Yemenis rage at US embassy plan as Saudi Arabia courts Israel

Thousands of Yemenis have rallied in the capital Sana’a to protest against a US plan to imminently relocate American embassy from Tel Aviv to al-Quds.

According to Press TV, the Friday rally saw protesters carry huge Yemeni and Palestinian flags, and chant pro-Palestinian slogans.

"We are standing by their side with our arms, souls, and blood until the liberation of al-Quds. This is the path that we are on," one of the protesters Abu Hajar said.

Last December, US President Donald Trump defied global warnings and formally recognized al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel. Breaking with decades of American policy, he said the US would soon begin the process of moving its embassy there.

Trump's declaration has sent shockwaves throughout the Muslim world and even prompted warnings from Washington’s allies in the West that it would bring more chaos to the region.

The United Nations General Assembly on December 21 overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution that calls on the US to withdraw its controversial recognition of al-Quds as the Israeli capital.

Washington, however, says the diplomatic mission will be relocated later this month to coincide with the anniversary of the creation of Zionist regime in 1948.

Saudi Arabia, which has been leading a three-year war on Yemen to reinstate the country’s Riyadh-allied former officials, is seeking closer relations with Zionist regime as part of its plan to counter Iran, which it views as a regional rival.

Early last month, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told The Atlantic that “Israelis are entitled to their own land.” The remarks were widely interpreted as Riyadh’s tacit way of recognizing Israel, which it had been, at least verbally, opposing for decades.

On Thursday, Anwar Eshki, a former Saudi General, who currently serves as Chairman of the Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Studies in the kingdom, said that Saudi Arabia was not obliged to defend the people of Palestine against the Israeli occupation.

The protest in Sana'a also comes amid stepped-up Saudi attacks on the Yemeni capital, where people have taken to the streets in massive numbers to condemn the kingdom's aggression. 

ME