NEW YORK: Even though it was a virtual session, one could sense the emotional atmosphere during a meeting of the Security Council on Thursday as Martin Griffiths, the UN special envoy for Yemen, briefed members about the “harrowing note” on which 2020 had ended in the war-ravaged country.
He spoke of his shock when he visited Aden’s civilian airport and saw the damage caused by “a vicious attack” on Dec. 30 targeting the Yemeni government’s newly formed cabinet as they arrived at the airport. Dozens of civilians were killed or injured, including government officials, humanitarian-aid workers and a journalist.
As he condemned the attack “in the strongest terms possible” and hailed the resolve of the members of the new government, who chose to remain in Aden and carry out their duties despite the security risks, Griffiths reminded the council that “deliberate attacks on civilians (may) constitute a war crime.”
The members of the Security Council echoed his condemnation of the attack.
“The UK assesses that it is highly likely that the Houthis were responsible for this cowardly and craven attack,” said Barbara Woodward, the UK permanent representative to the UN.
“Only the Houthis have the means, the motive and the opportunity. It was a clear and deplorable attempt to destabilize the newly formed Yemeni government. The Houthi attack casts a dark shadow over a group that claims to be pursuing peace in Yemen.”
Woodward also condemned “Houthi cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia” and said the UK “shares US concerns about the Houthi commitment to peace.”
A Yemeni government investigation into the assault on the airport also concluded that the Houthis were responsible for an attack that “casts a dark shadow over what should have been a moment of hope in the efforts to achieve peace in Yemen.”
Griffiths said the formation of the Yemeni cabinet and its return to Aden “was a major milestone for the (Saudi-brokered) Riyadh Agreement, and for the stability of state institutions, the economy and the peace process.” He once again commended Saudi Arabia for its “successful mediation role.”
He added: “Progress on the Riyadh Agreement is significant. It shows us that reconciliation between opposing parties can be achieved. Despite all their bitter opposition, and with the tireless efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as mediator, the two sides made peace with each other. So it can be done.”
Turning to the “cumbersome and frustrating” negotiations for a joint declaration by the government and the Houthis — a set of proposals for measures including a nationwide ceasefire, humanitarian aid and economic relief, and the resumption of the peace process — Griffiths acknowledged that they cannot continue indefinitely.
“But let me be clear: the parties can slice and dice the set of proposals contained in the joint declaration any way they wish,” he said. “It can be a whole package. It can be done in parts. I have no objection to the way these measures are adopted.”
He called for the focus to remain on the political process, irrespective of the outcome of the joint declaration negotiations.
Mark Lowcock, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, warned that the people of Yemen face a looming “massive famine,” amid projections that 16 million Yemenis will go hungry this year. He said that 50,000 people are already starving to death in what is “essentially a small famine,” and another five million are “just one step behind them.”
There is impending danger of an even larger-scale famine, Lowcock said, if US authorities do not reconsider their decision to designate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. He joined Griffiths and World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley in calling on Washington to reverse the decision on humanitarian grounds.
“We fear that there will be inevitably a chilling effect on my efforts to bring the parties together,” Griffiths told the 15-member Security Council.
Beasley said: “We are struggling now, without the designation — with the designation, it’s going to be catastrophic. It literally is going to be a death sentence to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of innocent people in Yemen.”
Richard Mills, the deputy US ambassador to the UN, said the terrorist designation is a response to a stalling political process that “has produced little results despite the heroic efforts of (Griffiths).”
He assured the officials that their concerns will inform Washington’s approach to the implementation of the designation, but was adamant that “this step is the right move forward to send the right signal if we want the political process to move forward.”
Details of exemptions that would allow aid agencies to distribute food in Yemen despite US regulations have reportedly not been finalized yet by the State Department in Washington, with only days to go until the designation takes effect on Jan. 19.
On top of this, about 30 million Yemenis rely on aid from UN organizations, but Lowcock said that 90 percent of the food they distribute is imported. Even if exemptions are granted quickly to aid agencies, it will not be enough to prevent famine, he warned, because the agencies cannot adequately replace commercial imports. A number of NGOs have expressed concerns that the US designation of the Houthis will disrupt their ability to maintain shipments of food to Yemen.
Lowcock also said that fears of being sanctioned by the US is discouraging many traders from continuing to supply food because they consider the risks too great.
“What would prevent (famine?)” he asked? “A reversal of the US decision.”
Beasley additionally warned that there is a massive deficit in the funding of aid for Yemen and urged countries in the region to contribute more.
He called on “the Gulf states, the Saudis to pick up the financial tab for the needs inside Yemen because the needs in other parts of the world are so great.”
