Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 713b- Yemen War Mosaic 713b

Yemen Press Reader 713b: 2. Februar 2020: Fortsetzung von Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 713, cp8 - cp19 / February 2, 2020: Sequel to Yemen War Mosaic 713, cp8 - cp19

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Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

Dies ist die Fortsetzung von Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 713, Teil 1 / This is the sequel of Yemen War Mosaic 713, part 1:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-713-yemen-war-mosaic-713

Schwerpunkte / Key aspects

Kursiv: Siehe Teil 1 / In Italics: Look in part 1

Klassifizierung / Classification

Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics

cp2 Allgemein / General

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

cp9 USA

cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle

cp19 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

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

(B P)

Representation matters. Freedom of expression matters. 91% of Saudi women surveyed felt their freedom of religious thought and expression was constrained.

https://twitter.com/freedomfirst/status/1355903676162994181

(* B P)

Zwei Jahre nach Khashoggi-Mord: Alle lieben Riad, niemand den Kronprinzen

Der Mord an Jamal Khashoggi, der Krieg im Jemen, Folter, Hinrichtungen - Saudi-Arabien ist nicht für seine Zimperlichkeit bekannt. Trotzdem macht die halbe Welt Geschäfte mit dem streng islamischen Königreich. Nur der mächtige Kronprinz ist nicht mehr gern gesehen.

Konsequenzen aber hat die Tat nicht. Saudi-Arabien mischt noch immer im internationalen Konzert der Großen mit. "Die wirtschaftlichen und wirtschaftspolitischen Beziehungen haben sich tatsächlich nicht verändert", sagt Nahost-Experte Guido Steinberg von der Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik im ntv-Podcast "Wieder was gelernt". Es habe "eine gewisse Abkühlung in den ersten Monaten nach dem Khashoggi-Mord" gegeben, blickt der Islamwissenschaftler zurück. "Aber es war von Beginn an klar, dass Saudi-Arabien als Markt vor allem für westliche Firmen zu interessant ist. Wenn Saudi-Arabien einlädt, kommen sie alle."

"Davos der Wüste"

Das beste Beispiel ist die Future Investment Initiative, ein Investitionsforum in der saudischen Hauptstadt Riad. Beim "Davos in der Wüste" kommen einmal im Jahr hochrangige Wirtschaftsvertreter aus aller Welt zusammen. Ende Januar fand die 2021er-Ausgabe statt. Wegen der Corona-Pandemie nur virtuell, aber trotzdem mit einem großen Aufgebot an Regierungsvertretern und Unternehmensbossen von überall, obwohl parallel auch das originale Weltwirtschaftsforum digital ausgetragen wurde.

"Was die Saudis machen, ist eine Ergänzung. Sie wissen natürlich, dass Saudi-Arabien die Schweiz als Standort nicht ersetzen kann. Das Davoser Forum ist seit Jahrzehnten dominant. Aber sie wollen ihre eigene Nische besetzen. Und wie es aussieht, gelingt ihnen das", analysiert Steinberg.

Saudi-Arabien ist wirtschaftlich sehr attraktiv. Trotz instabiler Preise schwimmt das Königreich in Ölmilliarden. Außerdem hat Kronprinz bin Salman vor fünf Jahren ein teures Reformprogramm ins Leben gerufen

Diese Politik folge dem Beispiel der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, wenngleich es Saudi-Arabien deutlich schwerer habe, sagt Steinberg: "Das Königreich hat pro Kopf deutlich geringere Einnahmen als die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate. Saudi-Arabien braucht sehr viel mehr Geld." Die Frage ist, ob das Geld reicht, um auch nach dem Ölzeitalter wirtschaftlich so stark zu bleiben wie aktuell. "Ich persönlich habe meine Zweifel, dass die Strategie, zur Förderung der Privatwirtschaft auf massive staatliche Intervention zu setzen, erfolgreich ist."

Klar sei jedoch, dass sich Saudi-Arabien in den nächsten Jahren stark verändern wird. Abseits der Ölindustrie entstehen neue Märkte, die multinationale Unternehmen aus dem Ausland für sich gewinnen wollen. Damit Saudi-Arabien auch dann im Konzert der geopolitischen Riesen mitspielen kann, nachdem der letzte Tropfen Öl gefördert ist. Ungeachtet der gravierenden Menschenrechtsverletzungen im Land, der brutalen Hinrichtungen und des Mordes an Journalist Khashoggi.

Einzig für Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman ist eine Rehabilitation im Ausland unwahrscheinlich, mit ihm will sich kein Unternehmenschef mehr ablichten lassen. "Ich sehe keinen Ausweg aus der persönlichen Isolation. Er wird weiter Vertreter in die Welt schicken, die dort lieber gesehen werden als seine Person. Mohammed bin Salman ist vor allem in europäischen Demokratien verbrannt aufgrund des Mordes an Khashoggi", sagt Saudi-Arabien-Kenner Steinberg im Podcast (mit Audio)

https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Alle-lieben-Riad-niemand-den-Kronprinzen-article22327017.html

(* B P)

Saudi human rights under new spotlight in Biden era

The new team in the White House has promised a complete reset of relations with Saudi Arabia where human rights will now feature prominently.

But is anything really going to change in the long term? Will the Biden administration's much-publicised intentions have any practical effect on the numerous human rights abuses in the kingdom or on its war in neighbouring Yemen?

After all, Saudi Arabia is America's closest security partner in the Arab world, a vital strategic ally in confronting the expansion of Iranian-backed militias across the Middle East, and a major customer for US arms sales.

As Andrew Smith, of the UK-based Campaign Against the Arms Trade (Caat) points out, for anything to change, "it will take a far stronger stance than Biden took as vice-president during the Obama administration".

"A lot of arms sales started under Obama.

On human rights within the kingdom, Saudi officials point to a recent dramatic drop in executions. The top team around the all-powerful Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, (known as MBS) is clearly aware of the negative effect human rights stories are having on the country's global image.

"MBS", says the British MP Crispin Blunt, "is getting contradictory advice from those around him but this [emphasis on human rights by Joe Biden] gives another opportunity to help the pragmatists advising him that Saudi Arabia's public image matters."

Ever since MBS's meteoric rise to power in 2017 the country has experienced a curious paradox. The crown prince has led nothing short of a social revolution, lifting the ban on women driving, allowing public entertainment and the mixing of the sexes, while pushing back the power of the religious clerics. Saudi Arabia today feels like a much more normal and pleasant country than it did even five years ago.

Yet at the same time, the crown prince - who, unlike many senior Saudis, has not spent time living in the West - has ordered a draconian crackdown on freedom of expression. It used to be the case that Saudis could complain online as long as they didn't demonstrate on the street. Now they can't do either. Thousands have been arrested and incarcerated, with little apology from the crown prince, who views even peaceful and constructive criticism as simply an obstacle to his plans for progress.

The most glaring cases of human rights abuses have turned MBS into a pariah in the West.

Trials are frequently conducted in secret, with defendants denied access to lawyers and counter-terrorism courts used to try peaceful dissenters.

Under the crown prince, there has also been a spate of disappearances. These reach right up into the upper echelons of the royal family

Dennis Ross, the veteran US diplomat who spent years as State Department Coordinator of Middle East policy, told the BBC: "The Trump administration made a big mistake by not imposing a price [on its close relationship with the Saudis]. But how do you square that with our strategic interest?"

Despite the stated intentions of the Biden administration, there will be voices within the State Department, the CIA, the Pentagon and in the powerful US arms lobby urging a cautious approach towards the Saudis. If, for any reason, the ruling, largely pro-Western Al-Saud family were to lose power, there is a high chance it would be replaced by a hardline Islamist regime unsympathetic to the West. Diplomats like Dennis Ross know this.

"We're not going to be able to dictate to the Saudis what to do. You don't beat anyone over the head in public [or] you force them to dig in deeper. It needs a high-level conversation in private."

And so, to return to the original question: can a Biden administration improve Saudi human rights? Yes it can. Just how far though, will depend on how the White House pushes this agenda and what both countries ultimately see as being in their best interests.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55794286

My comment: So what? The article quotes an US ex-diplomat who mentions “our strategic interest.” The US having any “strategic interest” 7,000 miles away from US territory demonstrates the US claim to rule the world. And this is and stays the main driving force of US foreign policy. Human rights are used as pretense for crushing sanctions against US enemies and “strategic partners” are treated soft by “a high-level conversation in private." And Yemen?.

(* B P)

Noury: "What a Saudi Renaissance: the Kingdom is still the tomb of human rights"

The spokesperson for Amnesty International Italia speaks: "The prisons are full of dissidents, it's six years in March, they are bombing Yemen"

If this expression also includes aspects concerning human rights, I would say it is a pure oxymoron. There is nothing in the current human rights situation in Saudi Arabia that can suggest an improvement: prisonsthey are full of dissidents, particularly lawyers, human rights defenders and activists who have fought for years to get reforms that have put an end to many aspects of discrimination against women, sadly they are in jail for fighting for those conquests. The death penalty continues to be applied massively. And this only concerns the home front. We are talking about a country that will now be six years in March, bombing Yemen, and therefore I would say that we can speak, with good reason, of a still obscure period with regard to rights in Saudi Arabia.

It can also be said that Saudi Arabia of 2021 is not that of 2001, therefore it is not the ideological incubator of the terrorists who committed the crimes against humanity at the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. But if we come to more years recent, what should be highlighted is that Saudi Arabia has financed the most extremist and cruel Islamist groups in the conflict in Syria. Which beheads and puts to death activists of the Shiite minority within the eastern province, therefore within Saudi Arabia itself. Who invaded Barhein in 2011 where there was a revolt of the Shiite minority. Which for six years has been fighting a war against a Shiite extremist group that controls part of Yemen. To say that Riyadh is a bulwark of restraint seems a bit odd.

https://www.globalist.it/intelligence/2021/01/31/noury-ma-quale-rinascimento-saudita-il-regno-e-ancora-la-tomba-dei-diritti-umani-2073362.html

(* B P)

The Dark Reality Behind Saudi Arabia’s Utopian Dreams

To the remainder of the world, Saudi Arabia might appear to be a quasi-medieval kingdom the place girls nonetheless battle for fundamental rights, the place bearded clerics run the courts and the place convicts are routinely beheaded by sword in public. However the Saudi monarchy — like its neighbors in Dubai and Abu Dhabi — has lengthy cherished goals of leapfrogging right into a high-tech future. The final Saudi king created plans for six new cities within the desert, all billed as transformative steps towards a world past oil.

Now the Saudis have introduced a fantasy that makes all their earlier efforts look tame. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, launched a brief movie in January outlining his plans for the Line, a postmodern ecotopia to be constructed on the dominion’s northwest coast. It will likely be a slender city strip 106 miles lengthy with no roads, no automobiles and no air pollution. M.B.S., because the crown prince is understood, plans to pour $500 billion into the Line and associated initiatives, which is some huge cash even by Saudi requirements. He calls the Line a “civilizational revolution” to be inhabited by a million folks “from all around the world.” Why anybody would wish to transfer there, and why a metropolis needs to be formed like a strand of capellini, is anybody’s guess.

To look at the crown prince’s promotional video is to be immersed in a distinctively Saudi type of conceitedness, mixing non secular triumphalism and royal grandiosity.

As M.B.S. conjures this courageous new world — no journey will take greater than 20 minutes! zero carbon emissions! — you get the sense that his chutzpah is nothing in need of metaphysical. He seems to consider that nature itself is at his command.

The hubris underlying these proposals, nourished by generations of sure males (together with well-paid Western consultants), will likely be acquainted to anybody who has hung out in Saudi Arabia. Nonetheless, you may need anticipated a bit extra circumspection from M.B.S., a minimum of proper now. That is the person who stands accused of ordering the ugly homicide of Jamal Khashoggi

Humility isn’t in M.B.S.’s genes, for higher and worse. He continues to harass and jail his critics as if the Khashoggi homicide by no means got here to mild. However his brashness has allowed him to hem in Saudi Arabia’s non secular institution, placing an finish to the dominion’s longtime promotion of toxic Islamist doctrine. He’s enjoyable the inflexible constraints on cultural life, and that has made him immensely fashionable, particularly among the many younger.

M.B.S.’s weird promotional movie is not only a mirrored image of his royal ambitions. His technophilia resonates with many younger Saudis, and you’ll’t actually blame them

What the prince doesn’t say is that there are already 1000’s of individuals residing in concord with nature in the identical space: a tribal group that has been there for hundreds of years and is now being changed by the undertaking. Certainly one of these tribesmen made movies protesting the evictions — movies of a unique kind, you may think, than the one M.B.S. has produced. He was shot useless final 12 months in a confrontation with Saudi safety forces.

https://www.gadgetclock.com/the-dark-reality-behind-saudi-arabias-utopian-dreams/ = https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/magazine/saudi-arabia-neom-the-line.html

(* A H P)

Saudi Arabia begins repatriation of detained workers to Ethiopia

Ethiopian migrants said they were chained and forced to relieve themselves on the floor of their cells

Saudi Arabia has begun repatriating thousands of Ethiopians who have been held in detention centres that have been described as "hellish" and "squalid".

Photos posted online by Ethiopian state media showed former detainees jubilantly walking off a plane that had arrived in the capital, Addis Ababa, on Tuesday.

The first batch of 296 returnees had been detained in the notorious Shumaisi detention centre near Jeddah, which holds 16,000 Ethiopian migrants.

Nebiyu Tedla, Ethiopia's deputy consul general in Jeddah, told the Telegraph that he hoped to gradually increase the number of repatriations.

"Overall, there are roughly 40,000 Ethiopian migrants ready to go back home," said Tedla. "For now it will be 1,000 returnees per week. But hopefully, we will be given the green light to increase the numbers."

Tedla added that detainees from the Jizan detention centre, near the Saudi border with Yemen, would also be flown home.

Last year, a document leaked to the Telegraph showed that the Ethiopian government had tried to silence migrant workers who were exposing poor conditions inside Saudi detention centres.

