko-und-kanada.html

(* A P)

Hall of Shame: Gratuitous Photo-ops with Saudi’s Crown Prince

Given the grave nature of these accusations, and the horrific claims surrounding the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, how can the heads of state pictured below meet so proudly, so gratuitously, so gleefully with Mohammed bin Salman?

A shameful gallery at the G20 Summit in Argentina (photos)

https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/11/30/hall-shame-gratuitous-photo-ops-saudis-crown-prince

(A P)

On Friday, the White House said that U.S. President Donald Trump had encountered Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier on the same day, when they "exchanged pleasantries at the leaders session as he did with nearly every leader in attendance."

"We had no discussion. We might, but had none," Trump said when asked by the media about the possibility of a formal meeting between him and the crown prince.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-12/01/c_137643725.htm

(A P)

China supports Saudi Arabia in economic and social change: Xi

Stability in Saudi Arabia is the cornerstone of prosperity and progress in the Gulf, and China firmly supports Riyadh in its drive for economic diversification and social reform, President Xi Jinping told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Meeting in Buenos Aires, host of the G20 summit of industrialized nations on Friday, Xi said China has always attached great importance to its relations with Saudi Arabia, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-argentina-saudi-china/china-supports-saudi-arabia-in-economic-and-social-change-xi-idUSKCN1NZ2FN

My comment: Hard to believe, but Salman’s calculations fully are paying off. Yemen war? Khashoggi? Who cares?

(A P)

Putin warmly greets Saudi crown prince at G20 summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman exchanged a high-five and laughed heartily together on Friday as they took seats next to each other at a plenary session of the Group of 20 summit.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-argentina-saudi-russia/putin-warmly-greets-saudi-crown-prince-at-g20-summit-idUSKCN1NZ2DG

(A P)

Saudi crown prince meets South Korean and Mexican presidents on G20 sidelines

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-argentina-saudi-diplomacy/saudi-crown-prince-meets-south-korean-and-mexican-presidents-on-g20-sidelines-idUSKCN1NZ21B

(A P)

Saudi crown prince met Macron, other leaders, on sidelines of G20

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-argentina-saudi-france/saudi-crown-prince-met-macron-other-leaders-on-sidelines-of-g20-idUSKCN1NZ1X2

film: https://twitter.com/Saudi_Gazette/status/1068511407920955392

photos: https://twitter.com/B4Zaman/status/1068606474203480064

and

(A P)

'I am worried': Macron's chat with Saudi prince captured at G20

French presidential aide confirms they spoke about Khashoggi murder and Yemen after microphone picks up informal talk

The two leaders were having an informal conversation on the sidelines of the summit, standing close together and apparently unaware their conversation was being recorded. The subject of the snatched conversation was not immediately clear but a French presidential aide said afterwards that the Khashoggi murder and the Yemen conflict were the two key topics of the short exchange.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/30/macron-saudi-arabia-mbs-conversation-g20-summit-caught-on-mic

(A P)

India says expects significant scaling up of Saudi investments

India expects Saudi Arabia to ramp up investments in several sectors including technology, farm and energy over the next couple of years, a senior Indian official said, after a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The two men met on the sidelines of the G20 conference in Buenos Aires and agreed to increase economic cooperation.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-crownprince-india-investments/india-says-expects-significant-scaling-up-of-saudi-investments-idUSKCN1NZ0BL

(A P)

Saudi Crown Prince sidelined in G20 family photo

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was sidelined during the official “family photo” of world leaders and other dignitaries at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires on Friday, standing at the far edge of the group portrait and ignored (photo)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-argentina-family-photo/saudi-crown-prince-sidelined-in-g20-family-photo-idUSKCN1NZ21F

photo, they step up: https://twitter.com/HSharwam/status/1068616716371017729

(A P)

Those who says that #Saudi #MBS is pro woman rights should answer where is #MBS wife in this photo. #MBS beats his wife (photo)

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1068639948625055744

(* A P)

The Saudi Crown Prince Should Fear the Long Reach of Justice

On Monday, Human Rights Watch filed a submission — a summary of our public reporting — formally requesting that Argentine prosecutors examine MBS’s role in alleged war crimes and torture. Having lived through its own “dirty war” and then brought many of those responsible to justice, Argentina has a history of addressing such grave crimes. The Argentine justice system should seize this opportunity against someone who may have so much blood on his hands.

It is precisely for such cases that the international legal principle of “universal jurisdiction” can come into play.

Argentina’s reaffirmation of the duty to investigate these crimes sends a strong signal that even powerful officials such as MBS are not beyond the reach of the law – by

Kenneth Roth, HRW

https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/11/30/saudi-crown-prince-should-fear-long-reach-justice

(* B E P)

Khashoggi’s Revenge: Is Saudi Arabia Becoming A Pariah State?

The U.S.-Saudi relationship is now more damaged than at any moment in recent history. The fallout from the Senate vote adds even more pressure on Riyadh to assuage the White House. That could have ramifications for the oil market, especially with the OPEC+ meeting in Vienna just days away.

This illustrates how badly MbS has miscalculated. Saudi Arabia may have to now suffer through a period of low oil prices – or lower than they prefer – because they have damaged, perhaps irreparably, their relationship with the U.S. government. MbS has sacrificed full control of Saudi Arabia’s oil policy.

In short, the Khashoggi murder and Thursday’s vote in the U.S. Senate puts pressure on Saudi Arabia to dial back any action it had planned on taking in Vienna. That is bearish for oil prices.

https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/Khashoggis-Revenge-Is-Saudi-Arabia-Becoming-A-Pariah-State.html

cp8a Jamal Khashoggi

(* B P)

Jamal Khashoggi case: All the latest updates

[Events related to Khashoggi in any way; there are no real news in the case of Khashoggi murder]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/jamal-khashoggi-case-latest-updates-181010133542286.html

(* B P)

Film (Diskussion): Der Fall Khashoggi – Kleine Morde unter Freunden?
In der zweiten Ausgaben von Zur Sache lautet das Thema: Der Fall Khashoggi – Kleine Morde unter Freunden?
Mordsgeschäfte.
Wenn ein in England lebender russischer Doppelagent, Sergei Skripal, einem seinerzeit von Russen entwickelten Nervengift, Novitschok, zum Opfer fällt und merkwürdiger Weise überlebt, liegt der Fall für die westliche Wertegemeinschaft klar auf der Hand.
Anders als im Falle Skripals, wo die finalen Beweise gegen Moskau bis heute fehlen, räumt Riad wenig später sogar ein, Kashoggi getötet zu haben. Man spricht von „Tötung“.
Doch wie reagiert der Westen jetzt? Völlig anders, als wenn Russland, der Iran, Syrien, der Irak oder Nordkorea am Pranger stehen. Wenn ein eingeräumter Mord an einem saudischen Journalisten geschehen ist, sogar von der saudischen Regierung zugegeben wird, geht die Show auf der politischen Bühne weiter, als wäre das ein Auffahrunfall mit Blechschaden. Sanktionen gegen Riad? Weit gefehlt.

Wenn es um Mordsgeschäfte geht, muss man bei Mord schon mal ein Auge zudrücken.
Warum wird Riad anders beurteilt als Moskau? Nun Riad wird noch gebraucht. Als größter Öl-Dealer der Welt muss es die größten Junkies, den Westen, an der Öl-Nadel halten und es ist vorgesehen, den von den USA ersehnten Krieg gegen den Iran endlich vom Zaun zu brechen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s14u2kagjVc

(A P)

Canada Sanctions 17 Saudis Linked To Khashoggi’s ‘Extrajudicial’ Murder

Canada on Thursday imposed sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to the “abhorrent and extrajudicial” murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

http://www.newnewss.net/canada-sanctions-17-saudis-linked-to-khashoggis-extrajudicial-murder/

My comment: This is no heroism – it’s just following the US, sanctioning those who had made fall guys by the Saudi government.

(B P)

Haaretz: Bin Salman Requests Barak’s Mediation to Purchase Israeli Spy Devices

Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman sent his representative in 2015 to demand the occupation entity’s former prime minister Ehud Barak to mediate in concluding a deal to purchase spy devices, Haaretz, Hebrew newspaper, reported.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4048&cat_id=2

cp9 USA

Siehe / Look at cp1 (Senate vote)

(A P)

U.S., Saudi foreign ministers meet on Yemen talks, Khashoggi's death

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday met with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir to discuss the upcoming Yemen peace talks and the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-12/01/c_137643725.htm

(* B P)

Khashoggi Media Sensation, MBS, and Yemen Silence

Jamal Khashoggi’s death has captured the American news cycle for nearly two months.

Though in recent months we have heard more grumbling from U.S. legislators about Saudi Arabia’s Yemen intervention and there’s been some good mainstream media coverage on this from PBS and New York Times, it is far from the perpetual coverage that the Khashoggi murder has aroused. It matters little to Lindsey Graham, other GOP members and some Democratic politicians that Saudi Arabia and its allies, backed by the US, are principally responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians and a famine in Yemen, one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes on earth.

Igniting famine and perpetuating a civil war that may well have ended in March 2015 – that’s okay.

Subverting Lebanese sovereignty – that’s ok, too. The US excels at ignoring the sovereign rights of nations.

Robbing rich Saudis – well, you need money, you do what you have to.

But killing someone who works for the prestigious Washington Post – that doesn’t fly!

In this sense, Republicans, Democrats and the mainstream media are all equally America First.

Surely, Yemenis, who now starve to death, would tend to agree.

https://original.antiwar.com/peter_crowley/2018/11/30/khashoggi-media-sensation-mbs-and-yemen-silence/

(* B P)

US struggles to find footing on Yemen, as Iran increases influence

Analysis: After remaining discreetly on the sidelines for much of the conflict, Washington has taken ownership of Yemen war

The US administration appears to be losing the war of perceptions over Yemen, and in some ways benefiting its primary adversary, Iran.

While the US reportedly stalled a UK-backed Security Council Resolution that would call for peace talks, and the Trump administration fought fruitlessly to prevent the US Senate from advancing a bill that would cut American support for the Yemen war, Iran was playing the responsible global citizen, advancing a peace plan Mr Zarif has pitched for years to forge a power-sharing deal between Yemen’s warring parties.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/us-yemen-civil-war-iran-influence-saudi-arabia-bombing-trump-weapons-houthis-rebels-a8661546.html

My comment: After remaining discreetly on the sidelines for much of the conflict,”: this is repeating a US tall propaganda story.

(B P)

End U.S. complicity in Yemen’s war

The U.S. cannot continue to enable brutal airstrikes and mass starvation in Yemen. Our engagement in the war since 2015 has been a grave moral failure, and S.J. Res 54 constitutes a meaningful opportunity to prioritize moral accountability moving forward. We need to speak out for the Yemeni people

https://www.soprissun.com/2018/11/30/end-u-s-complicity-in-yemens-war/

(B P)

Senate vote against war in Yemen is only a baby step to ending U.S. involvement

The Senate vote is just a baby step on the long road to peace. We must all demand our elected officials take back their constitutional authority to declare war. The infant anti-war movement must turn this first small step into a gallop.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/senate-vote-against-war-in-yemen-u-s-involvement/

Remark: For this, look at cp1 also.

