Hassan El-Tayyab discusses the great news out of Washington last week: the Biden administration has announced an end to all support for Saudi offensive operations in Yemen, and is appointing an envoy to help negotiate a peace deal. This is a great victory for all the grassroots peace activists who have worked tirelessly over the last few years to put an end to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. But there is still work to be done—the Trump administration’s designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group is making it nearly impossible for aid organizations to send assistance to the people of Yemen, and Biden’s team hasn’t reversed that designation. Scott also reminds us that Biden could pick up the phone today and simply tell Saudi Arabia to end their war now. The fact that he hasn’t done so means that peace in Yemen could still be a slow and messy process despite the recent good news.
Hassan El-Tayyab is a musician and peace activist, who works as the lead lobbyist on Middle East policy for the Friends Committee on National Legislation.
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Scott Horton is director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com, host of Antiwar Radio on Pacifica, 90.7 FM KPFK in Los Angeles, California and podcasts the Scott Horton Show from this website. He’s the author of the 2017 book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. Visit https://scotthorton.org