The documents, leaked from the Ethiopian consulate in Jeddah, warned Ethiopians of “legal repercussions” if they continued to upload photos and videos from the detention centres on social media.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-ethiopia-workers-detention-repatriation

(A P)

Human rights organisation urges UN to intervene in Salman Al-Ouda's release

A Swiss human rights organisation has called on the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to urge Saudi Arabia to release detained preacher Salman Al-Ouda.

The Geneva-based Alkarama organisation demanded that independent doctors visit Al-Ouda to examine him and report on his condition and needs.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210129-human-rights-organisation-urges-un-to-intervene-in-salman-al-oudas-release/

(A H P)

Nigeria repatriates hundreds of migrants from Saudi Arabia

Nigeria evacuated hundreds of its citizens from Saudi Arabia on Thursday after they overstayed their visas and were left stranded, two Reuters witnesses said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-immigration-saudi/nigeria-repatriates-hundreds-of-migrants-from-saudi-arabia-idUSKBN29X2UW

cp9 USA

Siehe / Look at cp9a

(* A P)

Interview: Secretary Antony J. Blinken with Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC

SECRETARY BLINKEN: The murder of Mr. Khashoggi was an outrageous act against a journalist, against someone resident in the United States. It was abhorrent, and I think it shocked the conscience of the world.

When it comes to Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia has been an important partner for us in counterterrorism, in trying to advance regional stability and deal with regional aggression. But we also have to make sure that that partnership is being conducted in a way that’s consistent with our interests and also with our values. And so the President has asked that we review the relationship to make sure it is doing just that, and that’s exactly what’s happening now.

One of the ones we’re looking at that’s related to Saudi Arabia is the designation of the Houthis in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization. I have deep concerns about that because one of the things we have to focus on in this terrible war is – the President’s been – has said that we will stop our support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, but we also have to step up our ability to get humanitarian assistance to people in Yemen who are suffering terribly. Eighty percent of them live under Houthi control. We want to make sure that anything we do does not make it more difficult to get humanitarian assistance to the people of Yemen.

QUESTION: I want to ask you about Iran. Obviously, you were very involved in the Iran nuclear deal. Now, the President’s said we’ll re-enter it, but Iran is demanding that we lift the sanctions first, that we take some action first, make the first move. But now they are – by your own testimony, they may be a month away from being able to build a nuclear weapon, unlike what they were when they were constrained. Do we have time for the negotiations? You said that they’ll take time. But if they’re that close to building a bomb?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, there are two things, Andrea. Indeed, the time that it would take Iran – based on public reports, the time that it would take Iran to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon is down to, we think, a few months. And I have not seen the actual intelligence yet, but what’s been publicly reported says it’s down to a few months. The agreement, the infamous JCPOA, pushed that to beyond a year. So that’s a real problem, and it’s a problem that could get more acute, because if Iran continues to lift some of these restraints imposed by the agreement, that could get down to a matter of weeks.

Now, the fissile material is one thin

President Biden has been very clear on this. He’s said that if Iran returns to compliance with its obligations under the agreement, we would do the same thing. But then we would use that with our allies and partners. We’d once again be on the same side with our allies and partners, who were very distressed at us pulling out of the agreement. We would work with them to get something that is longer and stronger, and also deal with some of the other challenges that Iran poses, whether it’s its missile program, whether it’s its destabilizing activities in the region.

QUESTION: Missiles, destabilizing activities have to be part of any new agreement?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: We have to – we have to deal with those. We have to – we have to make sure that whether it’s part of a new agreement, whether it’s in parallel with a new agreement, that we are contending with that challenge that Iran poses. And that’s a threat to international peace and security, it’s a threat to our allies and partners as much as it is to us.

QUESTION: What about the Americans who are still imprisoned in Iran? Should they be released as part of any deal?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Irrespective of any deal, those Americans need to be released, period. And I am determined, whether it is in Iran or anywhere else, that any American unjustly detained is able to come home. And we will be working on that issue wherever it may arise, every single day.

QUESTION: But should that be a condition for the U.S. to enter into a new deal?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: We’re going to focus on making sure that they come home one way or another, and we’re also going to focus at the same time, depending on what Iran does, in working on the nuclear matter. But of course, we’re a ways from that. Iran is well out of compliance with its obligations. If it decides to come back into the agreement, that may take some time, and then it’s going to take us some time to assess whether they in fact have made good on their obligations. So let’s see what they do.

https://ru.usembassy.gov/interview-secretary-antony-j-blinken-with-andrea-mitchell-of-msnbc/

Film of interview: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/blinken-criticizes-putin-crackdown-navalny-protesters-n1256312

My remark: Iran FM Zarif in interview: Look at cp9a.

(* B K P)

Defense Contractor Raytheon Is Driving US Participation With Crisis In Yemen

Via America’s Lawyer: Defense secretary General Lloyd Austin is just the latest lobbyist to assume leadership in Washington. RT Correspondent Brigida Santos joins Mike Papantonio to explain how the revolving door keeps turning between politicians and defense contractors, no matter who is POTUS.

Mike Papantonio: The world’s second largest arms maker is driving US participation in the Saudi led war in Yemen and making it as big as they can. It’s turning into a disaster, a humanitarian crisis. Brigida Santos joins me to talk about this. Brigida, you know, we, we see there’s no, there’s no real surprise here is there. I mean, we see McDonnell Douglas, we see Raytheon, we see all the war pimps. This is like a heyday for them. I, by, by, one aside, I’m always amazed at when Raytheon goes on and they advertise on say, MSNBC or CNN and you think to yourself, well really, am I going to go buy a Patriot missile? What’s that about? And it’s about their influence. And so right now they have huge influence over, unfortunately the last administration and the one before that, and probably this administration. How much of a role does Raytheon play in Washington?

Brigida Santos: A huge role. Now, Raytheon executives of course claim that the company does not create US policies, but merely helps carry them out. However, as you just said, the Obama, Trump and now Biden administrations have all placed Raytheon lobbyists in senior roles at the defense department. First, there was William Lynn followed by Mark Esper, and now we’ve got Raytheon board member general Lloyd Austin, as our new secretary of defense. Austin says he’s going to recuse himself from military decisions involving Raytheon for at least four years. Now that is an improvement from Esper’s position on the issue, but will the company still be unfairly favored when it comes to US arms deals? Well, that remains to be seen and it’s incredibly hard to believe that that wouldn’t be the case when Raytheon employees, owners and family members continue donating to individual politicians. In 2019 Raytheon subsidiaries and affiliates reported over $4 million in lobbying expenditures. Some of those to presidential candidates at the time. Now Raytheon’s influence in Washington, also plays out on Wall Street. At times the company’s stock prices have directly correlated with US arms deals, like in 2017 when Raytheon stocks hit record highs, following Trump’s announcement of that $100 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia. So they’ve got a lot of influence.

https://trofire.com/2021/01/31/defense-contractor-raytheon-is-driving-us-participation-with-crisis-in-yemen/

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6vCyvXY4cc

(B P)

Wie die USA den Jemen-Krieg beenden wollen

Die USA stoppen ihre Waffenlieferungen an Saudi-Arabien und die Emirate. Erklärtes Ziel ist das Ende des Jemen-Krieges.

https://www.wort.lu/de/international/wie-die-usa-den-jemen-krieg-beenden-wollen-60142ab2de135b9236fccdeb

(* B P)

Biden Administration Halts Arms Deals Over Yemen… What’s Really Going On?

The bigger concern of Biden and Blinken seems to be damage limitation to America’s bloody image, and also doing a big favor for Israel.

The move by the new administration of President Joe Biden to suspend arms supplies to Saudis and the Emiratis is to be welcomed. But there is nothing to commend here. It is long overdue.

During Senate hearings last week, Antony Blinken vowed to restore America’s international image, which has been tarnished by former President Donald Trump and his bumptious Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The new administration will endeavor to burnish America’s presumed (and grossly overrated) image as a beacon for human rights and rule of law, and lead by the “power of example”.

It’s therefore plausible that Biden and Blinken are motivated not so much by the suffering of Yemen’s people, but rather more by the urgent need to rehabilitate Washington’s reputation.

The involvement of American military in Yemen is completely beyond the pale. There is no credible justification for supplying weapons to enable this genocidal slaughter. Citing allegations of Iranian proxy support for Houthi rebels is as contemptible as it is lacking in credibility. Those allegations have always been a cynical pretext for launching a war of aggression on Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab region, but strategically situated straddling the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

So stopping the flow of American weapons to the belligerent Saudi and Emirati regimes is hardly a difficult, moral decision. It’s the very least Washington should do to get this horror to stop.

There are other reasons why the Biden administration’s decision on arms transfers over Yemen are hardly commendable.

It was the Obama administration which enabled the Saudi-led war on Yemen beginning in March 2o15. Joe Biden was vice president in that administration and Antony Blinken was the deputy secretary of state. Indeed Blinken was a key supporter of supplying weapons to the Saudis and Emiratis in their unprovoked war of aggression.

Now these same people are posing as wiser, more humane heads by calling off the dogs of war, which they previously unleashed on Yemen.

Here’s another reason to refrain from applauding the Biden administration’s decision to pause arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

During his Senate confirmation hearings, Blinken made it clear that the Biden administration will confer closely with the Israeli state on all its Middle East policies – by Finian Cunningham

https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2021/01/30/biden-administration-halts-arms-deals-over-yemen-whats-really-going-on/

(* B K P)

Film: Tawakkol Karman on US Policy in Yemen

A decade after the start of the Saudi-led war on Yemen, with the active intelligence and logistical support of the Obama-Biden administration and multi billion-dollar US weapons-sale to Saudi Arabia and the UAE under the two previous administrations, what are the prospects for real change under President Biden?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnwJoaC2NSM

(* B P)

Can Biden Solve Yemen’s Humanitarian Crisis?

After four years of disastrous neglect from the Trump Presidency, Biden has renewed a sense of urgency for America’s role within the International Community.

After four years of disastrous neglect from the Trump Presidency, Biden has renewed a sense of urgency for America’s role within the International Community. Although his agenda has priorities like the COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice in America as leading his policy, there’s still attainable progress that Biden could make in safeguarding the future of stability in Yemen.

But as the process moves forward, the risks for the country’s civilian population and stability throughout the region are making this an exceedingly difficult endeavor to undertake, with no clear benefit for the United States’ foreign policy goals.

However, Biden has made the effort during his campaign to reach out to stakeholders, such as Yemeni Americans, to show his promise in trying to end the conflict in Yemen. As explained by Foreign Policy expert Brian McKeon, who served as deputy National Security Advisor for Vice President Biden, the incoming administration has a clear plan for their efforts in the country.

As a former Armed Groups and Regional Expert for the United Nations Security Council, Fernando Carvajal has maintained an interest in resolving the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen. Having worked closely with the Security Council’s Panel of Experts on Yemen, his prescribed peace plan for the country takes a similar focus to McKeon’s on diplomatic efforts, rather than intervention.

The challenge from Carvajal’s point of view is that the diplomatic efforts will need to engage the complicated network of powers that are driving the conflict – Saudis, Emiratis, Houthis, Southern Secessionists. Although this is currently being attempted by United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, Carvajal thinks that a Biden delegate would do the job better.

“Biden has to come in and say, a solution to this conflict is a benefit to everyone,” Carvajal said. “Even without the intrinsic humanitarian point of view that we need to end this conflict for the better of the 30 million Yemenis, you can take the approach that solving this conflict is in the benefit of everyone, because then everybody can get into the business of real business.”

In these diplomatic efforts, Carvajal calls for diplomatic efforts among every power that’s now become involved in the Yemen Conflict.

With congress showing its support for cutting military aid for the Saudi-led assault on Yemen’s northern border, the Biden Administration is beginning action on the Yemen Conflict.

https://yemeniamerican.com/en/can-biden-solve-yemens-humanitarian-crisis/

(* B P)

USA lassen arabische Partner zappeln

US-Präsident Biden und Außenminister Blinken unterziehen eine Reihe von Entscheidungen der Trump-Regierung einer Prüfung. Dazu gehören auch Waffengeschäfte mit Riad und Abu Dhabi

Blinken hat nun Ausnahmen für Lieferungen genehmigt, und diese Regelung wird bis zum 26. Februar gelten: Das heißt, die Terror-Designation der vom Iran unterstützten Huthis bleibt erst einmal aufrecht, aber der Erlass wird "repariert". Blinken betonte die Menschenrechtsverletzungen und "Gräueltaten" durch die Huthis, erwähnte aber auch den Beitrag der saudisch geführten militärischen Jemen-Intervention "zu dem, was viele für die derzeit schlimmste humanitäre Katastrophe weltweit halten".

Saudi-Arabien und auch die saudisch unterstützte anerkannte jemenitische Regierung hatten lange auf die US-Terrorlistung der Huthis hingearbeitet, mit der sich Trump und Pompeo lange Zeit ließen

Nun zieht Washington wieder die Bremse an: Eine Lizenz für den Verkauf von 7500 Präzisionsbomben für Saudi-Arabien ist auf Eis gelegt, verlautete aus dem Rüstungsunternehmen Raytheon.

Der VAE-Botschafter in Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba, reagierte auf den vorläufigen Halt pragmatisch: Die VAE könnten mit den F-35 "eine größere Last für die kollektive Sicherheit" der Region schultern und damit US-Ressourcen "für andere globale Herausforderungen" freimachen, teilte er per Twitter mit. In der Tat ist nicht zu erwarten, dass die Biden-Regierung die US-Politik gegenüber den regionalen arabischen Partnern völlig auf den Kopf stellt, auch nicht Saudi-Arabien betreffend – zumal das US Central Command soeben vier mögliche Versorgungsstützpunkte für die US-Armee im Königreich prüft. Aber Biden wird zumindest offiziell mehr Fragen stellen als Trump.