(* B P)

Six Steps to Make the Most of the U.S. Senate’s Yemen Vote

The Trump administration and the Saudi leadership may be tempted to wait for the Senate’s moment of anger to pass. But that could be a serious miscalculation.

Congress Should Keep Up the Pressure

Congress should not let up on the Trump administration and its Gulf Arab allies. The Senate’s procedural vote sent a strong signal, albeit at this point a largely symbolic one. It would lose much of its force if the same or a similar resolution fails to gain sufficient support when it comes to the floor for adoption next week.

But at this point, the priority must be to halt the slide toward famine and do whatever is possible to end a war that has ravaged Yemen. The Senate vote offers a renewed opportunity to do so. It must be seized.

https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/yemen/six-steps-make-most-us-senates-yemen-vote = https://lobelog.com/six-steps-to-make-most-of-senates-yemen-vote/

(* A B P)

Commentary: Finally, Senate might force Trump’s hand on Yemen

Despite the initial Senate vote, the resolution may not ultimately be approved in its current form. Senators could demand amendments or change their minds before a final vote, and Trump has threatened a veto.

Congress members from both parties are furious at Trump’s unwavering defense of Riyadh, and especially the brash and ruthless 33-year-old prince, a major architect of the Yemen war against Houthi rebels.

Khashoggi’s murder crystallized U.S. public anger toward Saudi actions – and the slow-bubbling anxiety in Congress over incidents like the Saudi coalition’s bombing of a school bus in the northern town of Dahyan.

Congress has finally decided to act, even if some of its members are more driven by a desire to punish Saudi leaders for the brutal killing of a journalist.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bazzi-yemen-commentary-idUSKCN1NZ2IH

My comment: The optimism sounds doubtful. Look at cp1.

(* B P)

US Senate takes historic step forward on Yemen resolution. What happens now?

Senate vote does not necessarily signal genuine US policy shift or provide way to end devastating Yemen conflict, analysts say

“I don't think we're at the point that we can say that this administration's policy toward the war in Yemen has changed in any appreciable way,” said John Willis, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and an expert on Yemen.

The vote was widely described as a symbolic first step, demonstrating growing discontent among lawmakers for US President Donald Trump's unwavering support for Saudi Arabia.

The 63-37 vote only moved the Yemen resolution out of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations - and the motion faces a long road before it can become law.

First, the resolution must be debated in the Senate, which means its content may change. If it passes there, it would be sent to the House of Representatives, where it may face even more amendments before being voted on.

If it passes a vote in the House, the White House must then sign the measure into law - a lofty challenge, as Trump has vowed to veto the bill. If he does, the bill would go back to the Senate, where it would need the support of two-thirds of US senators to successfully override the veto.

Still, frustration among some US lawmakers about the US position since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October may have tipped some of the Senate votes this week.

First, the resolution must be debated in the Senate, which means its content may change. If it passes there, it would be sent to the House of Representatives, where it may face even more amendments before being voted on.

If it passes a vote in the House, the White House must then sign the measure into law - a lofty challenge, as Trump has vowed to veto the bill. If he does, the bill would go back to the Senate, where it would need the support of two-thirds of US senators to successfully override the veto.

Still, frustration among some US lawmakers about the US position since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October may have tipped some of the Senate votes this week.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-senate-yemen-resolution-may-do-little-change-current-situation-646447697

(* B P)

Taking Stock of the Yemen Resolution

There are many obstacles that S.J. Res. 54 must surmount before it can become law—and even then, it’s not clear that it will have the legal effect of ending U.S. participation in the Yemen war. That said, Wednesday’s vote may still be a significant step towards that objective.

That said, there are reasons to believe that those 19 senators changed their minds less because of Yemen and more because of Saudi Arabia. The October murder of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents.

Wednesday’s vote is ultimately part of an extended negotiation between Congress and the executive on the future of U.S. policy towards Yemen. And the final outcome of these negotiations remains far from clear. Yet in demonstrating the depth of reservations about the Trump administration’s policies—and forcing senators to express them publicly—S.J. Res. 54 has made clear that the momentum for a policy change is real and growing, whether it comes through policy shifts, additional legislation, or future elections. And even if S.J. Res. 54 is not the vehicle that brings an end to U.S. involvement in the Yemen war, Wednesday’s vote may well turn out to have been a key tipping point in that direction.

https://www.lawfareblog.com/taking-stock-yemen-resolution

(* B P)

Will Congress Stop the Endless Wars?

A vote to pass the legislation is expected next week, and the antiwar movement now has a hard-fought victory in its sights.

“It’s enormous. This is the first time in the Senate’s history that they have ever gotten this far in invoking the War Powers Resolution,” said Hassan El-Tayyab, a peace activist and co-director of Just Foreign Policy who lobbied Congress on Yemen, in an interview.

The Constitution places the power to declare war with Congress, not the White House, but Congress has not declared war since World War II. From Vietnam to Afghanistan and Iraq, a succession of presidents led US troops into major foreign wars and a long list of other conflicts, rapidly expanding the size of the military and the power of the Oval Office along the way. Each time, these presidents sidestepped Congress. Today, the US has an estimated 800 military bases outside the 50 states, and US troops have regularly engaged in military operations in a long list of countries across the world.

Matthew Hoh, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy who resigned from his US State Department post in Afghanistan in 2009 in protest of President Obama’s troop surge, said that if Sanders does not emerge as a leader on ending US militarism, then another rising progressive star could harness popular opinion around the issue.

“The [war powers] resolution is very important, but what you need now, though, is for this resolution to factor into the [2020] presidential campaign,” Hoh said.

https://truthout.org/articles/will-congress-stop-the-endless-wars/

(* B P)

Congress is finally pushing the US to withdraw from Yemen. It's about time

The Senate’s vote this week to push the US military to withdraw from Yemen is historic for a number of reasons

First there is the magnitude of the war crimes that the Senate is trying to end.

In addition to the public educational benefits of this kind of honesty, it’s important as a legal matter because of another historic, path-breaking feature of this senate action. The vote represents the first time that the US Senate has invoked the 1973 War Powers Resolution in an effort to end unauthorized US military participation in a war.

The increasing publicity given to the war crimes in Yemen, their sheer scale and now the undeniability of US military participation may have forced some US politicians on the fence to rethink their positions. Do they want to become known and remembered for voting to kill millions of innocent people in Yemen?

In the coming weeks, Congress will force the US military to withdraw from Yemen. Given the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis, there’s not a moment to spare – by Marc Weisbrot

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/30/congress-finally-pushing-us-withdraw-yemen

(A P)

Flake: 'I think there will be' enough Senate votes to stop a presidential veto of resolution to cut US support to the Saudis in Yemen

Republican Sen. Jeff Flake said he believes there are enough votes in the Senate to overwrite a potential presidential veto should Congress decide to withdraw the US' role in Yemen as a rebuke to Saudi Arabia.

https://us.cnn.com/2018/11/30/politics/jeff-flake-us-saudi-arabia-yemen-policy-cnntv/index.html

(B P)

Why US Senate Won’t End Saudi War on Yemen

The US Senate has voted overwhelmingly to support a resolution to get the US out of the war in Yemen by stopping US military support for Saudi Arabia.

This new political charade does in no way mean that the US will now switch sides and stop the ongoing Saudi-led assault on the poorest country in the Arab world. Far from it, this is only intended to limit the pressure of global community on Washington for its ongoing support of Saudi atrocities in Yemen and to ‘punish’ Riyadh for murdering Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 - by ‘milking’ it more. That’s all really.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970909000646

Remark: A view from Iran.

(? A B P)

Film (Discussion): War in Yemen: US taking distance from Saudi Arabia, but will it help end the war?

A vote in the US Senate has made the international newsrooms sit up and take notice. The Republican-dominated Senate this week voted to end US support for the conflict in Yemen, going against President Donald Trump. Trump has made his support for the Saudi-led coalition clear and has loudly defended his arms deals by using his now characteristic "America First" rhetoric.

It seems even Trump’s own side has become embarrassed by his stance, and his response to the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

So what does this mean for the US president, for the war in Yemen, and for the future relationship between the Saudis and the West?

William JORDAN, Former US State Department official; Pierre CONESA, Former French Defence Ministry Official; Douglas HERBERT, International Affairs Editor; Fatima Alasrar, Arab Foundation

https://www.france24.com/en/debate/20181129-war-yemen-us-taking-distance-saudi-arabia-but-will-it-help-end-war

and part of Fatima Alasrar here: https://twitter.com/F24Debate/status/1068223963833217025 which is little more than blaming the Houthis and not speaking of Saudi Arabia, i. e. propaganda. Keep in mind that the Arab Foundation is Saudi

(* A P)

Pompeo’s Perverse Yemen Rhetoric

The Senate didn’t go for Pompeo and Mattis’ sales pitch for the war on Yemen on Wednesday. That’s because it was filled with dishonest nonsense

The absurdity of Pompeo’s position becomes clear when we remember that Yemen would not be suffering from the world’s worst humanitarian crisis were it not for the Saudi coalition’s intervention, blockade, and interference in Yemen’s economy. The governments responsible for causing the displacement of millions of people and creating famine conditions potentially affecting up to 14 million do not merit praise for throwing a little money at the catastrophe they have unleashed. Iran’s interest in assisting suffering Yemenis or lack thereof is truly beside the point when it is the Saudi coalition backed by the U.S. that has caused so much of that suffering. War criminals do not get credit when they throw some cash at the wreckage of the country they have destroyed, and Pompeo’s attempt to give Saudi Arabia credit for “relieving” suffering in Yemen is as perverse and disgusting as it gets.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/pompeos-perverse-yemen-rhetoric/

(* B P)

How the Senate Should Move Forward on Resolution to Withdraw from Yemen War

What all this means is that if S.J. Res. 54 passes in the Senate, and if a companion version of S.J. Res. 54 is passed in the House (where Republican members recently used procedural maneuvers to bottle it up), and if the bill has enough votes to survive a presidential veto (as threatened in the SAP), we would most likely still end up at an impasse: Congress may well argue it has prohibited U.S. support, but the Executive will continue to claim that none of the activities the United States has engaged in are implicated in the congressional edict to pull back from “hostilities.”

We have several answers to the legal concerns that have been raised about the Senate bill.

https://www.justsecurity.org/61666/saudi-arabia-senate-move-resolution-withdraw-yemen-war-and-avoid-pitfalls-current-text/

(* A B K P)

THE SENATE JUST TOOK A MAJOR STEP TOWARD ENDING THE WAR IN YEMEN. WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Mehdi Hasan is joined by Sen. Chris Murphy, one of the big drivers behind this resolution, Yemeni-Canadian activist and academic Shireen Al Adeimi, and The Intercept’s national security reporter Alex Emmons to discuss what the Senate’s vote means and the next steps forward.

