Yemen’s Houthis Criminalize Ties With Israel

The Houthi rebels’ government in Yemen on Wednesday passed legislation banning any normalization process with Israel, and criminalizing any contact with the Jewish state or its citizens.

The move follows a law passed in Iraq last week, which banned any normalization with Israel, including business ties, making them punishable by life imprisonment or death.

A statement by Houthi Prime Minister Abdulaziz bin Habtoor said the move was driven by the fact that “Palestine is the foremost and principal issue of the Muslim world.”

“We stand by the side of the Palestinian nation and its struggle in the face of Israeli threats to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and the occupied al-Quds city,” Habtoor said, using Yerushalayim’s Arab name.

According to reports in Arab media, he further noted that “blatant Israeli provocations and violations” against Al-Aqsa are “part of the Israeli regime’s attempts to put itself in a victorious position” in the wave of the 2020 Abraham Accords.

On Sunday, a senior member of Iranian-backed Ansar Allah, the Houthis’ so-called umbrella organization, urged the Arab world to boycott products made in countries that maintain any ties with Israel.

“As Arabs and Muslims, we must enforce the boycott of products made by countries supporting the Zionist regime,” Mohammed al-Bukhaiti told Al-Mayadeen, a Lebanese outlet affiliated with another Iranian proxy,. Hezbollah.

“Zionists have made a gross miscalculation in their assessments due to erroneous information compiled by traitors. The Zionist regime did not expect a firm response from Palestinians and ensuing stiff resistance. Palestinians’ resilience has had a great impact on the feelings of Arab and Muslim nations,” Bukhaiti said.

According to Iranian news agency PressTV, he also warned that “the United States, Britain and the countries that are the main supporters of Israel will suffer a great deal through an embargo campaign.”