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Why doesn’t anyone care that Israel just killed Yemen’s prime minister?

Just days ago, Israel killed Yemen’s prime minster, Ahmed al-Rahawi along with most of his cabinet. In a statement, a Houthi official confirmed:

Yemeni Presidency: We announce the martyrdom of the mujahid Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi, prime minister of the Government of Change and Construction, along with several of his fellow ministers, on Thursday.

Al-Rahawi served as the prime minister of the Houthis’ government in Sanaa.

Now, if international law actually meant anything, there surely would have been an outcry across the globe. The ever-erratic and bloodthirsty Israel have decimated numerous areas in Palestine, and have attacked Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria. According to Al Jazeera:

Since October 7, Israel has been responsible for more than 17,000 attacks in the Middle East.

Israel attacks Yemen’s government and the West says…nothing

The response from Western governments and mainstream media has been tepid, at best. Reuters ran the story with the following headline:

Prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi-run government killed in Israeli strike

Clearly, “Houthi-run” is supposed to be the disclaimer that tells readers it’s okay that Israel attacked the political leaders of Yemen. And, if anyone ever kills US-backed Israeli prime minister Isaac Herzog, well we can all take a similar cue then can’t we?

The New York Times could hardly contain their outrage:

The BBC described al-Rahawi as the “self-proclaimed” prime minister of the Houthi rebels. Heartfelt.

However, the reaction from journalists and commenters on social media was much more pronounced.  Journalist Sana Saeed said:

Saeed is quite correct in asserting that when Israel attacks the leaders of other nations, the silence of the West is invariably because:

Israel’s actions must continue to be manufactured as necessary and normalized.

Spanish MEP Irene Montero also pointed out the double standard:

Journalist Abby Martin described the hysteria if the Israeli counterpart to al-Rahawi was killed by a foreign nation:

Journalist Ahmed Eldin said similar:

Assassination

Undoubtedly, Israel’s attacks on Yemen are because the small nation has been one of very few in the world to oppose Israel’s genocide in Palestine with actions. Despite Yemen’s own severe humanitarian problems (not least of which has been the US bombing them repeatedly), the solidarity from Yemen to Palestine has never wavered. Huge protests have proclaimed a simple message as Al Jazeera’s Mohammed al-Attab described:

They [the protesters] are now saying that, ‘We don’t care about your rage, we don’t care about whatever you do to us, we will continue our support and resilience with Palestinians until Israel stops its war on Palestine.

The Yemeni military have repeatedly, and with great effect, hampered Israel via naval attacks. During one particular offensive 100 attacks were launched by the Houthis which:

sank two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers in an offensive that disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around Southern Africa.

All of this makes one thing crystal clear. Israel targeted Yemen’s political ministers because of their resistance to the Zionist genocide in Palestine. As such, the leader of the Houthis, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi spoke after the assassination of al-Rahawi and other ministers:

The Israeli enemy, with its crimes and savagery, does not spare even children, women and defenceless civilians.

The crime of targeting ministers and civilian officials is added to the criminal record of the Israeli enemy in the region.

Al-Houthi also said that the “record of the Israeli enemy is one of horrific terror,” citing Israeli attacks in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran. When faced with any kind of opposition, Isreal does what it does best: promise untold destruction and terror to any who oppose them.

Biblical promises

Accordingly, Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, issued a disturbing threat to the Houthis after Israel murdered several Houthi ministers. Katz raved:

The Houthis are firing missiles at Israel again. A plague of darkness, a plague of the firstborn – we will complete all 10 plagues.

How much more nakedly bloodthirsty, vengeful, and murderous do Israeli ministers need to be before either Western governments or media pay attention? For any defence minister to make such an abhorrent comment should be understood as wildly unacceptable. However, because it’s come from an Israeli defence minister, instead the West will chase its own tail asking if Israel is really committing a genocide; or is Israel really committing war crimes; or does Israel really intend to ethnically cleanse Palestine?

The answer is, and has been for a long, long time that Israel is fuelled by Zionist ministers who wish to bring terror and destruction to Palestine, and anyone who stands in solidarity. They’ve never hidden their motivations; the problem has always been the West turning away and refusing to listen.

Featured image via the Canary

By Maryam Jameela

This post was originally published on Canary.