SAA: And so, I think it’s unfortunate that it took, you know, at least the death of 85,000 children who’ve starved to death so far in Yemen, according to Save the Children, and the killing of at least 57,000 people have now been killed. I know that the numbers are going to be much more horrific once the dust settles, and people are actually able to tell you the numbers. And we have a country that’s gone to complete collapse and chaos. You know, 14 million people which is over half the population of Yemen is on the brink of starvation. I’m shocked that, you know, we’ve allowed it to get to this point before saying “We really should not be involved in this war. We really should not be, we should not have any kind of role and complicity in this disaster.”

https://theintercept.com/2018/11/29/the-senate-just-took-a-major-step-toward-ending-the-war-in-yemen-what-happens-now/

(? B P)

Film by Press TV Iran: This edition of Press TV Debate discusses Trump's support for Saudi Arabia.

https://www.facebook.com/PRESSTV/videos/507055543115483

(* B P)

Sen. Rand Paul: Dangers to Dissidents

I break with the administration on their response to this killing for many reasons. If Saudi Arabia is not held accountable for the barbaric murder of Khashoggi, what will it mean for the fate of other dissidents held in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere who are being held without trial? What message does it send to kingdoms and dictatorships around the region and the world that America considers its defense sales paramount to its stand for human rights?

What will it mean for Ali al-Nimr, the nephew of Nimr al-Nimr, the Shia sheik executed by the Saudis in 2016?

What kind of regime does this? What kind of regime are we supporting, while turning a blind eye to this and the hundreds of other dissidents jailed and killed without a real justice system?

Saudi Arabia is not “liberalizing.” It is not opening, changing, or modernizing in anything other than superficial ways.

Why do we not act? The stated reason is our “relationship” with the Saudis, which boils down to two things — oil and defense contracts.

How much oil and how many defense contracts justify turning a blind eye to the actions of the Saudis?

https://townhall.com/capitol-voices/senatorrandpaul/2018/11/29/dangers-to-dissidents-n2536687

My comment: Yes! Yes! Yes!

And

(* A P)

Sen. Rand Paul, film: ICYMI: Yesterday I joined @CNN to discuss Saudi Arabia and the war in Yemen. Yesterday was a big day. The Senate woke up. The Senate said we aren’t going to keep turning a blind eye to Saudi Arabia abuses or their war in Yemen.

https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1068151714312871937

(* B P)

We Need to End the Yemen War Now – Not in January

If the Senate passes the Sanders-Lee-Murphy resolution next week, then the Sanders-Lee-Murphy resolution will be guaranteed a floor vote in the House. But advocates for ending the Yemen war right now, and stopping the famine can’t afford to wait for that, because the clock is ticking toward adjournment of the House for the year. We need to be sure to reach the House floor before the House adjourns. That’s why we need to reintroduce the resolution in the House now and start pushing for a floor vote in the House now, without waiting for final action in the Senate.

Under the War Powers Resolution, President Trump has to end the unconstitutional war in Yemen, if the Senate and the House agree on a concurrent resolution directing him to do so.

On war powers, Trump is unlike any president we’ve had since Nixon. Trump is not only insisting in theory that Congress can’t tell him what to do on war powers, as all other presidents have done. He is threatening to insist on it in practice.

This is why, to force the end of the Yemen war now, rather than in January — as the United Nations and aid groups say is necessary to stop the famine — we need a credible threat now to pass a Yemen War Powers Resolution in the House as well as in the Senate

https://truthout.org/articles/we-need-to-end-the-yemen-war-now-not-in-january/

(B P)

Resolutions Set To Limit U.S. Involvement In Yemen

We discuss the latest in the ongoing U.S. and Saudi fallout.

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/29/671799950/resolutions-set-to-limit-u-s-involvement-in-yemen?t=1543568228032

(* B P)

NYT Editorial: The Senate Steps Up on Saudi Arabia

What most angered Senator Graham and other senators was the administration’s rejection of their request to hear Gina Haspel, the director of the C.I.A., whom they wanted to question

The C.I.A.’s job is to assess information, not to build legal cases, and Mr. Trump was most likely worried that if the senators heard Ms. Haspel they would be left with no doubt that the order for so brazen and elaborate a murder came from the top.

What Mr. Pompeo and his boss seem not to understand is that the caterwauling is not a failure to appreciate the importance of the Saudi alliance, which nobody denies, but a demand to balance American interests with American values, as Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, explained when he voted in dissent from the administration’s policy.

Those senators who care about human rights or the rule of law should continue caterwauling and demanding that they hear from Ms. Haspel.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/29/opinion/saudi-senate-khashoggi-trump.html

My comment: Get it: if there really is anything like “American values”, these did not play any role in US foreign policy since 1948 (or about). It was for American (American elite’s) interests only. ONLY. Get it.

(* B P)

Washington Post tripled Yemen coverage after Khashoggi’s death

But has the country’s plight got three times worse?

As a Post subscriber, Cockburn had noticed the amount of Yemen coverage ticking up over the last few weeks.

But had the Post increased the amount of attention they’ve given the nation since their columnist was murdered by its arch-enemy?

Now, there could be other explanations for the increase in coverage – for example, has there been an increase in newsworthy events in Yemen since Khashoggi’s death? Cockburn asked Middle East expert John R. Bradley, who didn’t seem to think so.

‘The situation in Yemen has not suddenly gotten three times worse in the past two months,’ Bradley said.

‘During the three preceding years, there were a steady stream of human rights outrages and atrocities. The only thing that has changed is that the Post now considers the issue three times more important, in the wake of Khashoggi’s murder.’

This obviously isn’t the coverage Mohammed bin Salman would want to see from the West. And that, of course, is the point.

https://spectator.us/washington-post-yemen-jamal-khashoggi/?fbclid=IwAR304YZbDhXdDhDVxc1VX6_JuqYLPXXUVFxXZAjORkYB1zfDso5tB-rH0Z8

Comment: Well, it didn't have too much before. Maybe if they had been more active, then those that were planning Khashoggi's assassination may have decided it was too dangerous. Maybe.

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157182599723641

(B P)

Trump Administration Appears To Be Lessening Push For Ceasefire In Yemen

A month ago U.S. officials called for a ceasefire in Yemen — a country on the brink of famine under a Saudi-led offensive. But that call doesn't appear as strong, as Saudis try to take more ground.

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/29/671996702/trump-administration-appears-to-be-lessening-push-for-ceasefire-in-yemen

(* B P)

Whitewashing McCain’s Support for the War on Yemen

At the end of his career, McCain was one of the foremost defenders of U.S. involvement in the war on Yemen. I suppose it was fitting that he capped off a long career of supporting unnecessary and illegal wars by proudly supporting a truly indefensible one.

McCain was asked about the coalition’s bombing campaign and the civilian casualties that it was causing, he denied that there were any. “Thank God for the Saudis,” he once said, praising the kingdom for its role in fueling the war in Syria.

I commented on McCain’s support for the war on Yemen in a post last year

McCain was the champion of a particular strain of aggressive interventionism that relied on moralizing rhetoric to justify unjust actions.

McCain used many of the same cynical and dishonest arguments then that Trump administration officials use now.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/whitewashing-mccains-support-for-the-war-on-yemen/

(* A P)

Yemenis don't believe the US Senate can end their civil war

“It's great if the United States will vote to stop its weapons sales to Saudi Arabia because this will save the lives of hundreds if not millions of Yemenis,” said Hussain Albukhaiti, a journalist in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which is frequently targeted by Saudi air strikes.

Albukhaiti is skeptical about the motivation behind the Senate vote. He calls it a publicity stunt.

“The deals that have been struck between the United States and Saudi Arabia during the war in Yemen [are] the largest in US history,” he says. “We have seen the White House statement about the killing of journalist Khashoggi. It is all about money."

Albukhaiti said he believes that a hostile Senate will give the Trump administration more leverage with Saudi leaders, so that his administration can sell them even more US weapons.

“We in Yemen make a joke about it, that he can milk the Saudi cow more and more and more,” he said.

People in other parts of Yemen blame the war not on the Saudis, but on the Houthi rebels. And they want the US to stay in the war, to help Saudi Arabia defeat the Houthis.

Other Yemenis considered the Senate vote and saw a glimmer of hope.

https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-11-29/yemenis-dont-believe-us-senate-can-end-their-civil-war

(* B K P)

Ending The War In Yemen: Congressional Resolution Is Not Enough – OpEd

In the current political reality, there is no room in Congress to resist U.S. participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen without at the same time endorsing the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, a blank check that has allowed for the destruction of whole nations and a manifold increase in the threat of terrorism. The Authorization was a disgraceful obfuscation by Congress when it was passed in 2001 and it has no place in a plea for peace in Yemen in 2018. So long as the 2001 Authorization provides an exception and the profitability of arms trafficking in the region goes unchallenged, there is no congressional resolution for peace in Yemen.

It is especially shameful that a resolution as weak as H.Con.Res.138 is having trouble even being brought to the floor for discussion. Getting this resolution passed may be a step along the way, but it cannot be the goal. Support for this legislation needs to be accompanied by a somber recognition of its limitations and with the uncompromising and urgent demand that the U.S. end the war in Yemen now.

http://www.eurasiareview.com/29112018-ending-the-war-in-yemen-congressional-resolution-is-not-enough-oped/

(B P)

Mike Littwin: Senate Republicans stand up to Trump, but Cory Gardner stands down

I don't know how much to take from this one vote. I very much doubt it foretells much and certainly not the beginning of a Senate Republican version of the resistance. But what do I know? Trump says that his "gut" tells him more "than anybody else's brain can ever tell me." My gut tells me this was an unusual moment that Gardner didn't have the guts to recognize.

http://www.dailycamera.com/columnists/ci_32301442/mike-littwin-senate-republicans-stand-up-trump-but

(A P)

Sasse concerned Yemen vote could empower Iran

Sen. Ben Sasse said Thursday he voted against Senate advancement of a resolution to end U.S. military support for the Saudi war effort in Yemen because that could "give Iran even more room to sow further chaos and suffering across the Middle East."

http://norfolkdailynews.com/news/sasse-concerned-yemen-vote-could-empower-iran/article_9d2e4fb5-e0d4-5297-9294-c7a1558e7501.html

My comment: This is an odd reasoning the anti-Iran paranoia took everything.

(* A H P)

US Department of State: United States Announces Emergency Food Assistance for Yemen

This week, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced the United States is providing nearly $131 million in additional emergency food assistance to the people of Yemen, who are suffering from the world's largest humanitarian crisis and food-security emergency. This brings the total U.S. humanitarian assistance for the Yemen response to more than $697 million since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2018.

