"It's long past time for the United States to stop supporting a war that independent human rights organizations believe may involve war crimes on all sides."
by Andrea Germanos
Hours before a House resolution on stopping U.S. support for the bombing campaign may face a vote, a Saudi-led strike killed over two dozen civilians in northern Yemen.
The attack in the province of Saada on Wednesday "demolished the budget hotel and reduced market stalls outside to a heap of twisted sheet metal," the Irish Times reports.
"The bodies of the victims, many of their faces disfigured beyond recognition, were laid out on white body bags for families to identify in the courtyard of a hospital morgue," Al Jazeerareports.
The health service put the death toll at 29. Al Jazeera adds: "Abdulrahman, who declined to give his surname, said there were no Houthi fighters in the area when the attack happened."
The latest such attack on civilians follows ongoing criticism directed at Saudi Arabia for potential war crimes committed since the bombing campaign on the impoverished nation began in 2015—a conflict in which the U.S. is complicit through its arms sales, as well as logistical and intelligence support to the kingdom.
As Reuters reports: "The 2-1/2 year war effort has yet to achieve its goal of restoring to power the internationally recognized government, but the conflict has unleashed one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and killed at least 10,000 people."
And as author and journalist Stephen Kinzer recently noted, "This war could not proceed without American help."
As such, it puts in sharp relief House Concurrent Resolution 81, led by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and 39 co-sponsors, which calls for an end of U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's campaign against the Houthis in Yemen 30 days within 30 days of its passage.
Ongoing military support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen, said Stephen Miles, director of Win Without War, "is the poster child of what's wrong with American foreign policy." And that aid, he said, has helped fuel "the largest humanitarian crisis on the planet under the absurd belief that more bombs would somehow bring peace."
The resolution, said William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, is "a chance for Congress to take a stand against the seemingly endless wars the United States has engaged in during this century, most of which have not been appropriately authorized by the Congress."
"It's long past time for the United States to stop supporting a war that independent human rights organizations believe may involve war crimes on all sides. Continuing down this path will not only risk implicating the United States in these violations of the laws of war, but it will foster resentment that will make it easier for groups like Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to garner support," Hartung continued.
While House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is reportedly trying to kill the effort, progressive voices are urging voters to call their representatives to add their support for the resolution.
33 cosponsors for #HConRes81 now! If your reps aren't on this list, let them know you don't want the U.S. to keep waging war on #Yemen. pic.twitter.com/TWkkbuDxrR
— Shireen Al-Adeimi (@shireen818) October 24, 2017
#HConRes81 is important for future peace in #Yemen - & more so in light of new Saudi attack on civilians. US can’t just stand by silently https://t.co/3Je5RvKFQF
— Yemen Peace Project (@YemenPeaceNews) November 1, 2017
Call for an end to unauthorized U.S. support for Saudi-led war on #Yemen! Tell your reps to vote yes on #HConRes81: https://t.co/dTwH0vNY1G https://t.co/1WSHQG4RTi
— CODEPINK (@codepink) October 31, 2017
A child dies every 10 mins in Yemen. Millions sick & starving. Support HConRes81 to end US-Saudi war in #Yemen! https://t.co/tNjN02hW6s pic.twitter.com/St9brjrERQ
— Progressive Caucus (@USProgressives) October 30, 2017
Source: Originally published on Commondreams.org | Photo Credit: Campaign Against Arms Trade/Flickr/CC