Hadi Accuses Putschists of Misappropriating Yemen’s Authentic Revolution

 Yemenis line up to receive food aid in Sanaa, PHOTO: EPA
Yemenis line up to receive food aid in Sanaa, PHOTO: EPA
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Hadi Accuses Putschists of Misappropriating Yemen’s Authentic Revolution

 Yemenis line up to receive food aid in Sanaa, PHOTO: EPA
Yemenis line up to receive food aid in Sanaa, PHOTO: EPA

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi accused coupists of not only overturning against the outcomes of national dialogue, but also of expropriating sovereign resources and advocating tyranny.

“The coup process not only overturned the national consensus represented by the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, eliminated a healthy political environment and threatened the democratic margin, but also went so far as to confiscate the first Yemeni revolution--the republic system instated-- and worked on replacing it by theocracy, tyranny and enslavement,” said Hadi.

In his 55th National Day address to all Yemenis, Hadi revisited what he cited as a ‘miraculous’ revolution towards freedom.

September Revolution Day is one of the most celebrated public holidays in Yemen, commemorating the establishment of the Yemen Arab Republic back in 1962.

Prior to the insurgency militias’ takeover of the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, Celebrations of September Revolution Day start with lighting a torch at Al-Tahrir Square. The ceremony was meant to symbolize the beginning of the next year of the revolution and it takes place at the very same place, where the first signal of the revolution was given.

"Here are our brave Yemeni people celebrating their miraculous revolution, and the successful September sword is celebrated in the faces of enemies of the republic,” said Hadi.

In his speech, the head of the internationally-recognized government also gave his comments on putschists advancing a foreign agenda, largely outlined by Tehran clerics.

Hadi pointed out that “Yemenis celebrating the National Day with unprecedented momentum sends a clear message to those ‘new imams,’ and their ‘descendants,’ and the fools who tried to hand the country over to them.”

“Their personal interests and their sick dreams intersected with the choices of our brave revolutionary people,” Hadi further elaborated on the clash Houthi coupists are leading with Yemen.

“The truth is that, as we have seen, when the new ‘Imamate’(clerical leadership in Shia Islam) attempted a return, it did not only harm the Yemeni people but also spread beyond Yemen, threatening the region, threatening international and regional security and safety,” added Hadi on the threat of Iranian expansionist ambitions.

"The Imamate stands today in direct confrontation with all Yemenis, north and south,” added Hadi.

"We have to fight ignorance going against science, to blur out religious extremism with awareness, to break the shackles of slavery with freedom, and to overcome spreading intolerance with tolerance, and to reject the culture of hatred and war worshipping-- hatred does not build homelands,” said Hadi.



Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Forces Kill 18

A Palestinian mourns a relative killed in a strike on a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza - AFP
A Palestinian mourns a relative killed in a strike on a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza - AFP
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Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Forces Kill 18

A Palestinian mourns a relative killed in a strike on a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza - AFP
A Palestinian mourns a relative killed in a strike on a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza - AFP

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli forces killed 18 people on Friday, including 10 who were waiting for aid in the south of the war-ravaged territory.

The fresh deaths came as the United Nations said nearly 800 people had been killed trying to access food in Gaza since late May, when Israel began easing a more than two-month total blockade on supplies.

UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said most of the deaths occurred near facilities operated by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, AFP reported.

"We've recorded now 798 killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the GHF sites," from the time the group's operations began in late May until July 7, Shamdasani said Friday.

An officially private effort, GHF operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and frequent reports of Israeli forces firing on people waiting to collect rations.

The UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives and violates basic humanitarian principles.

Responding to the UN's figures, Israel's military said it had worked to minimize "possible friction between the population and the army forces as much as possible".

"Following incidents in which harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported, thorough examinations were conducted... and instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned," it added.

Gaza civil defense official Mohammed al-Mughayyir said that 10 people were shot by Israeli forces on Friday while waiting for supplies in the Al-Shakoush area northwest of Rafah, where there are regular reports of deadly fire on aid seekers.

- 'Extremely difficult' -

The civil defense reported six more people killed in four separate Israeli airstrikes in the area of Khan Yunis, in the south of the territory.

Two drone strikes around Gaza City in the north killed two more people, civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

There was no immediate comment on the latest strikes from the Israeli military, which has recently expanded its operations across Gaza.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency and other parties.

A Palestinian speaking to AFP from southern Gaza on condition of anonymity reported ongoing attacks and widespread devastation, with Israeli tanks seen near Khan Yunis.

"The situation remains extremely difficult in the area -- intense gunfire, intermittent airstrikes, artillery shelling, and ongoing bulldozing and destruction of displacement camps and agricultural land to the south, west and north of Al-Maslakh," an area to Khan Yunis's south, said the witness.

Israel's military said in a statement that its soldiers were operating in the area, dismantling "terrorist infrastructure sites, both above and below ground", and seizing "weapons and military equipment".

The civil defense also reported on Friday five people killed in an Israeli strike the previous night on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Jabalia al-Nazla, in northern Gaza.

Nearly all of Gaza's population has been displaced at least once during the more than 21-month war, which has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people living there.

Many have sought shelter in school buildings, but these have repeatedly come under Israeli attack, with the military often saying they were targeting Hamas militants hiding among civilians.