More than half of Yemen’s population needs emergency food assistance. Without current, large-scale international humanitarian efforts, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network projects the food security situation would be significantly worse for millions, including potential famine. Most of the new funding will provide life-saving food assistance through the UN World Food Program to reach nearly 9.5 million of the most vulnerable Yemenis.

During a food crisis, preventable disease is a leading cause of death.

My comment: Hypocrisy, keep in mind Pompeo’s statements during the last days. Blood money, and just peanuts compared to US profits from https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181130-us-to-provide-131-million-in-emergency-food-aid-to-yemen/arms sales.

(* B K P)

The Long, Brutal U.S. War on Children in the Middle East

When children waste away to literally nothing while fourteen million people face conflict driven famine, a hue and cry—yes, a caterwaul —most certainly should be raised, worldwide.

Antiwar activists have persistently challenged elected representatives to acknowledge and end the horrible consequences of modern warfare in Yemen

Starvation is being used as a weapon of war—by Saudi Arabia, by the United Arab Emirates, and by the superpower patrons including the United States that arm and manipulate both countries.

thirteen years of economic sanctions against Iraq— those years between the Gulf War and the devastating U.S.-led “Shock and Awe” war that followed—

“I think I understand,” murmured Martin Thomas, “It’s a death row for infants.” – by Kathy Kelly

https://progressive.org/dispatches/the-long-brutal-u-s-war-on-children-in-the-middle-east-181129/ = http://www.eurasiareview.com/30112018-the-long-brutal-us-war-on-children-in-the-middle-east-oped/

(A P)

US Yemen diplomat accuses Iran of stoking regional conflicts

The U.S. ambassador to Yemen on Thursday accused Iran of “throwing gasoline on the fire” of conflicts across the Middle East, vowing that America will defend its regional interests and not “shy away when the problems get difficult.”

Ambassador Matthew Tueller’s comments during an interview with The Associated Press signal that America’s hard-line approach to Tehran in the wake of withdrawing from the nuclear deal will continue.

“Wherever we see instability here in the region — and I’m not saying that Iran is the source of all of the instability — but we see that opportunistically, they’re going in,” Tueller told the AP at a military ceremony in eastern Yemen. “They’re throwing gasoline on the fire in an area of the world that’s so important to all of us.”

https://apnews.com/62b3c88ee6b84d4aaab2215af22e8f50

My comment: This is odd – and unmasking. “vowing that America will defend its regional interests”: Yes, the whole horror the US is causing in the Middle East happens for this reason. What if Russia would claim to act the same way – in a region 6600 miles away from the own country (Miami-Jerusalem flying distance). Moscow-Caracas is 6100 miles only. – Ambassador Tueller is one of the most extreme backers of the Saudi coalition. He has a very great influence – much more than an ambassador to a failed 3. World government would have – and seems to be an important and horrible puppet master in the background: https://theintercept.com/2017/12/13/yemen-war-peace-talks-matthew-tueller/

(* A P)

DESPITE VOTE TO ADVANCE YEMEN RESOLUTION, SENATE REPUBLICAN SUPPORT FOR ENDING U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN THE WAR IS UNCERTAIN

Wednesday’s vote did not pass the resolution; rather, it discharged the resolution from committee, bypassing an important procedural hurdle and guaranteeing that it will get a vote on the Senate floor, likely sometime next week.

Postponing the final vote leaves open the possibility that the resolution could be amended or watered down before it receives a final vote. And several Republicans, including Corker, emphasized that they would not necessarily vote for the bill the next time around.

https://theintercept.com/2018/11/29/yemen-war-saudi-arabia-us-congress/

(* B K P)

Ending U.S. Support for the War Is Not ‘Abandoning’ Yemen

One of the administration’s most twisted talking points on Yemen is the idea that ending U.S. support for the Saudi coalition constitutes “abandoning” Yemen:

It would be much more accurate to say that the U.S. abandoned Yemen and its people when our government agreed to support a war that has destroyed their country. Ending that involvement wouldn’t be an “abandonment” of Yemen. It would be the first time in years that our government has chosen to put the welfare of the people of Yemen ahead of indulging despotic clients. When Trump administration officials talk about “abandoning” Yemen, they really mean that we mustn’t cut off the Saudis and Emiratis. They’re saying that the U.S. needs to keep helping the governments that have been destroying and starving the country for the last three and a half years. The administration is demanding that we continue to abandon the people of Yemen to famine, poverty, and despair so that our monstrous client states remain satisfied.

There is something profoundly wrong in our foreign policy debates in the way we talk about engagement with other countries. Yesterday Mattis and Pompeo warned against “disengaging” from Yemen, as if our government were doing the people of Yemen some favor by remaining involved in the war that is killing them. Today Hook warns against “abandoning” Yemen when he really means that we must continue helping the Saudis and Emiratis kill people in Yemen that have never done anything to us.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/ending-u-s-support-for-the-war-is-not-abandoning-yemen/

(* B K P)

What Will it Take to Save the Children of Yemen?

A march of backpacks against bombs

But here we were on November 8 — 100 or so activists with blue backpacks and the names of the murdered children, stepping off for a short trek to Saudi Arabia’s New York City consulate. Our silent hope was that some good might yet come from the children’s deaths, if the lives of others could be spared.

Calling itself Voices for Yemen, a grassroots coalition of peace groups held the demonstration.

Since the August 9 bombing, and the murder of Khashoggi especially, establishment Washington has been scrambling to do something about Yemen.

Handwringing and Senate votes aside, the United States government remains for now committed to the war in Yemen. Even the best legislation falls far short of the protestors’ call that the United States fully and permanently withdraw from the war. With evasion and duplicity, the war’s backers somehow choke back the embarrassment that it has not even achieved its objective of breaking the Houthi rebellion. For this meager result, the United States has joined in unleashing violence and suffering all but unparalleled in the world today. Ending wars is not easily left to the war-makers.

This legislative wrangling, unknown in its detail to all but the fraction of Americans who closely follow such things, has been overtaken by Trump’s outrageous defense of Saudi Arabia.

It has been depressing to watch Trump’s backers rally around this rot. Support generally comes from two camps. The first comprises his sycophants, deep into the derangement of the cult of personality that Fox News and Trump himself have carefully crafted.

The second camp are opportunist-insiders, of flagrantly neo-conservative vintage. They use Trump as a potent vehicle for crusades they have long championed. Witness here the recent New York Times column by Iran hawks Michael Doran and Tony Badran

Such is the cynical alibi — given a new, populist prestige by Trump — of self-professed wise men, as they condemn others to death by their hard-headed geo-political calculations. Yet there is nothing abstract about weeping mothers, pulverized children, bloodstained backpacks, and bomb fragments with insignia from an American manufacturer. If nothing else, the demonstration at the Saudi consulate sought to convey just that.

What we do with that knowledge may one day save some other busload of children, in some other distant country where American bombs have no place being – by Jeremy Varon

http://www.publicseminar.org/2018/11/what-will-it-take-to-save-the-children-of-yemen/ = http://www.eurasiareview.com/03122018-what-will-it-take-to-save-the-children-of-yemen-oped/

(* B P)

Anti-war push or regime change in Riyadh: Analysts question motive of US Senate’s Yemen resolution

A Senate resolution that would end US support for the Saudi-led invasion of Yemen may be using humanitarian concerns as a pretext to dethrone Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, analysts say.

The legislation’s early successes have been interpreted as a kick in the teeth to US President Donald Trump’s unapologetic support for Riyadh, but some have questioned the timing of the proposal – and whether it will have any long-term effect on Washington’s deep-rooted ties to the Kingdom.

“Saudi Arabia, Britain and America are actually working together [in Yemen], in terms of weapons,” Reza Kazim, a researcher at Islamic Human Rights Commission, noted. As such, speculation that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (known colloquially as ‘MBS’) may have ordered Khashoggi’s murder is fueling concern in Washington that the current Saudi leadership is bad for business.

The resolution’s real aim is not to axe Washington’s ties with Saudi Arabia, but to push MBS out, and replace him with a “more pliable” Saudi royal, Cavell told RT. “The relationship will continue because Saudi Arabia has nowhere else to turn.”

Some believe the Khashoggi scandal has created a need within the Kingdom to find a new leader whose image hasn’t been tainted by allegations of cold-blooded murder and war crimes.

“How long is this [issue] going to stay in the public mind?” Cavell asked. “Will Americans demand accountability, or will people forget about it in a month or so?”

https://www.rt.com/news/445161-us-senate-resolution-saudi-yemen/

(* B K P)

In a Historic First, Senate Advances Bill to End U.S. Support for Illegal War in Yemen

We speak with Shireen Al-Adeimi, Yemeni scholar, activist, and an assistant professor at Michigan State University.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: This marks the first time in U.S. history the Senate has voted to advance a bill to withdraw military forces from an unauthorized war using the War Resolutions Act.

SEN. BERNIESANDERS: It is a vote to demand that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen be addressed. It is a vote that will tell the despotic dictatorship in Saudi Arabia that we will no longer be part of their destructive military adventurism.

SHIREEN AL-ADEIMI: I think the murder of Khashoggi unfortunately has led to this uncovering of this relationship, this toxic relationship between the Saudis and the U.S.
Unfortunately, these kids in Yemen were dying. They have been dying for almost four years now. Eighty-five thousand is a conservative estimate of the children who have starved to death. These are children under the age of five. The number is likely much higher. And when that was the case back in March, when Senator Sanders and Lee and Murphy were arguing these points that the U.S. is involved in this frankly genocidal war of Yemen, there was very little interest in the Senate.

I think what has changed is that this murder has uncovered this relationship and really the lengths to which the Saudi crown prince would go to achieve his goals.

The crown prince in Saudi Arabia have been throwing fits about Yemen for the last three and a half years. Anytime there’s a resolution in the UN, they have been throwing temper tantrums or threatening to withdraw support for UNESCO and other U.N. programs.

So the U.S. has been providing cover for the Saudis in the UN and other European countries as well.

And so we have created this monster. Mohammed bin Salman has been emboldened by his Western allies (with film)

https://www.democracynow.org/2018/11/29/in_a_historic_first_senate_advances = https://truthout.org/video/the-senates-yemen-vote-is-a-historic-first/

film excerpt: https://twitter.com/democracynow/status/1068133905054801920

(A P)

Senate Bill To End U.S. Role In Yemen War Rejected By House Raytheon Executives (Satire)

https://politics.theonion.com/senate-bill-to-end-u-s-role-in-yemen-war-rejected-by-h-1830746674

(* A K P)

U.S. touts new evidence of Iranian weaponry in Yemen, Afghanistan

The United States on Thursday displayed pieces of what it said were Iranian weapons deployed to militants in Yemen and Afghanistan, a tactic by President Donald Trump’s administration to pressure Tehran to curb its regional activities.