Ganz anders, nämlich ohne jede Eile, scheinen Biden und Blinken die Frage anzugehen, ob es eine Chance auf die Wiederbelebung des Atomdeals mit dem Iran gibt

https://www.derstandard.de/story/2000123734549/usa-lassen-arabische-partner-zappeln

(B P)

Ärzte ohne Grenzen: Jemen: «Es muss klar sein, dass diese Sanktionen nicht für humanitäre Hilfe gelten»

Die Regierung der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika hat die Huthi-Miliz, die Sanaa und einen Grossteil des Landes unter Kontrolle hat, als «ausländische Terrororganisation» eingestuft. Das bedeutet, dass gegen alle Personen und Unternehmen, die mit ihr oder Einrichtungen unter ihrer Kontrolle zusammenarbeiten, Sanktionen ergriffen werden. Marc Schakal, MSF-Programmverantwortlicher im Jemen, erklärt, welche Gefahr dem Land und seiner Bevölkerung droht, wenn für die humanitäre Hilfe keine Ausnahmeregelung vorgesehen ist.

Wir können die Auswirkungen dieser Sanktionen für die humanitäre Hilfe noch nicht abschätzen. Das könnte Hilfsorganisationen oder Unternehmen davon abhalten, im Jemen tätig zu werden, was für die zahlreichen Jemenit*innen, die auf Hilfe angewiesen sind, verheerend wäre.

Oftmals denkt man bei unserer Arbeit nur an den Arzt oder die Ärztin, die Patient*innen versorgt, doch dahinter steckt noch viel mehr: Da ist das Flugzeug, das unsere Teams vor Ort bringt, die Banküberweisungen zur Lohnzahlung des lokalen Personals, das Schiff, das Medikamente und anderes medizinisches Material transportiert. Wenn nun Flug- und Schifffahrtsgesellschaften oder Banken nicht wissen, ob sie seitens der Vereinigten Staaten etwas zu befürchten haben, wenn sie Material oder Geld in den Jemen befördern, könnten sie die Zusammenarbeit verweigern. Das hätte dann natürlich auch Auswirkungen für den Arzt, der Patient*innen behandelt.

Wir machen uns grosse Sorgen, inwiefern die Sanktionen die Lebenskosten noch weiter in die Höhe treiben könnten. Das bei einer Bevölkerung, die nur knapp über die Runden kommt.

Wir rufen die amerikanische Regierung dazu auf, umgehend möglichst weit gefasste Ausnahmeregeln für humanitäre Tätigkeiten zu erteilen, um die erwarteten Auswirkungen der Sanktionen abzumildern.

Ausserdem müssen Branchen wie die Schifffahrt, Finanzdienste, Versicherungen und Telekommunikation, von denen die humanitäre Hilfe abhängt, die Zusicherung erhalten, dass humanitäre Aktivitäten von dieser Einstufung ausgenommen sind und die Aufrechterhaltung von gundlegenden Diensten nicht strafbar ist.

https://www.msf.ch/de/neueste-beitraege/artikel/jemen-es-muss-klar-sein-dass-diese-sanktionen-nicht-fuer-humanitaere

(* A P)

Film: Senators Murphy and Grassley on Yemen and Homeland Security

Senator and Foreign Relations Committee Member Chris Murphy (D-CT) spoke about the situation in Yemen, the U.S. role in the conflict there, and the Biden administration’s changes to U.S. strategy in the region. He was followed by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who discussed Alejandro Mayorkas' nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security, and why he is voting against confirmation.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?508409-7/senators-murphy-grassley-yemen-homeland-security

(* B K P)

Joe Biden Completes His Predecessor's Policy, Supports Saudi-led Coalition in Its War on Yemen

The administration of US President Joe Biden announces its adoption to support the Saudi-led coalition in its war on Yemen, ending a torrent of speculation about the policy that this administration will pursue regarding Yemen.

The statements of the new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his first press conference made it clear that the US support for Saudi Arabia in its war on Yemen will continue.

Blinken described the US relation with Saudi Arabia as a partnership, which requires the US “to help defend Saudi Arabia against aggression directed at Saudi Arabia, including from Yemen and from the Houthis.”

Observers consider Blinken’s remarks as the beginning of new chapters of the US-Saudi war on Yemen that may continue for years to come.

Blakin's statement, which comes in conjunction with the arrival of new US forces in Mahra, confirms that Yemen is a priority for the Americans. The occupation of Yemen’s islands, ports and coasts has become the US goal for all successive administrations of the White House and this is the reason behind the declaration of this war by Washington on the 15th of March 2015.

According to observers, the new US administration has put control over these areas as the basis for any upcoming move in Yemen. This is evident and clear in my vision of peace recently presented by the former ambassador to Yemen Gerald Verstein and his deputy Nabil Khoury, which stipulates that the governorate of Al-Mahrah will be granted to Saudi Arabia, while Aden and Socotra island to the Emirates as a basis for any political solution in Yemen. Observers considered this vision as a US plan to tighten its control over these areas, directly through its forces, and indirectly, through its tools in the Saudi region and the UAE.

https://english.almasirah.net/post/17483/Joe-Biden-Completes-His-Predecessor-s-Policy%2C-Supports-Saudi-led-Coalition-in-Its-War-on

My comment: By a pro-Houthi author – claims which obviously are quite too early in the moment.

(A P)

Does the #US know it can sell other stuff besides bombs & arms 2 #Saudi #UAE. Try lumber to build homes, hospitals, roads, modern schools, food, postal services, city planning, internet infrastructure, education, trees & trees, farming technology, clean power. You get the picture

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1355155190828183555

(* B P)

For some Muslims, hope, uncertainty after travel ban lifted

Many people are concerned about long wait times for visas, said Manar Waheed, senior legislative and advocacy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union.

“There are embassies closed all over the world because of COVID, so there’s that piece of it,” Waheed said. “But also we’ve seen so many parts of our immigration system stalled and truly eviscerated by the Trump administration, so it is about building those systems back up.”

What is variously known as the “Muslim ban” or the “travel ban” was first imposed in 2017, then retooled amid legal challenges, until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. It affected various categories of travelers and immigrants from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya, plus North Koreans and some Venezuelan government officials and their families. In 2020, immigration curbs affecting several other nations were added.

In reversing the ban, the new administration says it intends instead to strengthen information-sharing with other countries and apply a rigorous, individualized vetting system for visa applicants.

It’s not clear whether it’ll come too late for Anwar Alsaeedi, also from Yemen, who had hoped to provide his two children with a better future. He rejoiced in 2017 when he was picked for the lottery’s “diversity visa” interview only to be deemed ineligible due to the ban.

“Our country is embroiled in wars and crises and we’ve lost everything,” Alsaeedi said. “Making it to America is a big dream.”

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-travel-immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-yemen-41fa7dd1ac3fc52a2e590a32fc2444ea

(* B P)

Neuer Golfkurs ohne Trump

US-Präsident Biden geht auf Distanz zu Saudi-Arabien und den Emiraten und setzt sich damit von seinem Vorgänger ab. Bereits geplante Waffenexporte an die Monarchien werden nun überprüft. Das könnte den Jemen-Konflikt verändern.

Allerdings lässt es schon aufhorchen, dass Präsident Joe Biden nun angeordnet hat, alle Lieferungen nach Saudi-Arabien vorerst einzustellen und auch prüfen lässt, ob die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate alle von der Vorgängerregierung unter Donald Trump zugesagten Rüstungsgüter tatsächlich erhalten sollen.

Trump hatte den Emiraten daraufhin an seinem letzten Tag im Amt den lange umstrittenen Kauf von Reaper-Drohnen und vor allem 50 modernen Tarnkappen-Kampfjets des Typs F-35 bewilligt. Zuvor waren diese Maschinen Nato-Verbündeten vorbehalten gewesen und Israel, für dessen militärtechnischen Vorsprung in der Region die USA bürgen. Das Geschäft hat einen Umfang von 23 Milliarden Dollar und könnte die Überprüfung durchaus überstehen. Außenminister Tony Blinken sagte am Mittwoch, die Regierung prüfe noch, ob im Zuge der Abraham-Accords, die auch Biden unterstützt, entsprechende rechtsverbindliche Zusagen gemacht worden seien.

Blinken kündigte auch an, die von seinem Vorgänger Mike Pompeo in dessen letzten Tagen im Amt verfügte Einstufung der Huthis als Terrorvereinigung kritisch prüfen zu lassen.

https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/usa-saudi-arabien-waffenlieferungen-jemen-1.5189097 = https://www.bernerzeitung.ch/joe-biden-geht-auf-distanz-zu-golfmonarchien-307632571866

(* B P)

Biden Administration's Signs of Policy Shift Divides Yemen's Warring Sides

President Joe Biden's foreign policy moves made in the first week of his administration are already causing a stir abroad, including in Yemen, where warring sides are split on whether the U.S. should double down on Trump's approach or abandon it entirely.

As this dramatic change of power unfolds in Washington, Yemen's internationally recognized government is hoping that two potentially impactful signs of a change of course by the Biden administration were premature.

"Since Day One, the Government of Yemen has welcomed the designation of Houthis as an FTO," Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak said in a statement sent to Newsweek.

But bin Mubarak argued it was Ansar Allah was using "blackmail" tactics to block critical food aid and other humanitarian assistance. He said the Hadi administration was working with Washington to ensure such access was available even while Ansar Allah remains blacklisted.

Lifting the designation, he warned, could send the wrong message to those considered adversaries, including Iran, which is accused of directly backing Ansar Allah—a charge both parties deny.

"While the Yemeni government joins the US administration in highlighting the importance of averting any unintended humanitarian consequences from this designation," bin Mubarak said, "it warns that revoking this designation will send wrong messages that Houthis may misinterpret as impunity for their terrorist crimes, and eventually expands Iran's destabilizing influence in the region."

Ansar Allah, on the other hand, shares the humanitarian concerns voiced by the Biden administration, the United Nations, and a myriad of international aid groups. Their spokesperson said U.S. labels would not affect the course of the conflict itself, but it would harm the Yemini people and chances for peace.

"What we consider from the American classification is that there's nothing new in it at the battlefield level, but rather it will negatively affect the humanitarian work and the political process," Ansar Allah spokesperson Mohammad Abdul Salam told Newsweek. "And here we hold the United States of America fully responsible for this."

He emphasized: "This effect is known to the world, and America is unable to overcome it nor cover it up."

The two factions were also at odds over a second message sent by Blinken regarding the nearly six-year civil war in Yemen.

https://www.newsweek.com/biden-administration-policy-shift-divides-yemen-1565289?piano_t=1

(* B K P)

Joe Biden’s Saudi Arabian Arms Sale Freeze is Not Enough for Yemen

It only constitutes the beginning of a process to successfully disengage the United States and other regional actors militarily from the conflict.

The Biden administration’s January 26 announcement of a temporary freeze of arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) marks a major step towards peace in Yemen. At the same time, it only constitutes the beginning of a process to successfully disengage the United States and other regional actors militarily from the conflict. As a next step, Biden’s team should extend the freeze and extract meaningful shifts in behavior from both Saudi Arabia and the UAE to achieve foreign policy goals that save lives and ultimately end the conflict in Yemen.

Such an approach is no small task given the geopolitical underpinnings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) today.

The Biden administration’s freeze of these and other unspecified arms deals mark a major shift in thinking since the beginning of the conflict. The new administration wasted no time in its first week to announce the decision, in part to fulfill a former campaign promise by Biden to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its actions. Yet while such a move should be applauded by those who have called for a tougher stance against Saudi-led coalition efforts in Yemen, it should also be viewed with skepticism.

In this regard, it is important to review similar actions by U.S. allies. Both the United Kingdom and Canada froze arms trade agreements with coalition members in the past, only to subsequently determine they fulfilled the legal requirements within their national statutes. Specifically, it was concluded by both nations that Saudi Arabia had significantly improved upon prior civilian harm metrics in a way that allowed for the resumption of arms sales.

Regardless of these conclusions, any rational analysis of the situation reveals that arms from these countries have harmed civilians both directly and indirectly. Local organizations within Yemen report instances of civilian harm from all parties to the conflict daily. Airstrikes are a leading cause of civilian harm and, in most instances, involve weaponry from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, or the United States. These are facts that cannot be ignored by opaque arms sale review and transfer processes.

Ultimately, these decisions to renew arms sales reflect a willingness of world leaders to prefer profits and geopolitical interests over humanitarian considerations. The Biden administration should break this pattern and has a legal obligation under international humanitarian law to remove the United States from any contractual obligation under prior agreements related to a prior administration.

Further, such sales violate the “Leahy Laws” outlined under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), as amended, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014. Both laws operate as U.S. domestic statute that prohibits U.S. security assistance to foreign security forces that violate human rights.

Therefore, and as a next step, any review should ultimately conclude that that U.S. arms sales to any state or group operating in Yemen are illegal on domestic and international legal grounds. Such a conclusion will allow the Biden administration to leverage the arms sale freeze to pressure Saudi Arabia and the UAE to moderate their behavior and gradually work to establish peace in Yemen.

This initial review ultimately marks a major moment in the saga that is the war in Yemen. The review has constituted a point of exuberance in other countries, only to be followed by disappointment and a continuation of the status quo. The Biden administration can finally break this pattern and lead a path towards peace, and ultimately better days, for the people of Yemen – by Alexander Langlois

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/joe-biden%E2%80%99s-saudi-arabian-arms-sale-freeze-not-enough-yemen-177273

(* B P)

Biden Must Fulfill Promise to End War in Yemen and Fully Halt Arms Sales
Presidential candidate Biden promised to end US support for the war in Yemen, halt unconditional weapons transfers to the Middle East, and bring justice for Jamal Khashoggi. He must come good on these promises now.

For two centuries, the US has presented itself as a refuge for the world’s “huddled masses yearning to be free,” while promising to lead the international community away from want and fear, a promise undermined, however, by its reckless and belligerent efforts to defeat Communism in the late 20th century and violent Islamic extremism in the current.