Still hope for Yemen despite violence and famine, says UN envoy
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Still hope for Yemen despite violence and famine, says UN envoy
- Martin Griffiths hails resolve of newly formed Yemeni cabinet after they were targeted in airport attack
- US urged to reverse designation of Houthis as terrorists to safeguard peace talks and avoid humanitarian disaster
US says supports gas deals with Kurdistan region after Iraq lawsuit
- “We encourage Baghdad and Irbil to work together to expand domestic gas production as soon as possible
WASHINGTON: The United States said Tuesday it supported American energy companies’ contracts with Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region after the Iraqi government filed a lawsuit against them.
Regional prime minister Masrour Barzani announced the signing of the two deals valued at tens of billions of dollars during a visit to Washington, in which he met Friday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio in his meeting “commended” the deals with US companies, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters.
“We encourage Baghdad and Irbil to work together to expand domestic gas production as soon as possible. These types of economic partnerships will benefit both the American and Iraqi peoples and help Iraq move toward energy independence,” she said.
“We also believe that US and Iraqi interests are best served by having a strong, resilient Iraqi Kurdistan region within a sovereign and prosperous federal Iraq
“As far as the nature of the lawsuits, obviously we are looking forward to continuing these kinds of deals. We expect these kinds of deals to flourish, and expect and would hope that they would be facilitated,” she said.
Israeli troops fire warning shots as Palestinians overwhelm new Gaza food center
- The UN and other humanitarian organizations have rejected the new system, saying it won’t be able to meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million people
MUWASI, Gaza Strip: Chaos erupted on the second day of aid operations by a new US-backed group in Gaza as desperate Palestinians overwhelmed a center distributing food on Tuesday, breaking through fences. Nearby Israeli troops fired warning shots, sending people fleeing in panic.
An AP journalist heard Israeli tank and gunfire and saw a military helicopter firing flares. The Israeli military said its troops fired the warning shots in the area outside the center and that “control over the situation was established.”
At least three injured Palestinians were seen by The Associated Press being brought from the scene, one of them bleeding from his leg.
The distribution hub outside Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah had been opened the day before by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been slated by Israel to take over aid operations. The UN and other humanitarian organizations have rejected the new system, saying it won’t be able to meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and allows Israel to use food as a weapon to control the population. They have also warned of the risk of friction between Israeli troops and people seeking supplies.
Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli blockade pushed Gaza to the brink of famine.
Palestinians walk miles for food, finding chaos
Palestinians at the scene told AP that small numbers of people made their way to the GHF center Tuesday morning and received food boxes. As word spread, large numbers of men, women and children walked for several miles from the sprawling tent camps along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast. To reach the hub, they had to pass through nearby Israeli military positions.
By the afternoon, hundreds of thousands were massed at the hub. Videos show the crowds funneled in long lines through chain-link fence passages. Two people said each person was searched and had their faces scanned for identification before being allowed to receive the boxes. Crowds swelled and turmoil erupted, with people tearing down fences and grabbing boxes. The staff at the site were forced to flee, they said.
The AP journalist positioned some distance away heard gunfire and rounds of tank fire. Smoke could be seen rising from where one round impacted. He saw a military helicopter overhead firing flares.
“There was no order, the people rushed to take, there was shooting, and we fled,” said Hosni Abu Amra, who had been waiting to receive aid. “We fled without taking anything that would help us get through this hunger.”
“It was chaos,” said Ahmed Abu Taha, who said he heard gunfire and saw Israeli military aircraft overhead. “People were panicked.”
Crowds were seen running from the site. A few managed to secure aid boxes — containing basic items like sugar, flour, pasta and tahini — but the vast majority left empty-handed.
US-backed group says they ‘fell back’ to ensure safety
In a statement, GHF said that because of the large number of Palestinians seeking aid, staff at the hub followed the group’s safety protocols and “fell back” to allow them to dissipate, then later resumed operations.
A spokesperson for the group told the AP that no shots were fired from GHF. Speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the group’s rules, the spokesperson said the protocols aim at “avoiding loss of life, which is exactly what happened.”
GHF uses armed private contractors to guard the hubs and the transportation of supplies. The hub is also close to Israeli military positions in the Morag Corridor, a band of territory across the breadth of Gaza that divides Rafah from the rest of the territory.
GHF has set up four hubs around Gaza to distribute food, two of which began operating on Monday — both of them in the Rafah area.
The UN and other humanitarian groups have refused to participate in GHF’s system, saying it violates humanitarian principles. They say it can be used by Israel to forcibly displace the population by requiring them to move near the few distribution hubs or else face starvation – a violation of international law. They have also opposed the use of facial recognition to vet recipients.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday commented on the turmoil at the Rafah center, saying, “There was some loss of control momentarily … happily we brought it under control.”
