Recent airstrikes carried out by the United States, United Kingdom, and their allies against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen have heightened tensions in the Middle East. The attacks were in response to disruptions in Red Sea shipping lanes, which the Houthis claim were acts of solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
To explore the roots of this crisis, KhabarAsia.com spoke with Ebrahim Hashem, an Emirati strategist and Asia Global Fellow at the University of Hong Kong’s Asia Global Institute.
According to Hashem, the current situation is deeply connected to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “The crisis did not start on January 12 or even on October 7,” he remarked, emphasizing that the tensions date back to 1948. “Since then, the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land has been a major issue.”
Hashem pointed out that the Houthis’ actions in the Red Sea are directly linked to recent events in Gaza and the West Bank. “They are demanding that the atrocities being committed against Palestinians stop and that humanitarian aid be allowed to flow smoothly into the Gaza Strip,” he explained.
The legality of the strikes by the U.S., U.K., and their allies was also questioned by Hashem. He noted that while the United Nations Security Council condemned the Houthi attacks on international shipping, the resolution did not explicitly authorize military action. “These attacks raise more questions than answers,” he said, highlighting concerns about the effectiveness of targeting a group that employs guerrilla tactics and mobile missile launchers.
The Red Sea shipping lanes are vital to the global economy, with significant percentages of international trade and energy resources passing through them. Disruptions have already led to a spike in oil prices, causing fears of a domino effect on global inflation akin to that experienced during the pandemic.
Hashem stressed the importance of addressing the root causes of the crisis. “What’s happening in Gaza is causing the Houthis to launch these attacks,” he stated. Without a resolution to the underlying conflicts, measures to secure the Red Sea may prove insufficient.
Reference(s):
Ebrahim Hashem: Roots of Red Sea crisis lie in Israel's Gaza brutality
cgtn.com
