American officials revealed Washington's readiness to include the Yemeni Houthi group on the list of foreign terrorist organizations again, against the backdrop of its recent attacks in the Red Sea.
Washington intends to include the Yemeni Houthi group on the list of foreign terrorist organizations again due to its recent attacks in the Red Sea.
The Associated Press, citing unnamed American officials, said that President Joe Biden's administration is expected to officially announce its decision regarding the Houthis within a short time.
It is noteworthy that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had previously announced the removal of the Houthi group from the list of foreign terrorist organizations, effective February 16, 2021.
Blinken stated that the decision in question was taken due to the significant deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
The Houthis were previously included on the list of foreign terrorist organizations during the last days of the administration of former US President Donald Trump.
On Friday, the White House announced, in a joint statement from 10 countries, that “in response to the Houthi attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea, the American and British armed forces carried out joint attacks against targets in areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen.”
In "solidarity with the Gaza Strip," which has been exposed since October 7, 2023, to a devastating Israeli war with American support, the Houthis are targeting, with missiles and drones, cargo ships in the Red Sea that are owned or operated by Israeli companies or that transport goods to and from Israel.
The American Senate refuses to link aid to Israel to non-violation of human rights
The US Senate rejected a bill presented by independent Senator Bernie Sanders, linking the provision of military aid to Israel on the condition that it does not commit “human rights violations,” which would have opened the door to stopping this aid.
The US Senate rejected a bill proposed by independent Senator Bernie Sanders, linking the provision of military aid to Israel on the condition that it does not commit “human rights violations.”
Sanders, the Democratic-leaning senator from Vermont who is known for his sensitivity toward Israel and the Palestinian issue, presented a bill that opens the door to halting military aid to Israel.
The bill, which was rejected by 72 members of the 100-seat Senate, links US military aid to Israel to the condition that it does not commit human rights violations.
The project would activate an article of the Foreign Aid Law in force in the United States, and would require the State Department to submit regular reports to Congress on “whether or not Israel has committed human rights violations in the Gaza Strip.”
If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is unable to prepare the necessary report on the matter and submit it to Congress within 30 days, it has become possible to freeze military aid to Israel, in the text of the rejected law.
Even if the bill passes the Senate, it needs to be approved in the House of Representatives and signed by US President Joe Biden before it becomes law.
Although experts have confirmed that the possibility of the bill becoming a law is very weak, the Sanders initiative is important in that it reflects the Democrats’ reaction to the policy of unconditional military support for Israel, according to American media reports.