In pursuit of the latter objective, the US has started wars and supported wars in the Middle East, while also flooding the region with hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of guns, artillery, ammunition, armored vehicles, fighter jets, and armed drones, which have exacerbated and protracted bloody conflicts, including the Saudi-UAE led war in Yemen.

Biden has promised to right these wrongs by ending US military support for the Saudi-UAE coalition and unconditional arm transfers to allies throughout the region. He has a clear opportunity to fulfill these commitments with immediate effect

Halting the shipment of arms and ending US logistical support will most likely bring about a prompt ending to the six-year-long war because without US surveillance technologies, Saudi-UAE warplanes would essentially be flying blind and unlikely to hit a football field, let alone a targeted building nestled among other buildings.

Progressive members of the Democratic caucus have become especially critical of the US relationship with Arab Gulf regimes

Biden also has the backing of the American people, with a YouGov poll showing a clear majority oppose the US government’s support for the ongoing war, with only 13 percent saying they want the White House and Congress to maintain or increase arm sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

https://insidearabia.com/biden-must-fulfill-promise-to-end-war-in-yemen-and-fully-halt-arms-sales/

My comment: There will be no way back to the 2013 “National Dialogue Conference”. Yemen would need a completely new “National Dialogue Conference”, taking into account all what had happnes afterwards.

(* B P)

Yemen: Biden temporary freeze of arms sales to Saudi Arabia and UAE is welcome

Responding to President Joe Biden’s decision to temporarily suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Philippe Nassif, advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International USA, said:

“President Biden’s decision to freeze arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE represents a welcome relief in an otherwise shameful chapter of history. Almost six years of conflict in Yemen, fueled by irresponsible arms transfers, have left 14 million Yemenis in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

“The suspension of arms sales by the US is a step in the right direction and ups the pressure on European countries, most notably the UK and France, to follow suit and stop fueling the human misery in Yemen.

“For years, we have been warning Western states that they risk complicity in war crimes as they continue to enable the Saudi-led coalition with arms. The Biden administration is finally acknowledging the disastrous effects of these continued sales, and puts to shame other states that continue to ignore the mountain of evidence of probable war crimes collected by Yemenis, the United Nations, and human rights organization over the course of the past six years.”

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/01/yemen-biden-temporary-freeze-of-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-and-uae-is-welcome/ = https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/yemen-bidens-temporary-suspension-arms-sales-saudi-arabia-and-uae-welcome-relief

(* B P)

Ilhan Omar: Arms Sale Freeze Is “First Step” to End US Support for War on Yemen

Peace-loving people around the world and anti-war Democrats in Congress hailed reports Wednesday that the Biden administration is imposing a temporary freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates pending a review of billions of dollars worth of weapons deals with the repressive regimes approved during the presidency of Donald Trump.

Congressional lawmakers opposed to ongoing U.S. involvement in the war applauded Wednesday’s news as a positive development even as they called on the administration and others to go further:

Ilhan Omar: Good. This is an important first step in ending our material support for war globally, and the genocide in Yemen in particular. I encourage the Biden administration to continue down this path. Next step: an end to ALL arms sales to countries that violate human rights (https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1354506119805243396 )

https://truthout.org/articles/ilhan-omar-arms-sale-freeze-is-first-step-to-end-us-support-for-war-on-yemen/ (with the whole background story)

(* B P)

Saudi Arabia hires over dozen lobbying firms in US to launder its reputation

Saudi authorities have reportedly hired more than a dozen lobbying firms to help boost relations with the United States and improve the Riyadh regime’s image as new US President Joe Biden assumes office.

According to foreign agent registration filings with the US Justice Department, Riyadh has used at least 16 firms “to largely restore its influence machine in the capital [Washington] and in other parts of the country, and help boost US-Saudi trade relations.”

The lobbying effort will be even more crucial during the term of new US President Joe Biden, whose administration decided on Wednesday to freeze arms sales to Riyadh pending a review, said a Foreign Policy report.

Foreign agents hired to lobby on behalf of Saudi interests have apparently contributed almost $2 million in political donations to federal candidates, including Trump and new Democratic President Joe Biden, said the report.

Among these firms is the powerhouse Edelman, which heavily favors Democratic candidates in its political donations and signed a $225,000 contract, after the November presidential election, to provide services to the controversial Neom megacity project that is planned to be constructed in Tabuk region of northwestern Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea in an area nearly the size of Belgium.

Edelman communications firm was also hired by state-owned Saudi Basic Industries in early 2020 to provide strategic communications in a $5.6 million contract.

Additionally, the Riyadh regime struck deals with companies seen as close to the Republican Party. Just before the presidential vote, the Saudi Embassy in Washington hired Off Hill Strategies, a firm run by a couple with a long history in conservative politics, for $75,000 to lobby for them through January 2021.

“The Saudis need to maintain their influence within the Republican Party post-Trump in hopes the Republican Senate can [help] block any bills that might hurt them, like prohibitions on arms sales or withdrawing troops from Yemen,” Ben Freeman of the Center for International Policy’s Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative, which seeks to promote transparency and accountability in global relations, said.

He added “there was this public perception that the Saudi lobby went into hiding” following Khashoggi’s murder.

“But that’s not true at all—what we saw is that actually they doubled down, giving money to think tanks and US universities to help launder their reputation,” Freeman said.

He noted that the kingdom hired the multinational firm Qorvis to a $10 million contract just three months after Khashoggi’s death in a bid to improve its image and reputation.

Andrea Prasow, the deputy Washington director at Human Rights Watch, said Riyadh used lobbyists to “whitewash” its image, citing the failure of the Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler who has presented himself as reformer to Western governments.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/29/644089/Saudi-Arabia-hires-over-dozen-lobbying-firms-in-US-to-launder-its-reputation

(* B H P)

Film: Trump administration worsened Yemen famine

Sir Mark Lowcock told Sky News that the departing US administration had 'basically made it difficult to import food' into Yemen.

https://news.sky.com/video/trump-administration-worsened-yemen-famine-12201709

(* B P)

Kollektiv bestraft

Dem Jemen droht eine Hungersnot. Deshalb dürfen die USA die Huthi nicht länger als Terrorgruppe einstufen. Der Gastbeitrag von Jan Sebastian Friedrich-Rust (Aktion gegen den Hunger).

Die Wirtschaft des Landes erlebt durch den Krieg und die Covid-19-Pandemie gerade eine katastrophale Talfahrt. Selbst Grundnahrungsmittel sind für die meisten Haushalte unerschwinglich geworden. Die Terroreinstufung wird die Situation nochmals verschärfen, denn viele wichtige Unternehmen, Institutionen und humanitäre Akteurinnen und Akteure werden sich aus dem Jemen zurückziehen müssen. Das Risiko, in den von den Huthi kontrollierten Gebieten Handel zu betreiben und sich damit einer US-Strafe auszusetzen, wäre enorm. Jemenitische Importunternehmen warnen bereits, dass sie ihre Geschäfte teilweise einstellen müssen. Dabei importieren sie 80 bis 90 Prozent der Lebensmittel, Treibstoffe und Medikamente des Landes. Die Folge: Lebensmittel, Treibstoff und dringend benötigte Güter des täglichen Bedarfs werden knapp und für die meisten Menschen zu teuer.

Handelseinschränkungen und Preissteigerungen wirken sich unmittelbar auf die humanitäre Arbeit aus und beeinträchtigen massiv die Versorgung der Menschen. Zudem besteht die Gefahr, dass Banken Kredite und Finanzdienstleistungen einstellen. Jemenitinnen und Jemeniten aus dem Ausland könnten kein Geld mehr an ihre Familien schicken. Diese Rücküberweisungen machen etwa 20 Prozent des Bruttoinlandsprodukts aus. Viele Familien sind darauf angewiesen, um zu überleben. Humanitäre Organisationen könnten keine Geldmittel mehr transferieren, um Hilfsprojekte und notwendige Maßnahmen zur Ernährungssicherung durchzuführen oder Mitarbeitende zu bezahlen.

Die US-Regierung hat zwar einzelne Ausnahmegenehmigungen für humanitäre Organisationen erteilt, um Lieferungen von Hilfsgütern trotz Terroreinstufung zu ermöglichen. Dies wird allerdings nicht ausreichen, denn jede Verzögerung und Beeinträchtigung von Hilfsmaßnahmen hat konkrete Folgen für die Bevölkerung.

Die Terroreinstufung schadet zudem den Bemühungen der Vereinten Nationen um eine friedliche Lösung des Konflikts.

https://www.fr.de/meinung/gastbeitraege/kollektiv-bestraft-90188020.html

(B K P)

General Dynamics is Complicit in the War in Yemen

As the manufacturer of the missile that struck the innocent children in 2018, GENERAL DYNAMICS is complicit in these war crimes. General Dynamics IS COMPLICIT IN THESE WAR CRIMES AND ALL OTHER HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND FATALITIES FROM WHICH THEY HAVE PROFITED.

Locally, General Dynamics is producing war machines and weapons of mass destruction. In December 2019, the United States Navy agreed on a contact with General Dynamics (as well as their subsidiary Electric Boat) and Huntington Ingalls Industries to build 9-10 Virginia Class nuclear powered submarine. Then this past November General Dynamics recieved a contract to build two Columbia class submarines that will be armed with nuclear missiles. These will be the largest nuclear submarines the United States has ever produced. Both of these violent and unnecessary projects will be completed in Rhode Island.

We hope that our simple action yesterday will raise awareness about General Dynmics role in the war on Yemen, and inspire other people to take action to hold them accountable.

https://upriseri.com/2021-02-01-general-dynamics/

cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf

Siehe / Lok at cp9

(* B P)

Kalter Krieg im Nahen Osten: Der iranisch-saudische Konflikt dominiert die Region

In Deutschland und Europa hat der Wahlsieg von Joe Biden große außenpolitische Hoffnungen geweckt. Nicht zuletzt erwarten viele Politiker und Kommentatoren, dass der neue US-Präsident den Rückzug seines Landes aus dem 2015 geschlossenen Atomabkommen mit Iran rückgängig macht. Dies dürfte sich jedoch schwieriger gestalten als erwartet, denn der Konflikt zwischen Iran und seinen Gegnern hat sich in den letzten fünf Jahren verschärft. Nicht nur, dass US-Präsident Trump Iran mit alten und neuen Sanktionen überzog, wiederholt mit Krieg drohte, die iranischen Revolutionsgarden als Terrororganisation einstufte und deren General Qassem Soleimani kurzerhand töten ließ.
Als noch wichtiger dürfte sich erweisen, dass die Auseinandersetzung zwischen Iran und seinen regionalen Widersachern Saudi-Arabien und Israel in den Mittelpunkt gerückt ist. Seit dem Arabischen Frühling 2011 hat sich der jahrzehntealte Konflikt zu einem regelrechten Kalten Krieg im Nahen Osten ausgeweitet, der seinen bisherigen Höhepunkt in dem iranischen Angriff auf die saudischen Ölanlagen am 14. September 2019 fand. Ursache ist die iranische Expansionspolitik in der Region, die in Saudi-Arabien und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten zu verstärkten Rüstungsanstrengungen führte und Israel veranlasst, iranische Ziele und iranisch kontrollierte Milizen in Syrien und im Irak zu bekämpfen. Dass einige Golfstaaten und Israel zuletzt sogar Friedensabkommen schlossen, ist ein Indiz, dass die regionalen Gegner Irans ein Bündnis schmieden. Selbst wenn es unter Präsident Biden wieder zu Verhandlungen zwischen den USA und Iran kommen sollte, ist eine Rückkehr zum Atomabkommen in seiner früheren Form unwahrscheinlich. Vielmehr hat der Konflikt das Potential, sich weiter zu verschärfen. Deutschland sollte deshalb seine Interessenlage in der Region kritisch überprüfen und sich auf Krisenszenarien vorbereiten. (…)
Zur Vorbereitung auf die nächsten Monate und Jahre ist es zusätzlich angezeigt, die bisherige deutsche Interessendefinition zu überdenken. Politiker, Diplomaten und Wissenschaftler haben in den letzten Jahren häufig argumentiert, dass es in erster Linie gelte, eine kriegerische Auseinandersetzung zwischen Iran und seinen Gegnern zu verhindern. Das noch wichtigere Interesse der Bundesrepublik sollte aber sein, eine nukleare Bewaffnung von Regionalstaaten zu verhindern. Notwendige Konsequenz dieser Interessendefinition könnte es im Extremfall sein, auch einen Militärschlag der USA und/oder Israels gegen Iran zu unterstützen, falls dieser notwendig werden sollte, um eine nukleare Bewaffnung des Landes zu verhindern. Eine deutlichere Formulierung dieses Interesses könnte auch dazu dienen, den Druck auf Iran zu erhöhen, der in den letzten Jahren allzu oft versucht hat, Uneinigkeit zwischen Europa und die USA zu schüren.

https://www.baks.bund.de/de/arbeitspapiere/2021/kalter-krieg-im-nahen-osten-der-iranisch-saudische-konflikt-dominiert-die-region

(* A P)

Iran is ready for a new relationship with the US, but the clock is ticking, says Foreign Minister Javad Zarif

Iran is ready for a new relationship with the US -- but the clock is ticking, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.

In an exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Monday, Zarif said the Biden administration has a "limited window of opportunity" to re-enter the 2015 nuclear agreement.

"The time for the United States to come back to the nuclear agreement is not unlimited," he said. "The United States has a limited window of opportunity, because President Biden does not want to portray himself as trying to take advantage of the failed policies of the former Trump administration."

Asked just how swiftly Iran could scale back its uranium enrichment program to comply with the nuclear deal if the US lifts sanctions, Zarif said, "8,000 pounds of enriched uranium can go back to the previous amount in less than a day."

But Iran has publicly insisted that it does not seek a nuclear weapon, a stance that Zarif reiterated on Monday.

"If we wanted to build a nuclear weapon we could have done it some time ago," he said. "But we decided that nuclear weapons are not, would not augment our security and are in contradiction to our, eh, ideological views. And that is why we never pursued nuclear weapons."