The second presentation of Iranian weapons by the Pentagon, many of which were handed over by Saudi Arabia, coincides with growing concern in Congress over U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s civil war, which has led to a deep humanitarian crisis.

Reuters was given advanced access to the military hangar at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling just outside of Washington where the U.S. Defense Department put the fragments of weaponry on display and explained how it concluded that they came from Iran.

The Pentagon offered a detailed explanation of why it believed the arms on display came from Iran, noting what it said were Iranian corporate logos on arms fragments and the unique nature of the designs of Iranian weaponry.

The United States acknowledged it could not say precisely when the weapons were transferred to the Houthis, and, in some cases, could not say when they were used. There was no immediate way to independently verify where the weapons were made or employed.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-military/u-s-touts-new-evidence-of-iranian-weaponry-in-yemen-afghanistan-idUSKCN1NY1XL

and

(* A K P)

US says Iran is violating UN arms export ban after officials seize weapons that are 'clear and tangible evidence' the country is fueling instability in the Middle East

Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran, said the equipment confirms Iran is increasingly supplying weapons to militants across the Middle East

At a military hangar in DC, Hook showed guns, rockets, drones and other gear

The weapons had been intercepted in the Strait of Hormuz en route to Shia fighters in the region while others had been seized by the Saudis in Yemen (with photos)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6444143/US-says-Iran-violating-arms-export-ban-Yemen-Afghanistan-officials-seized-weapons.html

and also https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/us-warns-of-regional-conflict-as-it-displays-iranian-arms-intercepted-across-middle-east-1.797473

My comment: Repeating the same stories again, as we already had seen it. This coincides with the anti-Saudi bill being discussed and voted in Senate: Senators should be persuaded to reject the bill. – And the US is the farmost greatest supplier of arms used in the Yemen war.

Comment by Judith Brown: No weapons should get to any parties fighting in Yemen. That is the only way to stop the war. There may be some Iranian weapons, but according to recent reports by the UN Panel of Experts, many weapons used by the Houthis, Al Qaeda, and other noxious militias fighting in Yemen (I don't like any of them, having worked in war zones) originate from Western sources. As has been widely predicted by experts on Yemen - Yemeni soldiers with no food for their families will quickly sell their weapons given the chance - that's not new, its been a longstanding fact that this happens in Yemen.

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157182611123641

and

(* A P)

US struggles to find footing on Yemen, as Iran increases influence

Mr Hook’s presentation built on a similar show given by Nikki Haley last year. Both purported to demonstrate how Iran was violating UN Security Council resolutions by exporting weapons to the Houthis.

Experts are calling Mr Hook’s revelations factually and technically problematic. Neither he nor any other American official has failed to explain why the Americans were sure that the Houthis hadn’t simply bought the rickety, Cold War-era Iranian weapons through the robust Middle East weapons black market.

“If you look through his statement, he said Saudi armed forces picked up weapons,” said Peter Salisbury, a Yemen expert serving as a consultant for the International Crisis Group. “The Saudis don’t have boots on the ground anywhere in Yemen.”

In addition, the Arabian Sea doesn’t border Yemen. “That whole area is chock of people smuggling things,” said Mr Salisbury. “You can’t just say, ‘here’s some stuff we got in Yemen’.”

It remained unclear what purpose the US weapons presentation served, other than to underscore how determined the administration was to stand by Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates in a Yemen adventure that is overwhelmingly unpopular in the US.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/us-yemen-civil-war-iran-influence-saudi-arabia-bombing-trump-weapons-houthis-rebels-a8661546.html

and

(* A P)

Trump Administration Shows Off Iranian Missiles to Try and Save Saudi War in Yemen We Support

The Iranian weapons on display had all been smuggled into Yemen. But Iranian meddling seems unlikely to top concerns about the Saudi coalition’s conduct in the bloody civil war.

The Trump administration’s war in Yemen is on the rocks in Congress. So what can you do when the Hill doesn’t want to back your Saudi allies’ increasingly bloody war there? Drag out some Iranian missiles from Yemen and hope the sight of them is enough to spook senators into supporting continued American involvement in the war.

In a briefing on Thursday, the State Department’s special Iran envoy Brian Hook hailed the display of seized Iranian weapons from Yemen as “new evidence of Iran’s ongoing missile proliferation” and a sign that the “Iranian threat is growing and we are accumulating risk of escalation in the region if we fail to act.”

The display came off as an attempt to mute growing concerns about the American-supported Saudi war in Yemen by focusing attention on the involvement of a much-hated adversary in the conflict.

The focus of the Iranian materiel display has also expanded since to include a focus on alleged Iranian involvement in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-administration-shows-off-iranian-missiles-to-try-and-save-saudi-war-in-yemen-we-support

and

(* A P)

Intel: Why US is hosting Iran weapons display

Why it matters: The Trump administration is using the display in an effort to call out Iran’s alleged actions through proxy groups across the Middle East.

Stunt? At today’s press conference, Hook tried to beat back criticism that the display was little more than a dog and pony show.

Chaos on Capitol Hill: The unveiling comes as the Trump administration and Congress are deadlocked over US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/11/us-trump-display-iran-weapons-ballistic-missile-hook.html

(* B P)

REPUBLICANS SENATORS WHO TRIED TO KILL YEMEN WAR RESOLUTION WERE PAID BY SAUDI LOBBYISTS

But at least five of the Republican Senators who voted against the bill have received funding from lobbyists working for Saudi Arabia, a fact that illustrates how the kingdom uses its vast wealth to influence U.S. foreign policy.

Republican Senators Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman of Arkansas, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Mike Crapo of Idaho, and Tim Scott of South Carolina received financial contributions from lobbying firms that worked for Saudi Arabia, according to a report by the Center for International Policy released last month.

https://www.newsweek.com/republicans-senators-who-tried-kill-yemen-war-resolution-were-paid-saudi-1236715?piano_t=1

and also https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/pro-saudi-lobbyists-paid-5-senators-voted-yemen-bill-181129075933213.html

(* B P)

Prior to the vote, Secretaries of State and Defense Mike Pompeo and James Mattis argued in a closed-door session against severing ties with the Saudis in the midst of the Yemen campaign. Predictably, the reasons centered around the "necessity" of combating Iran and the "stability" that Saudi Arabia supposedly brings to the region.

Perhaps most interesting was Pompeo's hinting that Riyadh could turn to Moscow should the U.S. extricate itself from its military partnership with the Saudis.

He suggested the Saudis could seek the Russian S-400 missile system or even sign nuclear cooperation deals with Beijing and Moscow. Pompeo said if Washington turns its back on Saudi leadership, "the alternative is co-optation by China and Russia."

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-29/senators-seeking-shoot-down-yemen-bill-were-paid-saudi-lobbyists

My comment: This clearly shows how people like Trump, Pompeo, Mattis are reasoning: US arms sales have priority to anything else.

(* A P)

Krieg im Jemen: US-Senat stellt sich gegen Trump

Die Kammer stimmte dafür, in der kommenden Woche eine Resolution zu debattieren, die Trumps Regierung zum Ende der Unterstützung für Saudi-Arabien in dem Konflikt zwingen würde. 63 Senatoren votierten dafür, darunter 14 Mitglieder von Trumps Republikanern. 37 Senatoren stimmten dagegen.

Die Resolution stammt von dem Republikaner Mike Lee, dem Demokraten Chris Murphy und dem unabhängigen Senator Bernie Sanders. Sollte der Senat sie verabschieden, wäre dies ein deutliches Signal der Abgeordneten, Trump bei seiner Außenpolitik Grenzen aufzuzeigen. Die Regierung müsste die Unterstützung Saudi-Arabiens dann innerhalb von 30 Tagen einstellen. Das Weiße Haus hat allerdings bereits mit einem Veto Trumps gedroht. Nicht betroffen von der Maßnahme wäre der US-Einsatz gegen die Terrororganisation al-Qaida im Jemen.

Wenige Stunden vor der Abstimmung hatten US-Außenminister Mike Pompeo und US-Verteidigungsminister James Mattis bei einem Treffen mit Senatoren dafür geworben, die Beziehungen zu Saudi-Arabien nicht infrage zu stellen. Beide priesen die Bedeutung der Golfmonarchie und den US-Beitrag im Jemen-Konflikt. "Die Verbindungen zu Saudi-Arabien zu schwächen, wäre ein schwerer Fehler für die nationale Sicherheit der USA und für die unserer Verbündeten", hieß es in Auszügen von Pompeos Statement.

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/donald-trump-us-senat-debattiert-unterstuetzung-fuer-saudi-arabien-im-jemen-krieg-a-1240966.html

(B P)

US Defense Secretary reveals real reason behind his country’s resolve to stop war on Yemen

“security interests cannot be dismissed

recognizing the reality of Saudi Arabia as a necessary strategic partner

http://en.ypagency.net/68074/?fbclid=IwAR2wZzn7j7AVtWGfDT1FAbcjlwmZb0YO9bO2-a4f-JedNyFzKB0nE9IobVw

(* A K P)

Afghanistan war: US strike in Helmand killed 23 civilians, UN says

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46398620

Comment: When US air strikes, from the most advanced army in the world, can cause this much harm to civilians and children, why do we expect any less from other countries that buy these weapons? This is devastating.

https://twitter.com/YemeniFatima/status/1068598090704269313

My comment to comment: Reasonable question, showing how absurd US official reasoning is when claiming US personal in the Saudi air force command room would assist the Saudis in avoiding civilian targets.

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

(B P)

"constructive talks" ... but no, you can't see the draft resolution discussed with MBS (Questioon in parliament, text in image)

https://twitter.com/julie_maxon/status/1068568033231339521

(* B K P)

History won’t look kindly on Britain over arms sales feeding war in Yemen

UK aid to Yemen is eclipsed by the billions brought in through the bungling, deceitful sale of British weapons to Saudi Arabia

The British government claims to have been at the forefront of international humanitarian assistance, giving more than £570m to Yemen in bilateral aid since the war began.

Yet the financial value of aid is a drop in the ocean compared with the value of weapons sold to the Saudi-led coalition – licences worth at least £4.7bn of arms exports to Saudi Arabia and £860m to its coalition partners since the start of the war. Relatively speaking, aid has been little more than a sticking plaster on the death, injury, destruction, displacement, famine and disease inflicted on Yemen by an entirely manmade disaster.

Britain and the US have been the key supporters of the Saudi-led coalition

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/nov/30/history-will-not-look-kindly-on-britain-over-arms-sales-feeding-war-in-yemen

(A P)

May urges Saudi prince to cooperate with Khashoggi investigation

PM asks Bin Salman at G20 to take action over incident and to seek a solution to the war in Yemen

Theresa May declined to discuss trade with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, when the pair met face-to-face at the G20 summit, raising instead the conflict in Yemen and the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

It was Downing Street’s intention for the meeting to focus entirely on these issues, rather than trade, a senior UK official said

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/30/may-to-snub-trade-talks-when-she-meets-saudi-crown-prince-at-g20

film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTEjpRFlKfM

My comment: Well, she even was better than other world leaders (look at cp8).

