Yemeni blockade of Israel exposes Arab regimes, rattles Western imperialists

Perhaps the best pages of history are the pages where the oppressed are victorious against the oppressor, and able to turn the tide of power with poetic justice.

Within these pages, true colors are always revealed, and the resolve of each player is truly put to the test. And if history is truly written by the victor, then this chapter owes some pages to be authored by the incredibly brave people and resistance of Yemen.

In the wake of the Hamas-led resistance operation Al-Aqsa Storm (also known as Al-Aqsa Flood), Yemen has dared to go where no other Arab countries have (outside of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon and Iraq) – not only directly confronting the Zionist entity, but enacting a crushingly successful blockade in the strategic zone of Red Sea. 

Any ship willing to conduct business with the Israeli regime in Yemen’s territorial waters has two options – turn around, or risk your ship being destroyed or taken by the Yemeni military (Ansarallah). 

One has to admire this act of poetic justice. Yemen, the country subjected to nearly a decade of US-Saudi blockade, enabled by Western states, which spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in the Arab country – has now enacted a blockade of its own – squeezing the already depleting Zionist economy. 

Anyone familiar with the societal structure of the Zionist occupation can tell you that its economy is extremely vulnerable to external shocks. This is a regime that has only lasted as long as it has due to the political and economic support of the US capitalist class.

Billions of US taxpayer money is spent annually to keep the illegitimate entity afloat. Meaning the Zionist occupation has to ensure it is justifying this staggering investment. 

For the US ruling class, Israel acts not only as a colonial military outpost but as a corridor into Asia. They need Zionist cooperation to facilitate the trade of goods coming in and out of the region, facilitating billions of dollars of goods annually. 

Yemen has decided that it will not tolerate Israeli trade while Gazan children and women are being mercilessly slaughtered every day.

Starting in November, the Yemeni military began to seize Israeli-connected ships – starting with the seizure of the “Galaxy Leader.” Outside of ship seizures, other ships were subject to drone, rocket, and gunboat attacks – including the US Navy destroyer USS Carney. 

Israeli-occupied port of Eilat – its third biggest – has effectively been shut down amid Yemeni rockets and drones, and its blockade in the Red Sea. Traffic at the port is reportedly down by 85%. 

This is no small blockade. Global shipping companies are thinking twice about dealing with the regime. Hong Kong shipping company OOCL has halted all trade with the Israeli regime. Maersk, one of the biggest global shipping companies, has also decided to pause operations, joining a few other companies. Other shipping companies have also followed suit.

Initial projections estimate billions of dollars of trade has been impacted. Yemen’s blockade is driving the cost of goods up and increasing the amount of transport time.