Zarif, a former Iranian ambassador to the UN, said that Iran has acted in accordance with dispute mechanisms written into the JCPOA, since the US withdrawal. "Iran used the mechanisms in the nuclear agreement in order to limit its cooperation. If you read paragraph 36, we acted in strict accordance with the nuclear agreement," he said.

He called on the United States to suspend arms sales to regional rivals, and said that the Biden administration needs to stick to the original conditions of the nuclear deal (interview in film)

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/01/world/iran-javad-zarif-amanpour-interview-nuclear-deal-intl/index.html

and

(* A P)

Iran FM: US Nuclear Demand from Iran 'Will Never Happen'

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran will not accept the US demand that it resume full nuclear compliance before Washington lifts sanctions on Tehran.

The demand “is not logical and will never happen”, he said at a joint news conference in Istanbul with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu Friday.

“The United States unilaterally withdrew from this comprehensive course of action,” Zarif told journalists, speaking through an interpreter. “It is the duty of the United States to return to this agreement and to fulfill its obligations.

“The moment the United States fulfills its commitments, we would be prepared to fulfill ours,” he added.

Zarif said the US withdrawal from the nuclear pact, officially referred to as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is a blatant example of Washington’s “law-breaking”.

“Unfortunately, the US is used to imposing sanctions,” Zarif added, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Iran says the Biden administration must swiftly lift sanctions as a first step in restoring America.

https://english.almasirah.net/post/17487/Iran-FM-US-Nuclear-Demand-from-Iran-Will-Never-Happen-

(A K P)

Iran successful test of satellite carrier bears message

Ansarullah of Yemen Spokesman and Head of Sana’a Negotiating Team said on Monday that Iran’s successful test of satellite carrier missile, Zol-Jannah, conveys a message to the enemy.

Mohammad Abdul-Salam stated that the new and successful test of Iran’s satellite carrier missile conveys an important message to friend and enemy that the will of nations is stronger than any sanctions, Almasirah reported.

Ansarullah spokesman stressed that this satellite launch test proved that sanctions do not determine destiny and that it might be an opportunity for the Islamic Republic of Iran that the country did it in practice.

Some other countries overcame the siege and ridiculed the sanctions, he added.

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/169387/Iran-successful-test-of-satellite-carrier-bears-message

(A P)

Top Israeli military figures slam Kochavi’s ‘empty’ rhetoric against Iran

Top Israeli military figures have slammed as “empty” and “inappropriate” the recent anti-Iran remarks made by the Israeli regime’s army chief of staff lieutenant general Aviv Kochavi.

He warned that harsh remarks that contradict the position of the new American administration “could be seen as defiance” by the White House, adding, “That’s not how you lead a policy.”

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/29/644100/Israeli-figures-slam-Kochavi-empty-rhetoric

(* A P)

Iran bezeichnet internationales Atomabkommen als "unveränderbar"

Auch die Aufnahme neuer Staaten ist laut Außenministerium nicht möglich. Der Iran reagiert damit offenbar auf einen Vorstoß von Frankreichs Präsidenten Emmanuel Macron.

Der Iran lehnt eine Neuverhandlung des Atomabkommens und eine Aufnahme weiterer Staaten ab. Es sei ein multilaterales internationales Abkommen und durch Resolution 2.231 des UN-Sicherheitsrates ratifiziert, sagte der Sprecher des Außenministeriums, Said Chatibsadeh, staatlichen Medien zufolge. "Es ist nicht verhandelbar, und seine Partner sind klar und unveränderlich." Er reagierte damit offenbar auf einen Vorstoß des französischen Präsidenten Emmanuel Macron, wonach neue Gespräche über das Abkommen auch Saudi-Arabien beinhalten sollten.

Man müsse den Fehler von 2015 vermeiden, andere Länder der Region auszuschließen, hatte der staatliche saudi-arabische Fernsehsender Al-Arabija Macron am Freitag zitiert. Chatibsadeh sagte dazu, Macron müsse sich in Selbstbeherrschung üben.

https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2021-01/atomstreit-atomabkommen-iran-macron-neuverhandlung-mitglieder-saudi-arabien = https://www.wiwo.de/politik/ausland/atomdeal-iran-iran-lehnt-neuverhandlung-und-weitere-staaten-bei-atomabkommen-ab/26868210.html

(B P)

Iran reichert Uran in Rekordtempo an - Atomprogramm kommt Nuklearwaffen einen Schritt näher

Der Generalstabschef von Israel wendet sich mit einer klaren Botschaft an die USA und spricht mit Blick auf den Iran von Krieg. Derweil lässt die Regierung in Teheran weiter Uran anreichern.

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Sprecher des iranischen Parlaments, gab in einer Fernsehansprache während eines Besuchs im Atomkraftwerk Fordow am Donnerstag (28.01.2021) bekannt, dass der Iran in weniger als einem Monat insgesamt 17 Kilogramm von 20 Prozent angereichertem Uran hergestellt habe. Das Atomprogramm des Landes ist damit dem waffenfähigen Anreicherungsniveau ein Schritt näher gekommen, wie „Al-Jazeera“ berichtet.

Israel möchte nicht, dass die USA zum Atomabkommen mit dem Iran zurückkehrt.

Joe Biden befürwortet den Atomdeal jedoch, da dieser das nukleare Wettrüsten verhindern könnte.

https://www.fr.de/politik/israel-iran-atomabkommen-uran-anreicherung-drohung-krieg-joe-biden-usa-90182976.html

(A P)

Seize the opportunity to rethink regional security, Iran tells neighbors

Iran hails that an opportunity has arisen for the countries of the region to renew their perspective of the issue of collective security, calling the matter an asset than cannot be either bought from abroad or guaranteed by stockpiling foreign weapons.

https://parstoday.com/en/news/iran-i133150-seize_the_opportunity_to_rethink_regional_security_iran_tells_neighbors

(A P)

Iraqi resistance groups concerned about Saudi ‘investment plans’

Iraqi resistance groups have expressed serious doubts about the real motive behind Saudi Arabia’s plans to “make economic investments” in the Arab country given the kingdom’s dark record of supporting Takfiri terrorism as well as intervention in Iraq’s domestic affairs.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/28/644023/Iraq-resistance-groups-Saudi-investment-

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

(* B P)

Sky News acts largely as a platform for the UK defence and foreign ministries, research finds

Declassified found scant mention by the three journalists of Britain’s war in Yemen, which has raged for nearly six years. No article by Sky’s foreign affairs editor could be found covering the conflict. One article written by Bunkall came in July 2020 highlighting opposition to the UK’s decision to resume arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

Declassified also found one article by Waghorn on the Yemen war, in September 2020, which mentioned that Britain and the US have supplied the Saudis “with weapons and warplanes and insist they have the right to defend themselves”. It added that the air offensive “has led to enormous numbers of civilian casualties”.

Declassified has seen some reporting by Sky’s Alex Crawford on the impact of UK-backed air strikes in Yemen. It is not clear the extent to which Haynes, Bunkall or Waghorn have covered Yemen in their video reporting.

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-02-01-sky-news-acts-largely-as-a-platform-for-the-uk-defence-and-foreign-ministries-research-finds/

(A P)

Hats up Bell Ribeiro-Addy, and all activists in the world who stand in #SolidarityWithYemen

Letter: https://www.facebook.com/Bell4Streatham/photos/a.134768421197615/415012416506546/?type=3

(* B K P)

UK under pressure to follow Biden’s lead with freeze on Saudi Arabia arms sales

Change of US policy under Joe Biden leaves Britain at risk of looking diplomatically isolated

The US decision to freeze arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates pending a review has led to renewed calls for the UK, Riyadh’s second largest arms supplier, to reassess its own policy.

UK government officials said there were no plans to review sales, but at a minimum the Biden administration’s scepticism about Saudi Arabia’s six-year war in Yemen is going to require the Foreign Office to shift its emphasis or risk looking diplomatically isolated.

There may also be unavoidable practical implications for British arms companies. Giving evidence to parliament’s arms export control committee last month, experts said US moves would have a knock-on effect, for example where UK equipment is tied to American licensing arrangements.

What remains unclear is how long the US review will take and how fully the US will change its approach to Yemen’s civil war.

The question now is whether the US will put pressure on the UK to follow its lead. It is hard to see how the UK could construct a credible policy of continued sales, only so long as they are not for use in the war in Yemen.

Andrew Smith, director of CAAT, said: “If Biden sticks to his word and ends the arms sales it could be a huge step towards ending the brutal bombardment and blockade. It would also set a vital precedent and could help to force action from the UK and the other arms-dealing governments … If the US government, the biggest arms dealer in the world, is prepared to take a stand, then it is long past time for Boris Johnson and his colleagues to do the same.”

The UK might also need to review the technical help its military officials provide to help the Saudi air force conduct an air campaign in compliance with humanitarian law.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/28/uk-under-pressure-to-freeze-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-and-uae

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

(A H)

Nach Genusslauf: Spendenübergabe an Medair

Einen Spendenscheck über 4000 Euro überreichten Eberhard Helm und Ali Louzri, die Vorstände des SC Ostheim, kürzlich an Dr. Bernhard Öhlein, den Vorsitzenden der Nothilfeorganisation Medair Deutschland. Das Geld war beim Genusslauf des Vereins zusammengekommen, bei dem im September über 300 Kinder und Erwachsene mitgelaufen waren.

https://www.mainpost.de/regional/rhoengrabfeld/nach-genusslauf-spendenuebergabe-an-medair-art-10558312

= https://www.rhoenundsaalepost.de/lokales/aktuelles/mellrichstadt/nach-genusslauf-spendenuebergabe-an-medair;art24133,878050

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

(A P)

500 sign within hours, a Goverment Petition Launched: Canada Stop Fueling the War on Yemen

https://www.justpeaceadvocates.ca/500-sign-within-hours-a-goverment-petition-launched-canada-stop-fueling-the-war-on-yemen/

(A P)

United Arab Emirates says it will offer citizenship to some

The United Arab Emirates on Saturday announced plans to grant some foreigners citizenship to this oil-rich nation home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, part of efforts to stimulate its economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The UAE previously gave citizenship to Palestinians and others who helped form the country’s government after its formation in 1971. Others have received it over time as well.

Saturday’s announcement by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai who also serves as the autocratic nation’s prime minister and vice president, said the offer could apply to artists, authors, doctors, engineers and scientists, as well as their families.

https://apnews.com/article/dubai-united-arab-emirates-abu-dhabi-coronavirus-pandemic-mohammed-bin-rashid-al-maktoum-708c588985bad97230b458b435cbfbc2

(A P)

Bahrain: #UK #US backed Khalifa autocracy arrests 3 fathers of executed activists while they were visiting the graves of their sons

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1355153061531054084

referring to https://twitter.com/AdelAlmarzooq/status/1355125627804921860

(A P)

UAE calls for urgent diplomacy to end conflict in Libya

The United Arab Emirates called for an urgent renewal of diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Libya on Friday and said it is ready to work with the new U.S. administration and all other members of the U.N. Security Council to restore peace in the oil-rich north African nation.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-africa-libya-diplomacy-antonio-guterres-d53050cefa3b0c536f356c0872f45cfc

My comment: ???? UAE interference had played a key role in Libya. UAE and Turkey had continued their conflict in Libya:

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/oct/07/turkey-and-uae-openly-flouting-un-arms-embargo-to-fuel-war-in-libya

https://www.eurasiareview.com/15102020-what-is-the-uae-looking-for-in-libya-oped/

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/04/21/libyan-civil-war-france-uae-khalifa-haftar/

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/uae-interference-main-cause-of-libya-crisis-minister/1847491

(* A K P)

Italien beendet Verkauf von Raketen an Saudi-Arabien und VAE

Nachdem die neue US-Regierung Waffenverkäufe an Saudi-Arabien und die VAE auf Eis legte, hat auch Italien angekündigt, den Verkauf von Raketen an die beiden Golfstaaten stoppen zu wollen.

Der italienische Außenminister Luigi Di Maio sagte, sein Land habe den Verkauf von Tausenden von Raketen an Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE) eingestellt. Rom setze damit seine Verpflichtungen zur Wiederherstellung des Friedens im vom Bürgerkrieg heimgesuchten Jemen und zum Schutz der Menschenrechte um.

Dies ist ein Schritt, den wir als eine klare Friedensbotschaft aus unserem Land für notwendig hielten. Für uns ist die Achtung der Menschenrechte eine unerschütterliche Verpflichtung", sagte Di Maio in einer Erklärung.

Das italienische Netzwerk für Frieden und Abrüstung teilte laut Reuters mit, Roms Entscheidung werde den Verkauf von rund 12.700 Raketen an Saudi-Arabien blockieren. Die eingefrorenen Exporte seien Teil einer Gesamtcharge von 20.000 Raketen im Wert von mehr als 400 Millionen Euro (485 Millionen US-Dollar), die 2016 unter einer von Matteo Renzi geführten Mitte-Links-Regierung vereinbart wurde, teilte die Abrüstungsgruppe mit.

https://de.rt.com/international/112560-italien-stellt-verkauf-von-raketen/

(* A K P)

Italy permanently halts arms sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE

Italy’s figures from 2019 show Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ranked as the 10th and 11th biggest markets for Italian arms exports.

Italy has halted the sale of thousands of missiles to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to their involvement in the Yemen conflict, making permanent an 18-month temporary suspension.

“Today I am announcing that the government has revoked the authorisations under way for the export of missiles and aircraft bombs to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Friday.

“[This is] an act that we considered due, a clear message of peace coming from our country. For us, respect for human rights is an unbreakable commitment,” said Di Maio, who did not mention Yemen but had referenced the conflict there when he ordered the initial suspension in July 2019.

Italy’s Peace and Disarmament Network, a campaign group, hailed the move as “historic” and estimated that it would see orders for more than 12,700 ordnance cancelled.

The blocked sales were part of a total allotment of 20,000 missiles worth more than 400 million euros ($485m) agreed in 2016 under a centre-left government led by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, the disarmament group said.

