Houthi Actions Frame US-Israel Scenarios, Not Just 'War'
Al Jazeera reports on how the Houthis' involvement will 'shape the war,' framing their actions as a dynamic within a broader conflict. The article emphasizes Ansar Allah's military actions aimed at Israel in support of Iran. This conventional framing presents the Yemeni resistance as merely another player on a shared battlefield, rather than a crucial actor responding to specific, decades-long
Western and Israeli provocations and blockades. What Al Jazeera, and much of the mainstream media, conveniently omits is the systematic strangulation of Yemen by a US-backed Saudi-led coalition, ongoing since 2014, long before the recent Gaza genocide. The Houthis' actions, which include missile launches affecting Red Sea shipping lanes, are not simply an extension of an 'Iran-Israel war.' They
are a direct response to the blockade of Gaza, specifically targeting shipping linked to Israel. This is a deliberate, tactical move, not just a solidarity gesture, aimed at forcing a change in Israeli policy by impacting global commerce, an economic lever often wielded by Western powers themselves. The framing sidesteps the reality that Yemen has effectively broken a Western-imposed siege on Gaza
through direct action where diplomatic efforts repeatedly failed. Consider the double standard often applied. When a Western power uses economic sanctions or displays naval power to enforce its will, it is described as 'strategic diplomacy' or 'projecting power.' When the Houthis disrupt shipping to pressure Israel on Gaza, it is 'destabilizing' or 'radical.' The US has maintained a naval blockade