US-Led Maritime Force Will Not Stop Yemen’s Houthis From Enforcing Blockade Against Israel
The US Claims at Least 20 Countries Have Joined Its Operation Prosperity Guardian
Yemen’s Supreme Political Council member, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi on Friday, 22 December, decried the so-called international maritime coalition announced by the US to allegedly protect trade in the Red Sea. Al-Houthi said that the US-led coalition has nothing to do with the protection of freedom of navigation as claimed, but is an attempt to protect the interests of Israel.
Al-Houthi also claimed that contrary to the US propaganda, the Red Sea route is open for everyone except those ships heading to Israel. He alleged that the US is attempting to militarize the Red Sea by deploying more and more war ships in the region and by dragging other countries to do the same.
He warned that Yemeni people would not appreciate the escalation and “all options are on the table to respond to any possible American aggression,” Al-Mayadeen reported.
The US announced on Tuesday that at least 10 countries have signed up to supposedly protect the Red Sea trade route. It claimed that the objective of “Operation Prosperity Guardian” is to protect the freedom of navigation. Apart from the US, other members of this alliance include the UK, France, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Seychelles and Bahrain.
On Thursday 21 December, US Department of Defense spokesperson Pat Ryder claimed that the number of countries joining the maritime coalition has increased to 20. However, he refused to reveal the names of the new countries who have joined the coalition.
Talking to the press, Ryder called the Houthis “bandits along the international highway that is the Red sea” and alleged that “they are attacking the economic well-being and prosperity of nations around the world.”
The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, had announced that they will not allow ships destined to Israel to pass through the Red Sea until the latter ceases its war against Palestinians in Gaza. They captured an Israeli owned ship called Galaxy Leader in mid-November and have fired missiles on dozens of ships in the region since then.
Ryder also claimed that the coalition will act as “highway patrol” in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and assist the commercial ships passing via international waters.
Some of the countries listed in the US-led alliance, however, have expressed apprehensions about the unilateral moves in the Red Sea. Spain, for example, made it clear that it will only participate in the actions in the Red Sea if it was led by NATO or coordinated by the EU.
Joining US-led coalition would be going against Palestinians
Al-Houthi also announced that his government would prefer if Saudi Arabia and the UAE did not join the US led alliance because it would ultimately aid Israelis who are killing Palestinians. He claimed that standing with Israel would be akin to standing against people who support Palestinians.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE, two major powers in the region and close US allies, have been so far reluctant to openly join the US-led coalition fearing larger regional and domestic repercussions.
Al-Houthi appreciated the Egyptian stand to not join the US-led coalition despite tremendous US pressure. Egypt would be one of the worst affected countries in the region due to the announcement made by more than 12 shipping companies to suspend their operations through the Red Sea.
The companies include some of the world’s largest shipping corporations such as Denmark’s AP Moller Maersk, Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd and Hong Kong’s OOCL. The Suez canal brings close to USD 10 billion in annual revenue to Egypt, which is going through a serious economic crisis.
The British Petroleum (BP) too announced that it will not ship oil through the Red Sea earlier this week sending the oil markets across the world in panic. The decision is expected to affect the global oil prices.
The Red Sea and Suez Canal are among the busiest sea routes in the world amounting to 30% of the world’s container ship traffic. Around 12% of world oil trade and eight percent of liquified gas trade happens through the Bab-al-Mandab. Most of these goods are destined for the European markets.
Now most of the companies are forced to take the longer routes through the African coast which delays the shipments on an average by nine days. According to estimates this increases the cost of shipping by 15%.
Al-Houthi also urged popular actions against Israeli aggression. He suggested that people who support Palestinians should withdraw their money from banks of those countries who are still supporting Israel.