Yemen Calls for Ending Houthi Obstacles to Peace Initiatives

The Yemeni Foreign Minister during his meeting with State Secretary to Sweden Prime Minister Karin Wallensteen in Stockholm Thursday (Saba)
The Yemeni Foreign Minister during his meeting with State Secretary to Sweden Prime Minister Karin Wallensteen in Stockholm Thursday (Saba)
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Yemen Calls for Ending Houthi Obstacles to Peace Initiatives

The Yemeni Foreign Minister during his meeting with State Secretary to Sweden Prime Minister Karin Wallensteen in Stockholm Thursday (Saba)
The Yemeni Foreign Minister during his meeting with State Secretary to Sweden Prime Minister Karin Wallensteen in Stockholm Thursday (Saba)

The Yemeni government has urged the international community to pressure the Iran-backed Houthi militias to stop their military escalation.

It called on the international community to push the Houthis to accept the peace initiatives.

Yemeni Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed bin Mubarak made these statements during a meeting with State Secretary to Sweden’s Prime Minister Karin Wallensteen in Stockholm Thursday.

The visit comes as part of his European tour that took him to Norway and the Netherlands.

The Yemeni FM and the Swedish minister discussed Yemen’s peace process, in addition to the role that international key players are expected to play in pushing it forward.

Bin Mubarak also met with Sweden's Minister for International Development Cooperation Per Olof Olsson Fridh.

They discussed means of cooperation on development, and further addressed the political and humanitarian situation in Yemen.

During his visit to the Netherlands, Bin Mubarak reviewed the Iranian subversive role in Yemen.

He indicated that the Houthi partnership with the Iranian agenda aimed at destabilizing the security and stability of Yemen and the Arab region as well as complicating the conflict.

He stressed the government’s keenness to provide full support to UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg.

He expressed the government's willingness to work with Grundberg to reach a comprehensive ceasefire that would help address all other humanitarian, political, and economic issues.

The Foreign Minister reviewed the humanitarian situation in Yemen and underlined the importance of addressing the gap in financing the humanitarian response plan.

He shed light on the continuation of the Houthi aggression on Marib governorate, its humanitarian repercussions, the militia’s targeting of residential areas and IDP camps, and the recruitment of children as well as illegal migrants.

Bin Mubarak addressed maritime and environmental security in the Red Sea.

He stressed putting an end to the threats posed by the Houthis to the security of the Red Sea through the indiscriminate deployment of sea mines and targeting ships with explosive boats.

He also slammed the Houthis for procrastinating in responding to international calls to defuse a major environmental and humanitarian disaster by not allowing the inspection of the Safer oil tanker.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that his tour seeks to mobilize European support for the legitimacy in Yemen.

This visit is a continuation of trips to the GCC countries, Russia and other countries, he added.



Israeli Demolitions Rip through Palestinian Area of Jerusalem

Palestinians from the Abu Diab family inspect the rubble of their house after it was demolished by Israeli forces - AFP
Palestinians from the Abu Diab family inspect the rubble of their house after it was demolished by Israeli forces - AFP
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Israeli Demolitions Rip through Palestinian Area of Jerusalem

Palestinians from the Abu Diab family inspect the rubble of their house after it was demolished by Israeli forces - AFP
Palestinians from the Abu Diab family inspect the rubble of their house after it was demolished by Israeli forces - AFP

Tired and sad, Palestinian activist Fakhri Abu Diab stood amid the rubble of his home in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, just a narrow valley away from the famed domes of the Old City.

In early November, bulldozers from the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality tore down his house in the Silwan neighbourhood for a second time, citing unauthorised construction.

"They want to expel us from the area," said the 62-year-old, who has organized protests against the demolitions in Silwan's Al-Bustan area.

The destruction of homes built without permits -- which campaigners say are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain due to Israel's restrictive planning policy -- has roiled east Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied West Bank for years.
Abu Diab's house was among around 115 Palestinian residential properties marked for demolition by the Jerusalem municipality, which controls both the city's Jewish-majority western part and its Palestinian-majority east, occupied by Israel since 1967.

"They want to erase our presence and drive us out," Abu Diab told AFP.

"But we will stay in Al-Bustan, even in a tent or under a tree."

The municipality says it aims to address "illegal construction, allow the construction of proper infrastructure and new public buildings for the neighbourhood's residents", as well as to create green space.

But Israeli rights group Ir Amim said Israeli authorities often abuse the designation of areas in east Jerusalem as national parks or open spaces.

The group, fighting against demolitions, said the practice is "designed to suppress" Palestinian development "while enabling the seizure of their lands for Israeli interests".

- 'Wore me out' -

The status of Jerusalem remains one of the most contentious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Israel conquered east Jerusalem, including the Old City, in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and swiftly annexed the area.

Silwan begins at the foot of the Old City walls where the Bible says the City of David was located, after the Israelite king conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites.

Today, hundreds of Israeli settlers live among nearly 50,000 Palestinians in Silwan.

The settlers' homes are distinguished by Israeli flags flying from rooftops and windows as well as ubiquitous security cameras.

Meanwhile, Palestinians in east Jerusalem face a housing crisis, unable to build without permits amid a rapidly growing population.

Abu Diab's house was first demolished in February. He rebuilt it, but it was destroyed again in November.

"This time, they wore me out," he said, visibly exhausted.

"The original house was built in the 1950s. I was born, raised, married and raised my children here."

But now, Abu Diab said that "even my children had to rent outside Silwan."

Now, next to his flattened home, Abu Diab lives in a caravan, which is also under threat of demolition.

He and some of his neighbours rejected an offer from the municipality to relocate to another Palestinian neighbourhood in northern Jerusalem.

Near the ruins of Abu Diab's home, 42-year-old day labourer Omar al-Ruwaidi sat by a fire with his son, surrounded by the rubble of his own demolished home and those of four of his brothers.

"About 30 people, including 12 children, are now homeless," he said, his voice heavy with exhaustion.

"We've been battling this in court since 2004 and have spent tens of thousands (of Israeli shekels), but to no avail," said Ruwaidi.

Several families who received demolition orders declined to speak to AFP, citing a fear of retribution.

- 'Safe space' -

According to Ir Amim, demolitions in east Jerusalem have surged to unprecedented levels since the start of the Gaza war, which was sparked by a surprise Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Between January and November 2024, 154 homes were demolished across the area, the group said.

On November 13, bulldozers destroyed the Al-Bustan Association community centre, whose director said it served 1,500 Palestinian residents, mostly teenagers.

"The association provided various services to its members, including skill-building, capacity enhancement as well as sports and cultural training," said director Qutaiba Ouda.

"It was a safe haven and a cultural lifeline in a neighbourhood with no community centres."

Ouda lamented the loss, saying that the Israeli authorities did not just destroy a building, but "our memories, dreams and hard work".

Following the demolition, France, which had supported activities at the association, demanded an explanation from Israel.

Kinda Baraka, 15, was among those who frequented the association.

"It was our safe space," she said.

"When it was destroyed, I cried a lot. It felt like they could come and demolish my home next."

Baraka said she believed the demolitions aimed to push out Palestinians in favour of settlers.

Ruwaidi echoed those fears, but remained defiant.

"We will not leave Silwan. Outside Silwan, we cannot breathe," he said.