(A P)

UK PM May says plans to speak to Saudi crown prince on Khashoggi, Yemen

British Prime Minister Theresa May plans to raise the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and the situation in Yemen with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 summit in Argentina, she said on Thursday.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-khashoggi-britain/uk-pm-may-says-plans-to-speak-to-saudi-crown-prince-on-khashoggi-yemen-idUSKCN1NZ08H

and also https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/g20-summit-theresa-may-mbs-khashoggi-murder-yemen-bin-salman-buenos-aires-a8659676.html

and

(A P)

May vows to deliver ‘robust’ message to Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi killing

The Prime Minister is meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 summit in Argentina.

Theresa May has promised to deliver a “robust” message to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the war in Yemen when she meets him at the G20 summit.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/may-vows-to-deliver-robust-message-to-saudi-arabia-over-khashoggi-killing-37581822.html

My comment: Forget it. There will be no “robust message”. This is a propaganda scam by an eager ally, arms supplier and war supporter.

Comment: “On the issue of Yemen, we continue to be deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation” Concerned enough to stop arms sales @theresa_may? Or are you still ignoring/covering up UK complicity in #Yemen's suffering?

https://twitter.com/YemenSource/status/1068480308029345792

And

(A P)

UK PM May open to meeting with Saudi Arabia's crown prince at G20: UK official

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-khashoggi-may/uk-pm-may-open-to-meeting-with-saudi-arabias-crown-prince-at-g20-uk-official-idUSKCN1NY2VU

(A K P)

#RSAF Commander Maj. Gen. Turki bin Bandar visits the @RoyalAirForce group taking part in the ongoing Exercise #GreenFlag2018 at King Fahad AFB (photosa)

https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1068130916185399296

Remark: Earlier reporting on this joint exercise: Yemen War Mosaic 484, cp10.

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

(A P)

Rights Organization: Number of Bahrain Citizens Nationality Withdrawn Reached 794

The number of citizens whose nationality was taken away, in Bahrain since 2012, has reached 794, according to Peace Organization for Democracy and Human Rights.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4057&cat_id=2

(A P)

Iraqi People Condemns US-Saudi Aggression on Yemen

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4058&cat_id=2

and

(A P)

People in Iraq took to streets today in solidarity with Yemen against the US-backed Saudi war crimes and continuation of the blockade for the consecutive 4th year (photos)

https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1068526070826119169

(* A B P)

King Mohammed VI’s Refusal to Receive MBS Is a Step in the Right Direction

Morocco needs to rethink its overall bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia, and King Mohammed VI’s refusal to welcome Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman is a first step toward that goal.

Morocco is moving progressively towards adopting a foreign policy that is far removed from the strategic calculations—or rather miscalculations—of the Saudi crown prince.

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/11/259024/king-mohammed-vi-mbs-morocco-saudi-arabia/

(A K P)

Zarif reiterates ending war in Yemen

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif has in a message emphasized viability of ending war in Yemen.

“I said this on the crisis in Yemen in April 2015. Today, after untold human suffering & war crimes by the Saudi coalition & its U.S. accomplices, & efforts to whitewash their crimes with absurd allegations against Iran, our four-point plan still remains the only viable option,” Zarif tweeted on Friday.

Earlier on April 10, 2015 he said “War on #Yemen must be stopped. We urge ceasefire, humanitarian assistance, intra-Yemeni dialogue & establishment of broad-based government.”

http://www.irna.ir/en/News/83117820 and https://en.mehrnews.com/news/140059/Iran-s-4-point-plan-for-Yemen-still-only-viable-option-after

(* A K P)

Holland extends arms export freeze to include UAE, Egypt

The Netherlands announced today that it will cease arms exports to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt in protest against the use of the weapons in Yemen.

“There will be no arms exports from the Netherlands to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE unless it is proven that they will not be used in the Yemen war,” said Dutch Foreign Trade and Development Minister Sigrid Kaag.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181130-holland-extends-arms-export-freeze-to-include-uae-egypt/

(A P)

Malaysia: It’s a sin, Dr M says on mass deaths of children in Yemen

Dr Mahathir Mohamad has strongly condemned the military campaign in Yemen, amid reports of mass starvation and the death of tens of thousands of children there from malnourishment.

“Is that the teaching of Islam, to starve children to death just because you want to fight over who is going to govern the country? That is wrong,” the prime minister said in an exclusive interview with FMT at his office recently.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/11/30/its-a-sin-dr-m-says-on-mass-deaths-of-children-in-yemen/

(A P)

Thailand: Don’t Send Back Bahraini Dissident

Outspoken Football Player at Risk of Imprisonment, Torture

https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/11/30/thailand-dont-send-back-bahraini-dissident

(A P)

Saudi Arabia Agrees to $500 Million Soft Loan to Tunisia

Saudi Arabia has agreed to lend $500 million to Tunisia at preferential interest rates, a Tunisian government official said, part of a slew of deals set to be announced days after a visit by embattled Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was met with street protests.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-28/saudi-arabia-said-to-agree-500m-soft-loan-to-tunisia

My comment: This is how they do it… money achieves everything.

(* B K P)

France under attack from NGO for supporting Saudi Arabia in Yemen

The Norwegian Refugee Council says that France, along with other Saudi allies supplying arms to the coalition, is actively contributing to the crisis in Yemen.

"The French government needs to stop talking and start doing things to assist people in Yemen," declares Suze van Meegen, Norwegian Refugee Council's protection and advisory officer in Yemen.

NRC points out the discrepency between the position of the French government and the French parliament where MPs are pushing for a bill to open a parliamentary investigation commission on arms sales to the parties involved in the Yemen conflict.

http://en.rfi.fr/middle-east/20181128-france-under-attack-ngo-supporting-saudi-arabia-yemen

(* B E P)

Saudi aggression in Yemen: Our exports support Arab genocide

Yet, despite the to-the-marrow lessons of an Gorta Mór we do business with a state happy to use famine as a weapon of war. Last month, the Arab-Irish Business Forum heard that Saudi Arabia is the third largest non-EU destination for our exports. The entire Arab market is worth just under €5 billion. Food is the mainstay and baby formula is a large proportion of exports to Saudi Arabia. As an aside, this seems a bizarre double whammy: We degrade our environment to produce ever more milk to sell to a society that produces ever-more oil so the planet is degraded beyond feasibility. Our grandchildren’s view of this circular, ruinous addiction, one that assures climate collapse, will not be kind.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/views/ourview/--888892.html

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

(* A K P)

USA billigen milliardenschweren Raketenverkauf an Saudi-Arabien

Neues Waffengeschäft zwischen Washington und Riad: Die USA haben zugestimmt, Raketen und Abschussrampen an Saudi-Arabien zu liefern. Die Unterstützung im Jemen-Krieg ist umstritten - auch im Senat.

Bei dem Handel geht es um 15 Milliarden Dollar (umgerechnet 13 Milliarden Euro). Die US-Regierung stimmte dem Verkauf von 44 Abschussrampen sowie Raketen des Flugabwehrsystems Thaad an Saudi-Arabien zu. Das berichteten US-Medien am Mittwoch (Ortszeit) unter Berufung auf das Außenministerium in Washington. Demnach wurde die Vereinbarung am Montag unterzeichnet.

Das System des US-Rüstungskonzerns Lockheed Martin kann angreifende Kurz- und Mittelstreckenraketen in bis zu 150 Kilometer Höhe abfangen. Die Rakete hat eine Reichweite von 1000 Kilometern

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/usa-billigen-raketenverkauf-an-saudi-arabien-in-milliardenhoehe-a-1241035.html

und

(* A K P)

Waffen für Saudi-Arabien-USA billigen Raketenverkauf

Inmitten des Streits um die US-Unterstützung für Saudi-Arabien im jemenitischen Bürgerkrieg hat Washington den Weg für ein Waffengeschäft mit Riad freigemacht. Die US-Regierung stimmte dem Verkauf von 44 Abschussrampen sowie Raketen des Flugabwehrsystems THAAD an Saudi-Arabien zu, berichten US-Medien.
Die Vereinbarung mit einem Volumen von umgerechnet 13 Milliarden Euro wurde am Montag unterzeichnet.

https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute/waffen-fuer-saudi-arabien-usa-billigen-raketenverkauf-100.html

(* A K P)

Intel: Why the US and Saudi Arabia just inked $15 billion missile defense deal

Saudi Arabia has formally agreed to purchase the US-made Terminal High Altitude Aerial Defense (THAAD) system, the State Department confirmed on Wednesday, as the Donald Trump administration tries to stave off pressure from Congress to rein in relations with Riyadh over the spiraling Yemen war and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Why it matters: The $15 billion missile defense system was the centerpiece of President Trump’s announced $110 billion in arms deals with Riyadh on his first overseas trip as commander-in-chief.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/11/intel-why-us-saudi-inked-missile-defense-deal.html

Remark: Earlier reporting Yemen War Mosaic 485, cp13a.

(* B K P)

Is Saudi Arabia deploying Canadian-made weapons in Yemen?

A collection of evidence posted online demonstrates that Canadian-made arms are being used in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have waged war since 2015, say military and weapons experts.

The expert analysis, based on dozens of publicly-posted images and videos, contradicts statements made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.

Canada has explicitly said it is paying careful attention to exports in order to avoid allowing Canadian-made weapons to be used in Yemen, a conflict zone that is suffering through a devastating humanitarian crisis.

But the images posted on a range of sites, including Twitter, Instagram as well as in Middle Eastern media outlets, cast doubt on the Canadian government's statements, according to several experts, including a former White House and Pentagon official

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/11/30/news/experts-say-theres-proof-canadian-made-weapons-are-being-used-saudi-war-yemen

(* B K P)

Der Krieg, der mit Waffen aus Europa geführt wird

Im Auftrag der DW hat das arabische Reporterbündnis "Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism" (ARIJ) die Herkunft der im Jemen eingesetzten Waffen untersucht. Viele der Waffen stammen aus europäischer Produktion.

Die Waffen hätten internationalen Waffengesetzen entsprechend nie in die Hände der Terroristen gelangen dürfen. Wie es trotzdem dazu kam, wie auch Waffen aus vielen anderen europäischen Länder im Jemen in unbefugte Hände gerieten, das zeigt die von der jordanischen Journalistenvereinigung "Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism" (ARIJ) exklusiv für die Deutsche Welle erstellte, auf Arabisch ausgestrahlte Dokumentation.

Viele der im Jemen eingesetzten europäischen Waffen werden von Gruppen genutzt, für die sie nie vorgesehen waren. Laut internationaler Gesetzgebung sind die Empfänger dieser Waffen strikt definiert. Auf keinen Fall dürfen die Gewehre an dritte Gruppen weitergegeben werden.