It “puts an end, once and for all, to the possibility that thousands of ordnance manufactured in Italy could strike civilian facilities, cause casualties among the population or contribute to worsening the already serious humanitarian situation”, the group said.

Italy’s latest figures – dating to 2019 – show Saudi Arabia and the UAE ranked 10th and 11th in the list of the biggest markets for Italian arms exports.

Exports to Saudi Arabia were worth 105.4 million euros ($128m), while those to the UAE were worth 89.9 million euros ($109.1m).

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/29/italy-makes-permanent-arms-sale-freeze-to-saudi-arabia

and also https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-gulf-italy/italy-blocks-sale-of-missiles-to-saudi-arabia-and-uae-idUSKBN29Y1VV

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/italy-blocks-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-uae/2127675

https://www.huffingtonpost.it/entry/litalia-revoca-lexport-delle-armi-in-arabia-saudita-e-emirati_it_6013ca55c5b6aa4bad32d93a

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-uae-italy-blocks-arms-exports

https://www.repubblica.it/politica/2021/01/29/news/blocco_armi_arabia_stesso_giorno_renzi_conferenza-284745408/

and statement by Di Maio: https://www.facebook.com/522391027797448/posts/3743881855648333/?d=n

and as a reminder: https://mwatana.org/en/european-respnsibility-for-war-crimes-in-yemen/

and a reminder from 2016: https://ilmanifesto.it/la-guerra-sporca-dellitalia-in-yemen/

and

(* A P)

THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT REVOKES BOMB EXPORT LICENSES TO SAUDI ARABIA AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS WELCOME THE DECISION

For the first time in the 30 years since the Italian Law 185 on arms exports came into force in 1990, the Italian government has taken the historic decision of permanently revoking the existing licenses to export missiles and aerial bombs to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The suspension of granting new licenses for the same materials to these countries remains in force.

According to information obtained by the Italian organization Rete Italiana Pace e Disarmo, this revocation applies to at least six different licenses that were suspended following a July 2019 decision.

The Italian organizations Amnesty International Italia, RWM Reconversion Committee for Peace and Sustainable Work, Fondazione Finanza Etica, Oxfam Italy, Italian Peace and Disarmament Network, Save the Children Italia, and their international partners the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and the Yemeni organization Mwatana for Human Rights welcome this decision, which they have strongly advocated for for years.

This decision ends the provision of these Italian-made bombs and missiles to countries conducting indiscriminate and disproportionate airstrikes that kill, wound and grievously harm civilians, and exacerbate an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis

https://www.ecchr.eu/en/press-release/the-italian-government-revokes-bomb-export-licenses-to-saudi-arabia-and-the-united-arab-emirates = https://mwatana.org/en/the-italian-government-revokes-bomb-export-licenses-to-saudi-arabia-and-the-united-arab-emirates/

and also https://retepacedisarmo.org/2021/il-governo-revoca-lexport-di-bombe-verso-arabia-saudita-ed-emirati-arabi-soddisfazione-delle-organizzazioni-della-societa-civile/

and

(A P)

The decision came after ex-premier Matteo Renzi - who recently pulled out of Italy's govt - appeared in a video w/ MBS at @FIIKSA. Italian newspaper Domani said Renzi receives $80,000/year for being on FII's board

https://twitter.com/AnujChopra/status/1355237538659753994

referring to

(A P)

Film: "It is a great pleasure and a great honor to be here with the great prince Mohammad bin Salman. For me it is a privilege to be able to speak with you about the Renaissance. I believe that Saudi Arabia may be the place for a new Renaissance. Your Highness, thank you. "

https://twitter.com/AUniversale/status/1354811670204321796

and also https://www.repubblica.it/politica/2021/01/29/news/blocco_armi_arabia_stesso_giorno_renzi_conferenza-284745408/

(* A P)

US court issues summons for MBZ over hacking of Al Jazeera anchor via Twitter

Al Jazeera presenter Ghada Oueiss says she hopes lawsuit will reveal UAE and Saudi Arabia are leading 'campaign of terror against journalists and activists'

The crown prince of Abu Dhabi and top Saudi officials have received a summons to appear in a US court through Twitter, the same platform used by the Gulf states to allegedly target, harass, and defame a journalist suing them.

Lawyers acting on behalf of Al Jazeera anchor Ghada Oueiss told Middle East Eye that the summons had been sent to Mohammed bin Zayed, also known as MBZ, as well as a number of US operatives who are accused of hacking her phone and disseminating information, including manipulated content, on social media.

Using the microblogging platform to serve court documents is rare. However, the method has previously been used in US cases when all other forms of service have been exhausted.

After asking for an alternative means to serve the defendants, including MBZ, Rashbaum's firm filed a motion to do so via Twitter.

"In our motion, we actually indicated that one of the ways we intended to effectuate was through Twitter, and the court ordered that that was allowable," Rashbaum said.

The summonses were previously issued to the royals and the other defendants in the case through mail last month but were then delivered through the social media platform last week.

Oueiss, a prominent television anchor with millions of followers on social media, has accused the two leaders of orchestrating a multi-tiered operation against her, including the hacking of her phone and using US-based operatives to spread false information.

In April, a series of photos Oueiss had saved on her phone were leaked on social media allegedly after her phone was hacked. One of the pictures was doctored to make the presenter appear nude.

"It's not enough that they just release private images they stole, but they doctored them to make me look naked and organised thousands of attacks against me with horrible slurs," Oueiss told MEE.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-crown-prince-us-court-summons-twitter-ghada-oueiss

and

(* A P)

Al Jazeera anchor files lawsuit against Saudi, UAE rulers over alleged phone hacking

The lawsuit was brought against Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed over alleged operation against Oueiss because of her reporting on Gulf states

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/qatar-saudi-arabia-uae-al-jazeera-anchor-lawsuit-hacking

(A P)

UAE blatantly violating rights of imprisoned activist Ahmed Mansoor: Rights groups

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/28/644030/UAE-blatantly-violating-top-activist-rights-Report

(* B P)

How the UAE serves as America's duplicate Israel

Last year's "Abraham Accords" agreement, under which the United Arab Emirates officially normalised ties with Israel, was seen largely as an unmasking of the UAE's long-standing covert links to the occupation state. How important, though, has Abu Dhabi become for the US in Middle East affairs?

The UAE's active role in shaping the region to suit the US and Israeli colonial interests cannot be understated. With its newly-signed weapons deals and additional trade agreements on the horizon, the Emirates looks increasingly like a duplicate Israel as far as Washington is concerned. Just look at the way in which it exerts its influence in favour of US policy and its largely under-reported role in helping pressure other Arab states to normalise ties with Israel.

In order to comprehend the UAE's role in Sudan's normalisation with Israel, for example, it is important to understand what a former Trump administration official said in 2019: "You turn over any rock in the Horn of Africa, and you find the UAE there." Along with Saudi Arabia, the UAE took advantage of the 2018-19 uprisings which led to the ousting of Sudanese President Omar Bashir. After failing to win Bashir over from his alignment with Turkey and Qatar, the UAE threw its weight behind the Transitional Military Council (TMC) which was to replace him.

The TMC went on to repress demonstrations with great brutality as ordinary people on the streets sought to bring civilians rule to Sudan. What ensued was a power-sharing agreement, with a three-year interim government called the 'Sovereign Council', under which generals now play the primary role in the control of Sudan, many of whom are backed by Abu Dhabi.

The UAE's influence in Morocco's normalisation with Israel has been all but ignored but is perhaps one of the most important factors in forcing the Kingdom's hand.

The UAE has emerged as a powerful player in the Middle East, right across the region. In Yemen, its backing of the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) has given the UAE leverage over Saudi Arabia, even as they sought simultaneously to assassinate members of the Yemeni Al-Islah Party and others linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Using deeply divisive figures such as former Palestinian Authority figure Mohammad Dahlan — now known as the right-hand man of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan — the UAE's influence is widespread.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210128-how-the-uae-serves-as-americas-duplicate-israel/

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

(B P)

Qatar could replace Saudi Arabia as an important ally of the US in the Gulf

Qatar is regarded as a promoter of freedom of expression and democracy, having refused to shut down Al Jazeera after the insistence of the blockading nations led by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt. Biden has vowed to promote democracy and to work with those supporting democracy. Qatar is perhaps the most qualified candidate in the region in this regard.

Qatar could also play a key role in establishing engagement between Iran and Turkey with the US. Over the past three years of the blockade, Qatar managed to develop strong relations with both Iran and Turkey. It could be deduced therefore, that this is Qatar's moment in the GCC. Many are hopeful that Qatar's involvement will change the image of the GCC and bring new political opportunities to the region.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210128-qatar-could-replace-saudi-arabia-as-an-important-ally-of-the-us-in-the-gulf/

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

Siehe / Look at cp 9, cp10, cp12

cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy

(A E P)

CBY proposes international firms to review its operations after money laundering accusations

The [Aden branch] Central Bank of Yemen on has urged the internationally recognised government to choose one of three international auditing and accounting firms it has proposed to review its accounts and operations during the past five years.

Vice chairman of the board of directors of the bank Shakib Hubayshi said on Saturday the three firms are among the world's best firms specialised in auditing.

The ball is in the government's court and it should choose one of them quickly to put an end to attempts seeking to harm the reputation of this national institution, he said.
The move comes after the latest report of the UN panel of experts on Yemen accused the bank of money laundering.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-22822.html

and

(A E P)

Former governor of [Aden] Central Bank and president advisor calls the [Aden] parliament for investigation into the corruption and money laundering accusations mentioned in the UNSC panel of experts report (document)

https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/1355859835078799364

and

(A E P)

Parliament decides to send a committee to #Aden to conduct an investigation into corruption issues in the central bank , following #UNSC panel of experts report.

https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/1355908903339483138

and

(A E P)

Hayel Saeed Anam Group denies UNSC panel of experts report accusation of money laundering with regards to Saudi deposit at the Central Bank in #Aden (document)

https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/1355831862099378179

and

(A E P)

Yemeni trade group hires int'l audit firm following UN accusation

The Yemeni Hayel Saeed Anam Group (HSAG) on Sunday said they hired a leading international auditing firm to neutrally audit their books and documents relating to a report issued Wednesday by the UN Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen (UNGEIRE).
The UN report accused HSAG of illegal profiteering by possessing a total of 48 percent of the Saudi deposit offered to the Central Bank in 2018.
HSAG will strongly support the independent audit firm's announcement of outcomes found through examinations, the group said in a statement seen by Debriefer.
The UN report's charges were based on "wrong information lacking the evidence, and depended on shallow information in contradiction with legal auditing procedures," the statement said.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-22842.html

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

(A T)

Feels like #AlQaeda is struggling

Fully half of today's "new" statement by AQ Central is copied wholesale from its 6/2020 statement

"New" #AQAP video series of #Yemen leader Batarfi launched yesterday was recorded in 2016

No signs of life from either Zawahiri or Batarfi

New #AlQaeda Leadership Statement focuses on #Africa. Eulogizes Droukdel, killed by #France in #Mali 6/2020. Endorses new #AQIM leader al-'Annabi Whole 1st page is lifted from statement last June, including #poetry (written by Shawqi d.1932 against the French Mandate in #Syria)

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1356352084950593539

(A T)

New video from #AlQaeda #Yemen of leader Batarfi, 1st in 8 months that's not same old #Quran series. It's dated 1/2021 but don't get excited, it's NOT a sign of life: small-print shows it was recorded 3+ years ago (1438). Must be 10/2016 as he's still with his old blue pen.

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1355965040759857152

(A T)

New 3-page #AQAP Statement shows enduring solidarity of #AlQaeda branches in #Yemen & #Africa -Praises #JNIM ops against #French in #Mali -Frames as #revenge for insulting Prophet (ie #CharlieHebdo) -Tries to equate ops with heroic deeds of early #Islam -Includes 6 #poetry verses

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1355872090583425027

(A T)

New #Yemen activity report from #AlQaeda-linked media. Claims 4 ops in Jan: missiles vs #UAE & #Shabwah forces; 3 bomb ops vs Houthis. Report seems constructed. Formal #AQAP has not claimed ops. May point to alignment with pro-gov militias. Heaviest criticism is directed at UAE.

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1355128426978570241

cp15 Propaganda

(A P)

"Houthi rebel OCCUPATION": @guardian describes the role of Sanaa by Ansarulah as an OCCUPATION! Ansarulah controlled Sanaa after 21Sep.,2014 revolution that forced the corrupted gov't of PM Mohammed Basindwa to resign, UN- Peace&National Partnership Accord was signed on Sep21

https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1356345243558359040

referring to https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/01/yemen-arab-spring-ten-years-war-cholera-coronavirus-famine

(B P)

The Political Thought of Yemen’s Houthi Movement

Abstract

This research paper focuses on the Houthi movement in Yemen, also known as"Ansar Allah."This movement is a religious group that belongs to the Yemeni Zaydi sect, which constitutes one of the three major branches of Shi'a branch of Islam. The study seeks to answer the following questions: What is the Houthi movement? What are its religious beliefs and political ideas? Additionally, it explores the movement's relationship with the tribes of Yemen, as well as its religious and political views toward these tribes. It also examines the movement's ideology regarding restricting governance and power to the descendants of the Yemeni Hashemite family to which the movement belongs, and how it rejects modern political participation based on elections and peaceful exchange of power. The Houthi's adherence to the law of "Khums" will be examined as well. Further, it analyzes how the Houthi movement uses violence and theocratic religious theories to forcefully and violently implement its political goals.

It must be pointed out that the Houthi movement is not a minority, as some Western researchers think, but it is rather an integral part of the traditional Zaydi sect that had ruled Yemen for intermittent periods. The leaders of this movement were involved in power; and this will be clarified in this research. For instance, before the Yemeni revolution of 1962, the Houthis and Hashemite families, in general, were essential partners in the state led by a member of the Hashemite Zaydi family.

