Houthis-Fighting To Save Gaza
Who are the Houthis, and why are they trying to help Gaza when others aren’t?
Houthis-Fighting To Save Gaza
Who are the Houthis, and why are they trying to help Gaza when others aren’t?
Who are the Houthis? Most people in the U.S. and likely most Westerners in general hear this name, and the media’s rhetoric and just assume they’re a “terrorist” organization. This label is used on any resistance fighters if they aren’t aligned with Western financial interests, but who are they?
The Houthis are Zaidi Shia Muslims, this sect got its start in northern Yemen and parts of Saudi Arabia and believes it is the duty of an Imam or a qualified leader to rise against tyranny or corrupt rulers. This belief is rooted in the actions of their namesake, Zayd ibn Ali, who led an uprising against the Umayyad Caliphate. This principle is more actively embraced in Zaidism than in some other branches of Islam.
Origins
In the late 1980s, the Saudis funded Salafi Institutes in northern Yemen, these institutes pushed Sunni teachings, which promote more unity and stabilization, and shun rebellion except in the most extreme circumstances. The Houthis felt these institutes marginalized them.
In response to this, they sought to revive their religion and culture under the leadership of Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, the namesake of their group.
Activism
The U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 activated the group politically, and their leader Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi criticized the U.S. invasion and began to call their President Ali Abdullah Saleh a U.S.-backed dictator.
Houthi protests began around the country, so President Ali Abdullah Saleh sent troops to arrest Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi in an ill-conceived plan to squash the dissent.
Conflict
In their eyes, President Ali Abdullah Saleh had shown his hand at being a corrupt dictator by sending troops to arrest their leader, so the Houthis began armed conflicts against the government, with the Saudis backing the government. Keep in mind the Houthis have a religious requirement to take down corruption.
During their first insurgency against the government, their leader Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi was killed, it’s unclear the exact circumstances, but there was a lot of conflict between forces, and it is known that the government had certain groups whose primary mission was to take him out. This just cemented the resolve of the Houthis though, and escalated the conflict more.
“You can kill a man but you can’t kill an idea” — Sophocles
After he died in 2004, his brother Abdul-Malik al-Houthi became the leader of the movement. Iran began to show support for their movement, even though they don’t share their religious beliefs, it seems to be more of a “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” type situation, and both forces want to! oust Western influence in the region.
The Rebels Success
The Houthis have had a lot of success in their fight against the government, and in 2010 they reached a ceasefire with the government while still controlling large portions of the country.
When the Arab Spring reached Yemen they demanded that their corrupt president Ali Abdullah Saleh step down, and elect a new president Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi. The new president evidently was more corrupt than the last, with more ties to the Saudis and by extension the U.S.A., so the Houthis allied with the previous corrupt president, who still had a lot of the military under his thumb, and struck back against President Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi.
This drove the new president into exile, where he still is the “legitimate president” to this day, running things from Saudi Arabia, must be pretty hard to run a country when you aren’t even allowed in it.
The West Strikes Back
In 2015 a coalition of the Saudis, UAE and backed by the U.S., UK, and France led a campaign of heavy bombing in Yemen, calling it “Operation Decisive Storm” which was supposed to be their version of “Shock and Awe” but we see how that turned out for President Bush.
It was an utter failure, and gained attention from international Human Rights Organizations due to their targeting of civilian populations, hospitals, mosques, and schools, leading to accusations of “crimes against humanity”. Sounds familiar doesn’t it…perhaps why the Saudis have been quiet about Israel’s similar behavior against the Gazans.
By 2015 the Houthi rebels had toppled the government and taken over all major cities, and rebranded themselves Ansar Allah (God’s helpers).
Recent estimates are 377,000 Yemeni deaths related to combat and famine, with 80% not receiving enough food. The main sources of famine are the constant combat and destruction of vital infrastructure. The U.S. still has been backing the Saudi attacks on the Yemeni people.
Corrupt ex-President Flips Sides Again
In December 2017 Saleh broke ties with the Houthis and opened talks with the Saudis. The Houthis then saw this as treacherous and assassinated him 2 days later via a Houthi Sniper.
Oil Fields
September 14th, 2019 the Houthis struck Saudi oil refineries with drones. These refineries supply 5% of the global oil supply. The West tried blaming Iran for these attacks, in a seeming attempt to escalate conflicts in the region. American readers may remember this particular strike, because it was when Trump pulled troops out from assisting the Kurds and sent them instead to guard oil fields in Saudi Arabia, claiming they “pay us better”.
Today
Recently the Houthis have made the news due to attacking shipments bound for Israel, they have even uploaded chest cam footage of them taking over shipping vessels.
Their stated claim is that the attacks on shipments bound for Israel will continue until their brothers in Gaza are supplied with the food, water, and medical supplies they need.
The Houthis, like the Irish, know what it is like to be oppressed by a larger power and to face an almost insurmountable multi-generational challenge. It makes perfect sense why they would side with their brothers in Gaza, and do what they can to weaken the oppressing force. Their own experiences mixed with their religious convictions to rise and topple corruption have led them to risk their own lives for the sake of the Gazans.
This sort of bravery should be commended rather than smeared, but Western media always only shows its viewers what they want them to see, with their own spin attached to it.
The Biden administration however is tossing around the idea of direct strikes on Yemen, a war-torn impoverished country with huge food scarcity, the only country so far that is trying with direct military action to prevent the genocide from continuing in Gaza.
If you’re an American you should be asking yourself.
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