{"id":1956,"date":"2018-12-15T18:38:59","date_gmt":"2018-12-15T15:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/?p=1956"},"modified":"2018-12-15T18:38:59","modified_gmt":"2018-12-15T15:38:59","slug":"the-senate-says-no-to-helping-saudi-arabia-in-yemen-but-can-congress-stop-the-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/the-senate-says-no-to-helping-saudi-arabia-in-yemen-but-can-congress-stop-the-war\/","title":{"rendered":"The Senate says \u2018no\u2019 to helping Saudi Arabia in Yemen, but can Congress stop the war?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Yemeni American News<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

US Congress had never used its powers to curb US military actions overseas ordered by a president. On Thursday, it did so for the first time for Yemen.
\nFifty-six out of 100 Senators voted to stop US military assistance to the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen.
\nAlthough the bill is not likely to become law anytime soon, it signals a strong message that the political establishment is dissatisfied with the war, which has dragged for more than three years.
\nThe humanitarian disaster in the war-torn country has become a burden on US politicians, amid an outcry from rights groups. The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has especially increased the scrutiny on US-Saudi relations.
\nAfter the murder of Khashoggi, many of Riyadh\u2019s opponents wanted the outcry to extend to Yemen, where thousands of people – not just one person – have been killed.
\nSenator Bernie Sanders one of the main backers of the bill criticized the Saudi government and celebrated the outcome of the vote.
\n\u201cIt is time for the United States Congress to tell the despotic government of Saudi Arabia that we do not intend to follow their lead in their military adventurism,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cTheir intervention in the civil war in Yemen is the cause of the humanitarian disaster.\u201d
\nSanders called the vote a \u201chistoric moment\u201d.
\nThe bill will not become law before the end of the year, as it needs to pass in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which has already passed a motion to block it.<\/p>\n

Dingell calls for end to Yemeni suffering<\/strong>
\nCongresswoman Debbie Dingell, a Dearborn Democrat, has called on Congress to stop the war.
\n\u201cThe ongoing war in Yemen has caused endless suffering and is a serious humanitarian crisis,\u201d she said in a statement.
\nDingell added that Yemeni American families in Dearborn are telling her about the horrific conditions in their home country.
\n\u201cPeople are starving, homes have been bombed, diseases \u2013 including a cholera epidemic \u2013 are rampant, and too many have been lost to a reckless Saudi-led aerial bombing campaign. Congress has a moral responsibility to end the war in Yemen,\u201d she said.
\nThe Senate bill is seen as a rebuke to President Trump, who has decided to stick by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, despite the murder of Khashoggi and growing anger over Yemen.
\nHowever, the Trump administration itself has sent mixed signals about Yemen, at times suggesting that it wants the war to end.<\/p>\n

The American role<\/strong>
\n\u201cNot only was the war in Yemen never authorized by the elected representatives of the American people \u2013 it is a humanitarian disaster. An estimated 85,000 children have already died of malnutrition. And in a country of 28 million, nearly half are facing famine,\u201d Senator Dick Durbin said on Twitter on Thursday.
\nWhile Yemen\u2019s warring sides start formal UN-backed negotiations, what role can the Americans play?
\nBassem al-Shaabi, head of the Center for Strategic Directions in Aden, said Washington is appearing with two faces – urging an end to the war, while at the same time backing its allies that are involved in the war.
\nHe said the key to ending the conflict is for Yemenis to push forward for a political solution, without external interference. Shaabi said foreign players must leave Yemen, compensate its people for the damages they caused and pay for reconstruction.
\n\u201cStopping the war is a pressing need for Yemenis because the conflict only benefits international and regional powers outside Yemen,\u201d he told the Yemeni American News.
\nHowever, journalist Radwan Hamdani says ending the conflict is not possible without a solution to the political and security crisis that caused it.
\nHamadani said lasting peace cannot be achieved if the Houthis do not withdraw their military forces from major cities and surrender their heavy weapons, as stipulated by international agreements.
\nAs for the American role, Hamadani said: \u201cYou cannot count on any position from the current administration because it deals with issues from a business perspective that would ensure the continuous operation of US weapon factories and arrival of Saudi money and investments.\u201d<\/p>\n

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