The following are the reasons for establishing Al-Shabab Al-Muemen (The Believing Youth):

To restore the centrality of the Imamate, which is part of the Zaydi doctrine, that was neglected due to the republican system and democratic governance.

- To benefit from the Khomeinist revolutionary ideology, therefore resurrecting the Imamate in Yemen through an alliance with Tehran.

- To overthrow the Yemeni republican system and democratic governance with the argument that it is contrary to Islamic faith, specifically to the Zaydi doctrine and subject the Yemeni people to the authority of the Hashemite dynasty from a religious standpoint and a theocratic political perspective.

- To transform Yemen into an entity of the axis of resistance under the slogan: “Death to America, Death to Israel, A curse on the Jews, victory for Islam.”

Houthis believe that Yemenis should be ruled by a descendant of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) whom they call an Imam.

The Political T hought of the Houthi M ovement

As previously mentioned, the Houthi movement seeks to rule as the right of the Hashemite sect, and the imam must be from the family of Al-bayt. This theocratic theory is based on the jurisprudence of the Zaydi branch of Islam, to which Houthis belong. This branch rejects democracy and the peaceful exchange of power through elections. In the political thought of the Houthi movement, there is no need for democracy in Yemen, and here is the root of the problem. The most important thing is that many academics, writers, and intellectuals of the Hashemite Zaydi sect who had been involved in the political process and participated in political parties in the past recently backed away from their previous positions and began to support the Houthi’s political thought, and this is also another problem. “Hussein al-Houthi himself rejects pluralism in any sense of its meaning in thought or in the branches of jurisprudence. (al-Daghshi, pp. 119-121). [xi] He invokes the Almighty saying (All together hold fast the rope of Allah (Faith of Islam) and be not divided among yourselves.)”

The Houthi movement adheres to many themes to which the Shiites adhere,

Thus, it becomes clear that the Houthi movement, like any theocratic group, uses violence and false religious theories as a means to achieve its political goals, which exposes Yemen and the region to waves of violence and permanent political conflict. Therefore, if international resolutions related to the conflict in Yemen are not implemented, it seems that the Lebanon-Iraq scenario will be repeated in Yemen, which would mean the recurrence of sectarian quotas. This will weaken Yemen and help spread corruption, and harm the Yemeni citizen – by Adel Ahmed Dashela

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348944453_The_Political_Thought_of_Yemen's_Houthi_Movement?fbclid=IwAR0W91xLTZhDvYtJ2K0qay81Y8ZS-KuTt8rUk1LDOeja9-y0_XktKq3db_g

and paper in full: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348944453_The_Political_Thought_of_Yemen's_Houthi_Movement/link/60184ea945851517ef31d5fa/download

(A P)

Film: A message to the truth seekers who want to know the real face of #Houthis in #Yemen Eine Botschaft für die das wahre gesicht von den houthis kennenlernen wollen

https://twitter.com/fedaaadeen1/status/1355232836689813504

(A P)

Female Yemenis: The Houthi militia confiscated our livelihoods and their practices exceeded Al-Qaeda’s and Daesh’s in strangling freedoms./Alsahwa Net.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44836

(A P)

GPC party figure Amin Abu Ras quickly deleted a facebook post on Houthi arrangements to assassinate fellow partisan figures in Sana’a./Multiple websites.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44836

(A P)

Joke of the week from Newsweek

In a report entitled “Biden Administration's Signs of Policy Shift Divides Yemen's Warring Sides” and dated 2021-01-29, Newsweek said:

“Ansar Allah, on the other hand, shares the humanitarian concerns ...” etc.

Ansar Allah (the Houthis) have humanitarian concerns! The western media have an interest in the human element of what goes on in Yemen. The UN, too, has humanitarian concerns for the Yemeni people. That is why it is such a zealot in advocating Houthis and working to keep them safe from the least of harm. Because Houthis’ are the guarantee of the Yemeni people’s wellbeing. The sense of humanity and good-intentioned care are in abundance in our world. Oh yeah!

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44815

(A P)

All the voices shouting today to scrap or change the 2216 resolution without having a viable alternative, seem to have forgotten what happened in Hodaidah. The 2216 resolution will eventually change but now is not the time....

A change to the 2216 resolutions means enabling the Houthis to formalise their rule and enhance their capability to fund future wars - “wars they will certainly launch”. The resolution makes their grab of power illegitimate & the supply of weapons illegal.

After the Hodaidah agreement & the resolution that followed, the international community have failed miserably to implement any redeployment, remove landmines & start maintenance for an oil tanker How do you possibly think that any new resolution would be different?

https://twitter.com/BShtwtr/status/1355364910524456962

Proposed actions to “end the war in #Yemen” can play into the hands of Houthis, reward their violence, & tip the scale militarily in their favour much like the Stockholm agreement did. They can do more harm than good short & long term. Changing 2216 is not a magic bullet

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1355434073469104129

My comment: This resolution is totally biased – of course anti-Houthi voices are lamenting now as they had been accustomed to an UN bias in their favour.

(A P)

What peace an ideological organization like the UN will broker?

The final report of the Panel of Experts on Yemen published by the UN on January 25 equates the government and the Houthis in terms of human rights abuses including repression of journalists!

It states: “The Panel documented an alarming pattern of the repression of journalists and human rights defenders by the Government of Yemen, the Southern Transitional Council and the Houthis, comprising a blatant violation of the freedom of expression … etc.” !

What peace do we expect an ideological advocate of the Houthis like the UN to broker and produce?!

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44780

(A P)

Rights Radar holds UN’s Griffiths responsible for Houthi abuses and crimes

Rights Radar has said Griffiths bears direct responsibility for the Houthi abuses and crimes for the lack of firmness and transparency in his attitudes toward abuses by the Houthi militia.

The Amsterdam-based CSO for human rights said in a tweet, “The UN Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths bears direct responsibility for his attitude that is not firm and not transparent toward the Houthi militia’s violation of the international humanitarian law.”

The CSO said Griffiths faces accusations by Yemeni rights activists and decision-makers of openly taking the side of the terrorist Houthi militia

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44770

(A P)

Opinions: Yemenis condemn UN’s use of humanitarian crisis to protect Houthi “culprits”

Yemeni columnists on different news platforms are largely dedicating editorials and opinion essays these days for blistering condemnations of the UN. The latest condemnations build on the accusation to the world body using the humanitarian crisis as a human shield to protect the Houthi “culprits” - behind the crisis -from terror designation by the US.

The writers are strongly skeptical of the UN’s intents behind its rejection of the US move in the name of famine-related concerns, since the Houthi militia is the author of this war and the ensuing humanitarian crisis

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44768

(A P)

Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads

First episode of Booktalk, where host Professor Eugene Rogan (St Antony's College, Oxford) talks with David Rundell on his book Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads, Bloomsbury Publication (2020.

David Rundell. David came to Oxford in 1976 to read for the M.Phil. in modern Middle Eastern studies. He was a student of Albert Hourani’s and a direct contemporary of New York Times columnist Tom Friedman. After completing the MPhil in 1978, David entered the U.S. Foreign Service. In 1981 he was posted as a political officer to the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, marking the beginning of a 30-year career in diplomacy – 16 of those years spent in Saudi Arabia alone. As America’s most experienced Saudi hand, friends and colleagues have long anticipated his book on Saudi Arabia. Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads was published in 2020 by Bloomsbury’s I.B. Tauris.

Abstract from the book itself

Something extraordinary is happening in Saudi Arabia. A traditional, tribal society once known for its lack of tolerance is rapidly implementing significant economic and social reforms. An army of foreign consultants is rewriting the social contract, King Salman has cracked down hard on corruption, and his dynamic though inexperienced son, the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, is promoting a more tolerant Islam. But is all this a new vision or Saudi Arabia or merely a mirage likely to dissolve into Iranian-style revolution? David Rundell- one of America's foremost experts on Saudi Arabia - explains how the country has been stable for so long, why it is less so today, and what is most likely to happen in the future. The book is based on the author's close contacts and intimate knowledge of the country where he spent 15 years living and working as a diplomat. Vision or Mirage demystifies one of the most powerful, but least understood, states in the Middle East and is essential reading for anyone interested in the power dynamics and politics of the Arab World.

https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/vision-or-mirage-saudi-arabia-crossroads

for the book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/vision-or-mirage-9781838605957/

(A P)

Houthis killed 11 athletes during war: Yemeni minister

[Hadi gov.] Sports minister accuses Houthis of seizing $7M from government

Yemen’s Sports Minister Nayef al-Bakri said on Thursday that the Houthi group had killed 11 athletes and caused $2.8 billion in losses.

In a statement, al-Bakri said: "The Houthi group killed 11 athletes, including Ali Al-Saudi and Abdullah Arif Abd Rabbo, players of the national football team, in addition to destroying 87 sports facilities."

"The Houthis have also caused losses to the sports sector since the start of the war which equaled 222 billion Yemeni riyals [about $2.8 billion],” al-Bakri said.

The Yemeni minister accused the Houthi group of "seizing 6 billion Yemeni riyals [$7 million dollars] from the allocations of the Sanaa Youth Welfare Fund which caused 7,000 employees in the sports sector to lose their jobs."

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/houthis-killed-11-athletes-during-war-yemeni-minister/2126293

(A P)

More Saudi coalition „We are benefactors“ propaganda

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2185621

http://en.adenpress.news/news/32105

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2185056

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2185052

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2185038

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2185024

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2184846

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2184844

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2184839

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* A K pH)

Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day

Jan. 29: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1925927750890914/

Jan. 28. https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1924282367722119/

Jan. 27: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1924281871055502/

Jan. 26: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1924281421055547/

Jan. 25: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1924280704388952/

(* B K pH)

Saudis, Allies Dropped Over 3,000 Cluster Bombs on Yemen Since 2015: Official

The director-general of the [Sanaa gov.] Yemen Executive Mine Action Center (YEMAC) has said the Saudi-led coalition has dropped 3,179 cluster bombs on Yemen since the beginning of its aggression against the defenseless Yemeni people in 2015.

Ali Sofra said the civilian casualties of the bombardments, mostly women and children, have exceeded 1,000, and most of them were in agricultural and grazing areas, Iraq’s al-Maloumeh news website reported on Sunday.

The ministry added that the Saudi-led coalition has used thousands of cluster bombs on residential areas, leaving many civilians dead or injured.

“According to accurate statistics obtained by the center, there are eight types of cluster bombs that have been used in Yemen, which were made by the United States, Britain, and Brazil,” Sofra said.

The cluster bomb attacks concentrated in nine provinces, namely Sa'ada, Hajjah, the capital Sana'a, Hudaydah, Jawf, Amran, Mahweet, Dhamar and Ta'izz, according to YEMAC’s director.

Acting Minister of Human Rights Ali Al-Dailami also said in remarks on Sunday that the UN impedes cooperation to complete the file of removing the internationally banned cluster bombs.

Al-Dailami said cluster bombs that are used in the war on Yemeni people are part of the internationally prohibited weapons, Yemen Press Agency (YPA) reported.

https://english.almasirah.net/post/17547/Saudis%2C-Allies-Dropped-Over-3%2C000-Cluster-Bombs-on-Yemen-Since-2015-Official

and also https://english.almasirah.net/post/17538/Director-of-Mines-Action-Center-Catastrophic-Damages-by-US-Saudi-Cluster-Bombs%2C-in-Yemen

(* B K)

Saudi bombers have destroyed 500 Yemeni hospitals: Minister

The [Sanaa gov.] Yemeni health minister has said that hostile Saudi bombers have indiscriminately targeted and destroyed more than 500 hospitals and medical centers since their aggression began in 2015.

Taha Motavakel, the Yemeni health minister has told Yremeni al-Maseera TV that Saudi warplanes target the Yemeni hospitals on purpose.

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/169202/Saudi-bombers-have-destroyed-500-Yemeni-hospitals-Minister

and also https://english.almasirah.net/post/17480/Minister-of-Health-US-Saudi-Aggression-Deliberately-Destroyed-523-Hospitals%2C-Killed%2C-Wounded-43%2C000-Citizens

(A K pH)

More Saudi coalition air raids

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126889.htm / https://twitter.com/A7medJa7af/status/1356299203073478658 Sanaa airport

https://english.almasirah.net/post/17551/US-Saudi-Aggression-s-Daily-Update-for-%C2%A0Monday%2C-Feb-1st%2C-2021 Sanaa p., Marib p., Jawf p.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126749.htm Marib p.

https://english.almasirah.net/post/17514/US-Saudi-Aggression-Launches-Raids-on-%C2%A0Number-of-Governorates Several prov.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126572.htm Marib p.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126469.htm Marib p.

https://english.almasirah.net/post/17496/US-Saudi-Aggression-s-Daily-Update-for-%C2%A0Friday%2C-Jan-29%2C-2021 Marib p., Jawf p.

https://english.almasirah.net/post/17478/US-Saudi-Aggression-s-Daily-Update-for-Thursday%2C-Jan-28%2C-2021 / https://english.almasirah.net/post/17474/US-Saudi-Aggression-Launches-Series-of-Raids-on-Sa-adah%2C-Marib Saada p., Marib p.

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

Siehe / Look at cp18

Im Jemen herrscht ein militärisches Patt. Eine größere Offensive mit größeren Erfolgen und Geländegewinnen für eine Seite bleiben seit der Offensive der saudischen Koalition gegen Hodeidah im Jahr 2018 aus. Kleinere Offensiven, ständige gegenseitige Angriffe und Gefechte mit Toten auf beiden Seiten und Opfern unter der Zivilbevölkerung gibt es aber ständig. Besonders betroffen sind die Provinzen Hodeidah, Taiz, Al Bayda, Al Dhalea, der Bezirk Nehm in der Provinz Sanaa, die Provinzen Al Jawf, Marib, Hajjah und Saada.