Wie gerieten die Waffen dann aber in die Hände von Al-Kaida? Die Waffen seien zunächst an Einheiten ausgegeben worden, die auf Seiten des jemenitischen Präsidenten Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi kämpften, sagt Brigadegeneral Mohamed al-Mahmoudi, Kommandant der regulären Einheiten der jemenitischen Armee in der Stadt Taiz. Das Problem: Diese Truppen erhalten oft nur einen geringen, zudem unregelmäßig ausgezahlten Sold. Also verkaufen einige Mitglieder dieser Truppen Waffen und Munition. Direkt oder auf Umwegen über Dritte landen diese Waffen dann in den Händen von Al-Kaida und anderer Terrororganisationen.

Der Handel mit Waffen sei im Jemen eine verbreitete Praxis, sagt Ahmed Himmich, Koordinator eines im Auftrag der Sicherheitsrates der Vereinten Nationen arbeitenden Expertengremiums. Es gebe Gruppen, die nicht unter Kontrolle der jemenitischen Regierung stünden. "Diese Gruppen erhalten militärische Unterstützung, die auch Waffen umfasst, die schließlich auf den Schwarzmarkt gelangen oder an Einheiten geraten, die unter Sanktionen stehen", so Himmich in der Dokumentation.

https://www.dw.com/de/der-krieg-der-mit-waffen-aus-europa-gef%C3%BChrt-wird/a-46512081

(* B K P)

Yemen: The devastating war waged with European weapons

DW commissioned the Jordan-based group Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism to find out where terrorist groups waging Yemen's devastating conflict are procuring vast weapons stockpiles. The conclusion: Europe.

A documentary, commissioned by DW and produced by Jordan's Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism group(ARIJ), shows how weapons like these and other European-made guns ended up in the hands of militants in Yemen.

International law explicitly defines who may legally purchase weapons. It also stipulates that guns may under no circumstances be passed on to third parties. Despite these laws, however, various militant groups in Yemen are now in possession of exactly such arms.

Black market for European arms

How was this possible? Why is al-Qaida in possession of weapons designed by German gun manufacturers? Brigadier General Mohamed al-Mahmoudi, who commands government troops in the city of Taiz, says the weapons were initially issued to units fighting for President Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi. The problem, however, is that these troops are paid very little and at irregular intervals. To make ends meet, some resort to selling weapons and ammunition. Which then end up, either directly or via third parties, in the hands of al-Qaida or other terrorist groups.

Ahmed Himmiche, who coordinates a panel of experts on Yemen at the behest of the UN Security Council, says illicit arms deals are widespread in the country. He says there are fighters not under control of Yemen's government who "receive military support, including weapons, which then end up on the black market or in the hands of entities under sanction."

One of the jihadi groups is the Abu al-Abbas brigade, an al-Qaida partner organization. The brigade is also in possession of other weapons, such as the laser-guided rifle RPG-32, manufactured in Jordan in cooperation with a Russian company.

Countless videos are circulated on the internet, produced mainly by the warring factions themselves.

The documentary's conclusion made clear that the availability of European weapons is part of the reason deadly fighting continues in Yemen.

https://www.dw.com/en/yemen-the-devastating-war-waged-with-european-weapons/a-46515199

and the documentary (in Arabian): https://arij.net/report/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%AF%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D9%8A%D8%B1/

Remark: Earlier reporting: Yemen War Mosaic 485, cp1

cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy

(A E P)

Supreme Economic Committee Holds Aggression Countries Responsible of Exchange-Rate Appreciation

The pro-aggression government was shocked by the depreciation of the dollar and it called to remain the dollar high at 450 riyals, source at the Supreme Economic Committee said on Thursday evening.

"The history has not seen a governor of a central bank in the world who is resentful of the rising of the currency of his country and seeks to destroy it as Mohammad Zamam makes," the source added.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4050&cat_id=1

and

(A E P)

Supreme Revolutionary Committee: Manipulating Foreign Currency an Obvious US-Saudi Aggression Trick

The head of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed Al-Houthi, said on Thursday that any rise in the price of the dollar is nothing but a blatant manipulation by the countries of the aggression.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4037&cat_id=1

Remark: Statements by the Houthi government.

(A E P)

Central bank set the price of Yemeni riyal at 450: The governor: improvement resulted from reforms

The central bank of Yemen has set the local currency rate at 450 Yr per dollar and 120 for Saudi riyal.

The governor of Yemeni central bank said in a statement to Saba News agency "This improvement resulted from monetary reforms, including the management of the monetary block in a correct economic way,

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161590

Remark: This relates to the Hadi government Central Bank at Aden.

(A E P)

Let's make #Yemen even more confusing. + Yemeni riyal (YR) market rate today : 350YR=USD$1 + Yemen Central Bank governor : Fair rate is 450YR=USD$1 + Yemen Central Bank letter to banks today : Monthly closing rate is 380YR=USD$1

https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1068189411752493057

(A E)

Dollar = 360 riyals. Yemeni riyal continues to regain its value

The Yemeni riyal is still recovering part of its value to foreign currencies, and the exchange rate has reached 360 riyals against the US dollar, according to bankers in the capital Sana'a on Sunday.

The told Al-Masdar online, the riyal has achieved the greatest gain in the past 24 hours, as the exchange rate has fallen from 480 riyals to 360, while cashiers say the price is lower

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161563

(A E P)

Despite an absence of any verifiable positive developments for #Yemen's trade, banking, finance or treasury sectors, the Yemeni Riyal currency exchange rate has strengthened from about 700 YR: USD$1 barely 2 weeks ago to 350 YR: USD$1 today. Rather strange.

https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1068111951723720705

(B E P)

I'm happy and all that #Yemen riyal exchange rate vs. US $ has dropped. BUT, such sudden and steep increase in value when econ still a complete wreck..is suspicious to say least. $1=YR 700 to $1=YR 300 in span of days!? Whatever drastic action taken, is this even sustainable?

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1068069186335854592

(A E P)

Today, I can confirm that the exchange rate is currently $1USD = 342 YR in #Aden, #Yemen. However, local companies, businesses have NOT reduced prices suitable to that drop. This is going to cause more issues than before! Govt must act to enforce regulations on companies.

https://twitter.com/ToEducate/status/1068112612485935104

(A E)

Yemeni riyal continues to improve

The Yemeni riyal has improved more on front of the foreign exchange and reached 400 riyals per US dollar, and 105 riyals for the Saudi riyal, the biggest recovery that has occurred to the local currency since its history.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161536

(A E)

Dramatic improvement of Yemeni currently YR against USD from 850 about a month ago to 400 today. No noticeable reduction in prices of basic commodities as a result, however.

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1068068432040603649

(A E P)

A workshop on strengthening the role of the #private_sector in bringing businesses back (BBB) in #Yemen #SMEPS in partnership with the @World_Bank involving a group of private sector representatives& INGO sitting on one table to discuss difficulties, opportunities (photo)

https://twitter.com/SMEPSYEMEN/status/1068078454132916224

1st private sector cluster meeting held in #Sanaa today with representation from Aden, Hadramout and Diaspora through video conference. A key messages is "partnership" with government authorities beyond tax collection but decision making planning and service delivery too.

https://twitter.com/Wesamqaid/status/1068127305829109760

For the past 3 years, its the first time for me to see private sector from Sanaa, Aden and Hadhramout sitting on one table to discuss Yemen’s future! For the past 3 years, its the first time for me to see private sector from Sanaa, Aden and Hadhramout sitting on one table to discuss Yemen’s future! https://twitter.com/FarahWazeer/status/1068129593855524864

cp15 Propaganda

(A P)

Don't Punish US for Saudi Crimes

Which brings us back to the Yemen resolution itself. It is a blunt instrument that fails to consider what happens when the U.S. leaves. If America withdraws altogether from the Yemen conflict, it’s unlikely the Saudis would immediately stop fighting. They consider the Iranian presence in Yemen, and in particular Iran’s shipment of missiles to its Houthi clients, as a direct threat to Riyadh.

And while it’s difficult in the short term for the Saudis to replace the U.S. as their chief supplier of weapons, in the longer term a U.S. withdrawal would drive them into the arms of the Chinese and Russians.

The Saudis have already signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with China and the Russians have offered to sell Riyadh S-400 anti-aircraft systems.

That alone would undermine U.S. security in the region, because Saudi Arabia’s current air defenses are guided by an American radar system deployed in the Mideast.

Still, let’s suppose an end to American support would force Saudi Arabia to stop fighting. Would this make the terms for peace better or worse for American interests? What incentive would Iran have at that point to leave Yemen? – by Eli Lake

https://www.stripes.com/opinion/don-t-punish-us-for-saudi-arabia-s-crimes-1.558640 = https://www.newsmax.com/elilake/corker-foreign-graham-khashoggi/2018/11/30/id/892658/

My comment: A typical US hawk view, repeating Pompeo’s and Matthis’ flawed arguments. – And, also Lake reveals what really counts: What he calls “US interests”. The Saudis buying Russion arms would “undermine U.S. security in the region”, think about it whether this really sounds mentally ill, as the US is ca. 7.000 miles away from this region, thus US security would not be affected anyway. – An end to US arms supply effectively would stop the Saudi war in Yemen, as the whole military equipment only works with US support and US spareparts, changing to Russian or Chinese armour would take years – and cost money the Saudis will not have. – Another thing: The US is complicit in this war, in many ways. Thus: The headline “Don't Punish US for Saudi Crimes” does not make sense. Any attorney could tell you this.

(A P)

UN’s Yemen envoy unlikely to deliver a miracle in Stockholm

Martin Griffiths, the new UN envoy, will try his luck but the situation on the ground remains unchanged and therefore I doubt the Iran-aligned Houthis are in the mood to yield to power-sharing or all parties’ equal representation in a united and peaceful Yemen that will coexist and cooperate with its neighbors.

Saudi Arabia, the party most affected by the Yemen conflict — as more than 200 ballistic missiles have been launched toward its southern provinces and even its capital Riyadh — has repeatedly expressed its willingness to seek a political settlement that protects Yemeni unity and stability in the Gulf region.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1413651

My comment: What an odd propaganda.It’s the Saudis and their Yemeni puppets who claim that “peace” would be equal to “victory”, which would mean they actually refuse any power sharing. – “Saudi Arabia, the party most affected by the Yemen conflict”: get if, folks; the country most affected by the war certainly is Yemen – having suffered from ca. 20,000 Saudi coalition air raids now.

(A P)

Arab Coalition Commander Says ‘Decisive’ Times in Yemen

Saudi-led Arab Coalition Commander Prince Fahad bin Turki on Thursday said Yemen is “undergoing a decisive stage” which will prove the country’s unity.