He repeated that Israel plans to move Gaza’s entire population to a “sterile zone” at the southern end of the territory while troops fight Hamas elsewhere.
UN says it has been struggling to transport aid
Israel has said the new system is necessary because it claims Hamas has been siphoning off supplies that reach Gaza. The UN has denied that any significant diversion takes place.
Throughout the war, the UN and other aid groups have conducted a massive operation distributing food, medicine and other supplies to wherever Palestinians are located. Israel says GHF will replace that network, but the past week has allowed a trickle of aid to enter Gaza for the UN to distribute.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency in charge of coordinating aid, said on Tuesday that 400 trucks of supplies, mainly food, was waiting on the Gaza side of the main crossing from Israel, but that the UN had not collected them. It said Israel has extended the times for collection and expanded the routes that the UN can use inside Gaza.
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office OCHA, told reporters in Geneva that agencies have struggled to pick up the supplies “because of the insecure routes that are being assigned to us by the Israeli authorities to use.” He said the amount of aid allowed the past week was “vastly insufficient.”
Israeli strike on south Lebanon kills one: ministry
- The ministry said an “Israeli enemy strike” on a motorcycle killed one man in Yater
- The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed one man on Tuesday, the latest attack despite a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
In a statement, the ministry said an “Israeli enemy strike” on a motorcycle killed one man in Yater, in south Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil district.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack, which came after it said it killed a Hezbollah member in south Lebanon’s Majdal Zoun on Monday.
Israel has continued to launch strikes on its northern neighbor despite the November truce that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of full-blown war.
Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, only UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese army should be deployed in southern Lebanon, though Israel has kept its forces in five areas it has declared strategic.
Lebanon has called on the international community to pressure Israel to end its attacks and withdraw all its troops.
UN says it has no information over Gaza aid group deliveries
GENEVA: The United Nations said on Tuesday it had no information on whether the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed aid group, had actually delivered any supplies inside the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
The little-known group, which has stirred controversy since surfacing in early May, announced on Monday it had begun distributing truckloads of food in the Gaza Strip.
But officials from the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, and UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said they were unaware whether any aid had actually been distributed.
The UN and international aid agencies have said they will not cooperate with the GHF, amid accusations it is working with Israel without any Palestinian involvement.
“It is a distraction from what is actually needed, which is a reopening of all the crossings in to Gaza; a secure environment within Gaza; and faster facilitation of permissions and final approvals of all the emergency supplies that we have just outside the border that need to get in,” OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke told a press briefing in Geneva.
UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma told journalists aid to Gaza was still “very, very far” from what was needed: a minimum of 500 to 600 trucks per day loaded with food, medical aid, fuel, water and other basic supplies, she said, speaking via video-link from Amman.
Israel, which recently stepped up its offensive against militant group Hamas, drew international condemnation after implementing a blockade on March 2 that has sparked severe food and medical shortages.
Humanitarian aid has begun trickling back into Gaza in recent days after Israel lifted the 11-week blockade.
Touma said no UNRWA supplies had gone in since March 2, while Laerke said he had no information on how many UN trucks had passed through the Kerem Shalom crossing in the last 24 hours, partly because Israel does not allow them to have a fixed presence there.
Israeli forces raid foreign exchange stores across West Bank
- One killed, eight other people were injured by Israeli forces during a raid in Nablus
RAMALLAH: Israeli forces raided foreign exchange stores in several West Bank cities including Ramallah and Nablus on Tuesday, accusing their parent company of “connections with terrorist organizations,” according to an army closure notice.
“Israeli forces are taking action against Al-Khaleej Exchange Company due to its connections with terrorist organizations,” a leaflet left at the company’s Ramallah location read.
An AFP journalist present at the scene reported several army vehicles at the store’s entrance while soldiers came out carrying items covered by a cloth.
Two army vehicles escorted one of the store’s employees away from the premises.
In the northern West Bank city of Nablus, Israeli forces raided a second foreign exchange store belonging to the Al-Khaleej company, as well as a gold store, according to another AFP journalist.
Some Palestinian residents of Nablus were seen clashing with the army during the raid, throwing objects at troops.
The Ramallah-based Ministry of Health said one man was killed and eight other people were injured by Israeli forces’ live ammunition during a raid in Nablus on Tuesday.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said it treated 20 people for tear gas inhalation and three others who were injured by rubber bullets.
The Palestinian movement Hamas condemned the raids on foreign exchange shops.
“These assaults on economic institutions, accompanied by the looting of large sums of money and the confiscation of property, are an extension of the piracy policies adopted by the (Israeli) government,” the group said in a statement, adding that the targeted companies were “operating within the law.”