There is a military stalemate in Yemen. A larger offensive with greater successes and territorial gains for one side has been absent since the Saudi coalition's offensive against Hodeidah in 2018. Smaller offensives, constant mutual attacks and skirmishes killing fighters of both sides and causing victims among the civilian population are constant. The provinces of Hodeidah, Taiz, Al Bayda, Al Dhalea, the district of Nehm in the province of Sanaa, the provinces of Al Jawf, Marib, Hajjah and Saada are particularly affected.

(A K pS)

Houthis kill two peasants in Al-Baidha

Locals told the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) that Ali Mohamed al-Abidi from al-Masahr region of Al-Baidha and Saleh Amshneeni from Lowder district of Abyan governorate were shot dead by Houthi militia's snipers.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/32122

(A K pS)

Houthi militant kills child, injures another in Taiz

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44838

(A K)

Government forces say capture mountain range from Houthis in Jawf

https://debriefer.net/en/news-22856.html

(B K pS)

Drones from Iranian-backed groups continue to threaten Saudi Arabia

When it comes to the kingdom, the Iran drone threat is deadly serious.

Over the years, Iran has helped the Houthi rebels in Yemen build up a drone army. These include mostly what are called “loitering munitions” or kamikaze drones, meaning they are fed coordinates to a target and fly into it, much like a cruise missile. While some can loiter over a target, in general it does not appear that most of these drones have the ability to return to Houthi bases after a mission.

However, when it comes to Saudi Arabia, the Iran drone threat is deadly serious. Riyadh also has challenges identifying where the drones come from. This is partly an air defense problem. The kingdom is a large country and needs a lot of radar and air defense installations to both detect and seek out the drones to destroy.

Riyadh, a key ally of the US, may get advice on how best to continue to confront the threats. Evidence shows that it has done a good job downing drones and missiles in recent years. The question is whether the threats will grow as Tehran seeks to target US allies to put pressure on them and Washington, and to test new weapons.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/drones-from-iranian-backed-groups-continue-to-threaten-saudi-arabia-657394

My comment: It looks this way when xou just ommit 2/3 of the story. These Houthi attacks are provoked by the Saudi air raids – it could be very simple to stop any Houthi attack: Stop air raids against Yemen.

(A K pS)

Young man killed, his brother injured by Houthi militia landmine northern Al-Dhale

http://en.26sepnews.net/2021/01/31/young-man-killed-his-brother-injured-by-houthi-militia-landmine-northern-al-dhale/

and also https://republicanyemen.net/archives/27001

(A K pS)

Masam for Mine Clearance in #Yemen says its field teams cleared 1419 mines, unexploded ordnance and explosive devices during the last week of January, bringing the total of landmine and ERW that have been cleared to 214.437

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1355910460944613379

(A K pS)

Civil Defense in Jazan: Military Projectile Launched by Iranian-Backed Terrorist Houthi Militia Falls Near Al-Harth General Hospital With No Losses

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2185079

and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/32111

(A K pH)

In Sa'adah, a citizen was killed in Shida border district by the Saudi missile and artillery shelling. The aggression launched 2 raids on Ad-Dhahir district.

https://english.almasirah.net/post/17515/US-Saudi-Aggression-s-Daily-Update-for-Saturday%2C-Jan-30%2C-2021

and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126604.htm

(A K pS)

The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Interception. Destruction of A Bomb-Laden (UAV) in Yemeni Airspace Launched by Terrorist, Iran-Backed Houthi Militia

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2185042

(* B K pS)

50000 Houthi-laid mines destroyed in Haja province

About 50000 mines and explosives that had been planted by the Iran-backed Houthis were destroyed on Saturday in the northern parts of Haja province, the Media Center of the Fifth Military Region (MCFMR) said.

Major Mujahid Al-Shaer, head of the engineering operations in the Fifth Military Region, said in a press release that the large quantities of mines and explosives were dismantled in the past two years in the districts of Medi, Hairan, Abbs, and Haradh where Houthis had randomly excessively laid landmines and explosive devices.

“Thousands of mines still pose a grave danger to civilians in the liberated areas of Haja,” Major Al-Shaer said.

https://republicanyemen.net/archives/26995

(* B K pS)

Saudi-led coalition continues demining across Yemen

At this minefield in Midi, Yemeni officer Mujahid al-Shaer is in charge of a mine removal battalion in the Yemeni army.

"We have removed about 5,000 landmines and improvised explosive devices during the past few months from roads, farms and villages in Midi alone," al-Shaer told Xinhua.

"We have also removed more than 45,000 mines from the neighboring border areas, including the districts of Hayran, Haradh and Abs, in the northern Hajjah province and work is continuing to clear more minefields with the help of the Arab coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia," he added.

Sudanese Captain Mohammed Qasim Saqaa is the commander of a Sudanese military battalion in Midi, which is part of the Sudanese forces led by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

"We, in the Sudanese battalion, continue to assist the Yemeni army in cleaning the country of all types of landmines and all remnants of ammunition left by the Houthi militia," he said.

"The Sudanese forces also continue to support the Yemeni army in securing the liberated areas, and help facilitate the return of Yemeni civilians to their homes," he added.

Military experts here estimate that hundreds of thousands of landmines still buried under the sand, threatening the residents and returnees from internal displaced camps.

For Yemeni officer al-Shaer, there are many challenges facing the demining teams here in Midi. "Given the huge numbers of landmines planted indiscriminately in many of the vast areas here, we are facing more difficulties and challenges in this mission, including a lack of trained experts and some equipments. But the Saudi project (Masam) in Yemen has helped the Yemeni army a lot to overcome many challenges."

According to Yemeni officials, the Saudi Project for Clearing Landmines is helping the Yemeni government to clear large swathes of the mines, secure roads for the return of displaced people to their homes, and secure humanitarian aid supplies to reach the needy.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-01/29/c_139707617.htm

and also http://en.26sepnews.net/2021/01/31/army-destroys-5000-mines-and-explosive-devices-planted-by-houthi-militia-in-hajjah/

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoX_Z1gfd88

(A K pS)

A man has been injured in the explosion of a Houthi landmine in Aljawf./Almanarah Net

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44769

(A K pS)

Child seriously injured by Houthi sniper in al-Dhale

http://en.adenpress.news/news/32098

and also https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1355231739040432132

(A K pH)

Three Citizens Injured by Saudi Missile, Artillery Shells in Sa’adah Governorate

Almasirah correspondent in the governorate reported that Saudi missile and artillery shells targeted the Shida border district, injuring three citizens.

https://english.almasirah.net/post/17488/Three-Citizens-Injured-by-Saudi-Missile%2C-Artillery-Shells-in-Sa-adah-Governorate

and also https://english.almasirah.net/post/17479/3-Citizens-Injured-in-New-Saudi-Attacks-on-Sa-adah

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126472.htm

cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle

Seit dem Abkommen von Stockholm vom 13. Dezember 2018 gibt es einen Waffenstillstand für Hodeidah. Zwar bleiben größere Offensiven aus, kleinere Gefechte gibt es aber laufend, und beide Seiten werfen sich ständig Verstöße gegen den Waffenstillstand vor.

Since the Stockholm Agreement of December 13, 2018, a ceasefire has been in place for Hodeidah. There are no major offensives, but smaller battles are going on and both sides constantly are accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.

(A K pS)

Film: The extent of the destruction caused by the Houthi bombing of citizens' homes in the Mashhar neighborhood of Hodeidah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p20ARo-qhkw

(A)

Photos: This is the liberated city of Tuhayta A failure in the most basic of services, a shameful sight in the middle of residential homes. I swear, by God, a defect of local authority

https://twitter.com/baseem_aljenani/status/1355862814796165121

(A P)

Woman Injured by US-Saudi Mercenaries' Fire in Hodeidah

https://english.almasirah.net/post/17516/Woman-Injured-by-US-Saudi-Mercenaries-Fire-in-Hodeidah%C2%A0

and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126604.htm

(A P)

Protests demand gov’t withdrawal from Stockholm Agreement, Hodeidah liberation

Scores of protesters took to the streets of Khawkha city in the western Hodeidah governorate today demanding the withdrawal of the government from the Stockholm Agreement and liberating Hodeidah’s provincial capital from the Houthis.

The protests, called for by [Hadi gov.] Hodeidah governor Alhassan Taher and Tihama’s National Council also demanded the repayment of public employees.

They said the government’s entering into the agreement in December 2018 was a mistake since Houthis used it to consolidate their control instead of honoring anything in the deal.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44778

(A K)

Mine blast leaves Houthis killed, injured in Hodeida

A group of Houthis were killed or injured on Thursday when a mine web blasted in the Yemeni western governorate of Hodeida, Yemen's pro-government Giant Brigades' media center reported.
The mines were laid by Houthi fighters near their sites in the eastern part of Hodeida port city, before blowing up some of the group's elements, the center added.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-22790.html

(A K P)

Yemeni Joint Forces seize arms heading for Houthis

The Yemeni Joint Forces (JF) have seized arms shipment in the Red Sea port city of Mocha heading for the Houthi group, the Giant Brigades' media center reported on Thursday.
Positioned in al-Nojaiba area in Mocha, the 11th Giant Brigade forces captured a collection of ammunitions en route to the Houthi-held areas, the center claimed.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-22766.html

and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/32089

Photos. https://twitter.com/baseem_aljenani/status/1354606793629040643

(A K pH)

Daily violations (as claimed by the Houthi side)

Feb. 1: https://english.almasirah.net/post/17551/US-Saudi-Aggression-s-Daily-Update-for-%C2%A0Monday%2C-Feb-1st%2C-2021

Jan. 30: https://english.almasirah.net/post/17515/US-Saudi-Aggression-s-Daily-Update-for-Saturday%2C-Jan-30%2C-2021

Jan. 29: https://english.almasirah.net/post/17496/US-Saudi-Aggression-s-Daily-Update-for-%C2%A0Friday%2C-Jan-29%2C-2021

Jan. 28: https://english.almasirah.net/post/17478/US-Saudi-Aggression-s-Daily-Update-for-Thursday%2C-Jan-28%2C-2021

cp19 Sonstiges / Other

(* C)

A tour of the photo album of the Russian engineer, Vadim Abramov, when he visited Al-Hudaydah Governorate in 1965.

https://twitter.com/baseem_aljenani/status/1354900886934462464

(* A)

Multiple casualties after explosion at gas station in al-Bayda

An explosion has ripped through a gas station in the center of the Houthi-held al-Bayda city, according to local sources who said the incident has led to multiple causalities.
At least, 60 people were killed and injured in the blast amid total absence of firefighters, local sources and news websites reported.
The explosion caused a massive fire at the gas station and the nearby area, causing the destruction of a number of cars and damage to a number of neighboring houses, the local sources added.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/32107

and

(* A)

Deadly gas station blasts in central Yemen kills two and wounds dozens

Huge explosions cause carnage at Al Baydha depot where dozens were queuing in desperation for petrol

Two people have been killed and 70 others injured by two massive blasts at a gas station in Al Baydha, central Yemen on Saturday.

The explosions were triggered by a burning car in a nearby garage, Dr Mohamed Al Qaisi, a hospital manager based in the city, told The National.

Dr Al Qaisi described how the blasts sparked a huge conflagration at the same time dozens of people were queuing up for gas.

Severe gas and fuel shortages in Houthi-controlled northern Yemen have caused panic buying and long queues at petrol stations, which exacerbated the severity of incident, Dr Al Qaisi said.

He revealed that eight of the 70 people injured were in a "very critical condition" and had been transferred to the region's largest city, Sanaa, to receive treatment.

“The other [injured parties] were taken to several hospitals and healthcare centres in Al Baydha to be treated,“ he said.

The gas station rocked by the eruptions was built after the Houthi militia took control of Al Baydha in 2015.

“[It] was set up in a crowded street, which includes car garages, a governmental bank and blocks of residences,” an anonymous Al Baydha local told The National.

The leadership of the anti-Houthi Public Resistance has accused the Houthi militia of being responsible for the incident.

“[They] must be held accountable because they allowed the owner of the gas station to set it up amid a busy residential street," spokesperson Mustafa Al Baydani told The National.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/deadly-gas-station-blasts-in-central-yemen-kills-two-and-wounds-dozens-1.1156599

and also https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/01/30/Explosion-rips-through-gas-station-in-Yemen-s-al-Bayda-city-Local-sources

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126600.htm

Films: https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1355562779365806084

https://twitter.com/EremNews/status/1355547018555498497

https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1355577127060578309

and

(* A)

Yemen gas station explosion kills 2, injures 90 in Bayda

A video circulating on social media showed a large ball of fire emanating from the gas station as panicked drivers and pedestrians fled the scene.

“At least 20 critically wounded people were taken to hospitals in Sanaa,” said the health official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Houthi media did not mention what triggered the explosion, but the official said that the gas station was built recently and is part of a large fuel and gas black market, which has grown in recent years inside Houthi-controlled areas.

“Oil and gas stations have arbitrarily spread inside Bayda,” the official said.

Yemeni activists and journalists on social media expressed shock and horror over the images of the explosion.

“This is a mini scene of the Beirut port explosion,” Sami Noman, a Yemeni journalist from the southern city of Taiz, said on Twitter on Sunday, referring to mega explosions that rocked the Lebanese capital in August last year.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1801506/middle-east

and

(A P)

Bayda approves removal of random gas stations

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126767.htm

(A P)

Young Yemeni artist Khawla Almekhlafi starts a new street art campaign in Taiz called #Just_numbers, to shed light on war's civilian casualties and victims (photos)

https://twitter.com/Hodey_m/status/1355945170148069377

(B)

US Embassy to Yemen: In Feb, we highlight journalist and filmmaker Mariam Al-Dhubhani, who co-founded her first media production in 2011. Her work has been shown in the Carthage, Interfilm, &Oaxaca film festivals. She uses virtual reality to highlight stories from Yemen (photo)

https://twitter.com/USEmbassyYemen/status/1356180694087692294

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-712-yemen-war-mosaic-712

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-712 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-712:

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/

Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:

http://yemendataproject.org/data/

Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:

https://yemen.bellingcat.com/

Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:

https://yemeniarchive.org/en

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

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