[and more propaganda messages]

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1484996/arab-coalition-commander-says-%E2%80%98decisive%E2%80%99-times-yemen

(A P)

President Al-Mashat: The South will be Liberated, we are Still Exercising Utmost Self-Restraint

The President, Mahdi Al-Mashat, on Thursday addressed in a speech the Yemeni people on the occasion of the 51st anniversary of the Independence. He highlighted the suffering of the southern governorates from an occupation similar to the British occupation in all its aspects, and the need to move to expel the new occupier.
In his speech, the President pointed out that currently there is no representative of the Republic of Yemen to the United Nations and anyone there setting on behalf of Yemen does not represent Yemen at all. With regard to the escalation of US-Saudi aggression in Hodeidah and the acts of mercenaries, the President said, "We are committed to a high degree of self-restraint in respect of all efforts and endeavors to help the next round of dialog."

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4039&cat_id=1

My comment: This is Houthi propaganda.

(A P)

What does Mohammed bin Salman’s presence at the G20 Summit tell us?

Would Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman feel obliged to avoid the gathering? The anti-Saudi campaign, which has been going on for weeks, has failed to isolate the Kingdom or prevent the crown prince from participating in the summit.
No one can deny that by visiting Argentina, and four other countries on the way there, he has neutralized the designs of Saudi Arabia’s enemies. He has not withdrawn from public life or avoided confronting the challenges he faces.

Turkey has made great efforts to politicize the [Khashoggi] case and serve Qatar’s agenda, while Saudi Arabia has carried out the measures expected of it with regard to bringing the perpetrators to justice.

For the crown prince, the main topic will be the Yemen crisis.

The withdrawal of the Saudi-led coalition forces would have horrific consequences. None of the major world powers is willing to send troops to Yemen to manage the situation on the ground.
So what is the alternative? Practically speaking, there is none, except for rushing the victory of the coalition and returning to a political solution that involves all of Yemen’s political components, including the Houthis.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1413456

My comment: What a strange view of „peace“ when claiming „victory“ is necessary for „peace“. – „The withdrawal of the Saudi-led coalition forces would have horrific consequences.“: Certaoinly not. The war would become a civil war again and would slow down. – It’s rather odd how the Pariah state is blaming others (Turkey, Qatar) in case of ist own perpetrations.

(A P)

Yemeni official condemns international silence on Houthi violations of children’s rights

He claimed that silence of the international community on violations committed by the militia encouraged the Houthis to kidnap children and put them on the front lines

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1412861/middle-east

Mx comment: The houthis recruit them, the Saudis bomb and starve them. Does this government care?

(A P)

More Saudi coalition “We are benefactors” propaganda.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/saudi-oil-derivatives-distributed-eastern-yemen-second-instalment-arrive-aden

https://www.presseportal.de/pm/133017/4131083

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

(* A K pH)

3 dead and 7 wounded, including women and children a result of the bombing of the forces of aggression the houses of citizens in al-Hawk district of #Hodeidah.

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.963391330380564/2030321783687508/

(A K pH)

New War Crime: Citizen Killed, 5 Others Injured in US-Saudi Raid on Hodeidah

A citizen was killed and five others, including two women and a child, were wounded, on Friday, in a new war crime of the US-Saudi aggression in Hodeidah.

According to Al-Masirah Net reporter in Hodeidah, a US-Saudi aggression drone targeted four houses in the 24 neighborhood in Al-Mena district.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4043&cat_id=1

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news517092.htm

(A K pH)

Film: Crimes against the Saudi-American aggression on the West Coast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb5iWkLKJew

(A K pH)

[Nov. 29:] Injuring 8 Civilians by US-Saudi Airstrike, Hodiedah

US-Saudi aggression targeted a civilian's house in Al-Jah district in Hodiedah, injuring 8 civilians, including two women. Almasirah Net correspondent quoted medical sources that 3 of the cases are in critical condition and their chances of survival are slim.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4038&cat_id=1

Nov. 29: In Sa'ada, A woman was killed by US-Saudi airstrike in Razih district. A child was injured in Noshor area. US-Saudi aggression also launched 6 airstrikes on civilians' properties and farms in Baqim district and targeted a civilian's car in Haidan district.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4040&cat_id=1

(A K pH)

Citizen Killed, Another Injured by US-Saudi Raid on Hajjah

A citizen was killed and another wounded Wednesday night as a result of a raid by the US-Saudi aerial aggression targeted their car in Mustaba district of Hajjah province, Al-Masirah Net correspondent reported.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4025&cat_id=1

(A K pH)

An old woman killed and injured a two-years old girl when US-Saudi air strikes targeted Sa’ada province, northern west of Yemen .

According to a local source in the province, an old woman was killed by her wounds on Shaaban area of Razih district .

http://www.newnewss.net/us-saudi-airstrikes-kill-injure-old-woman-and-a-girl-in-yemens-saada/

(A K pH)

A two-year-old girl was injured in an air strike in Nashur in Saada

A child was injured on Thursday in a raid by the Saudi Aggressive Air Force on the Nasur area of Saada province.

A security source confirmed the injury of a two-year-old girl in the raids targeting a locomotive and a car in the area of Nashour Directorate of As Safra, which led to the destruction and damaged a number of houses (photos)

https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1937180753244576

film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdS6GYwyZ4s

(A K pH)

3 Saudi-led airstrikes hit Saada

The airstrikes hit a truck and a car in Nashour area of Safra district and led to destroying the vehicles and caused damages in the properties of citizens.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news516949.htm

(A K pH)

More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:

Nov. 30: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news517092.htm Saada p.

Nov. 29: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news517015.htm Hodeidah p.

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

Siehe / Look at cp1b

(A K pS)

Yemeni army kills 40 Houthi militants in clashes in Al-Baydah

www.arabnews.com/node/1413906/middle-east

(A K pS)

The #Houthi militia has bombed the one and only bridge linking al-Haqap village to the city of Damt in the province of al-Dhale' on Friday; in an attempt to stop the advancements of the Army Forces towards the city, acord to official sources. (photo)

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1068605324939194368

(A K pH)

Film: Documenting the march channel for the effects of mercenaries in the Hafs, Dalia Governorate, 30-11-2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYTq_2PZks8

(A K pS)

Two injured in Houthi missile attack in southwestern Saudi Arabia

A Yemeni woman and a Saudi national were injured when the residential area in Samtah was hit.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1413756/saudi-arabia

(A K P)

Rocket Barrage Threatens Timid Hopes for Peace in Yemen

Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired a barrage of missiles into Saudi Arabia, the armed group said, strikes that could threaten to derail the U.S.-backed peace efforts that have raised fresh hopes to end a catastrophic, nearly four-year war.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/rocket-barrage-threatens-timid-hopes-for-peace-in-yemen-1543537628

My comment: Why this Houthi attack should “threaten to derail the U.S.-backed peace efforts”, while Saudi air raids and the assault against Hodeidah should not?

(A K pH)

Three civilians wounded in Saudi missile attack on Saada

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news516998.htm

(* B K)

Yemen Update: October 19-November 2

Between October 19 and November 2, Houthi forces fired at least two ballistic missiles targeting a western Yemeni province and Najran, though details of the first event are unclear. Pro-Houthi media reported another 12 missile launches, while pro-Coalition sources reported another two events, but these could not be corroborated by both parties or independent sources. Houthi forces also revealed a reportedly new variant of the Badr-1 missile, dubbed the Badr P-1, though external analysis of the weapon did not indicate obvious changes.

Below is a summary of the confirmed missile events during the October 19 to November 2 period

https://missilethreat.csis.org/yemen-update-october-19-november-2/

(A K pH)

Saada prov.: The shelling hit intensively the farms and houses of citizens in Mounabih district

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news516949.htm

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

(-)

Photo: This is my homeland"Yemen". Look attentively at this natural portrait,to know,Why the kings and princes of the sands and desert,don't let us to live in peace

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=197701511178798

(* C)

US began covert sponsorship of Muslim extremists 5 mnths BEFORE Afghanistan's govt requested military assistance from the Soviets "against the provocations of external enemies" Video 1979 Zbigniew Brzezinski to the Mujahideen: "Your cause is right and God is on your side"

https://twitter.com/theLemniscat/status/1043441986856988672

In fact, the CIA started funding future Mujahideen leaders, such as Rabbani Sayyaf and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (the "Butcher of Kabul"), at least as early as 1972 See here:

(** C)

America’s Devil’s Game with Extremist Islam

A Timeline of US-Cold War Politics and the Rise of Militant Islamism

It is often difficult to trace the history of the United States’ involvement with—and responsibility for—the evolution of radical Islamism around the world; many of the CIA’s activities in support of Islamist groups were often covert, and a great deal of misinformation exists. Robert Dreyfuss’ new book, Devil’s Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam, is an attempt at a comprehensive overview of this story, recounting how the CIA, guided by the belief that radical Islamist forces could act as a bulwark against communism, helped fuel the rise of political Islam and militant fundamentalism in the Middle East and Central Asia. Below is a timeline of major events in the U.S. government’s 70-year flirtation with and support for the militant forces that would, in the late 1990s and on September 11, 2001, come back to haunt the United States.

1933 – Saudi Arabia grants oil exploration rights to the United States, and the two countries enter into a profit-sharing ownership of the Arabian-American Oil Company, which discovers the first commercial oil well in Saudi Arabia in 1938.

1972 – The CIA founds the Asia Foundation to fund leaders of the Afghan Islamist movement at Kabul University. Beneficiaries include Rabbani Sayyaf and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, two Afghans who would cultivate ties with Osama bin Laden. The two run a secret group that infiltrates the Afghan armed forces and will later lead jihad forces against the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

1972 – A secret military cell is created within the Organization of Muslim Youth, a student group in Afghanistan. The organization requests covert aid from the CIA for its anti-communist activities, including the killing of four “leftists.” Although the entreaty is denied, the CIA offers its sympathy to the OMY.

Jul. 17, 1973 – Afghanistan’s Soviet-friendly prime minister, Sardar Daoud, overthrows the Afghan royalty, establishes a democratic republic, and becomes President. The United States quickly begins funding Afghan dissidents and supporting the radical Islamic Party against Daoud.

Jul. 3, 1979 – President Carter issues the first secret directive that formally authorizes the CIA give direct aid to the Afghan muhjadeen, opponents of the pro-Soviet Afghan regime. The Soviet invasion invades Afghanistan in December.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2006/01/americas-devils-game-extremist-islam/

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-485-yemen-war-mosaic-485

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-485 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-485:

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/

http://www.yemenwar.info/

und alle Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:

http://yemendataproject.org/data/

Dieser Beitrag gibt die Meinung des Autors wieder, nicht notwendigerweise die der Redaktion des Freitag.
Geschrieben von

Dietrich Klose

Vielfältig interessiert am aktuellen Geschehen, zur Zeit besonders: Ukraine, Russland, Jemen, Rolle der USA, Neoliberalismus, Ausbeutung der 3. Welt

Dietrich Klose

Was ist Ihre Meinung?
Diskutieren Sie mit.

Kommentare einblenden