(RepublicanInformer.com)- The Biden administration is refusing to designate the Houthi rebels, who are backed by the Iran government, as a terrorist organization.
The State Department said recently that it would not designate the group as terrorists, even though many different human rights groups tried to convince the Biden administration to do so. The agency said that just isn’t a top priority for them at this point.
A spokesman for the State Department recently told the Washington Free Beacon:
“We are currently focused on securing, extending and building on the [United Nations] truce in Yemen, which is having a tangible impact on millions of Yemenis and provides a credible opportunity for peace in Yemen.”
Human rights activists from Yemen went to Washington, D.C., last week to try to pressure Congress and the White House to re-designate the rebels at a terrorist organization. The Trump administration approved that designation as part of their efforts to isolate any terror fronts that were being backed by Iran. However, that decision was reversed once President Joe Biden entered the White House in January of 2021.
Officials within the Biden administration met with those human rights activists last week, but they said they believed that designating them as terrorists would serve as an obstacle to their efforts to get a permanent ceasefire between the government of Yemen and the militant group, which is backed and armed by Iran.
The activists launched their campaign so that it coincided with Biden’s first trip to the Middle East as president, which took place last week. Among some other issues that were discussed on that trip were Houthi attacks that have occurred in Saudi Arabia recently.
A group of human rights activists sent a letter to the Biden administration recently that criticized the decision to not designate the Houthis as terrorists. It was signed by 35 different organizations who are all advocating for human rights for Yemenis.
One of the people who participated in the meetings in Washington, D.C., last week was human rights activist Dr. Wesam Basindawa. He commented to the Free Beacon:
“Unfortunately, the [Biden] administration seems more focused on renewing a failed truce than on actually resolving the conflict and aiding the Yemeni people.”
But, despite those words and the urging of the 35 human rights organizations, the State Department said it wasn’t considering re-designating the Houthis as terrorists. The official referred to the official name of the Houthis when he said in a statement:
“Humanitarian considerations continue to be an important factor in any decision regarding a Foreign Terrorist Designation of Ansarallah.”
The activists wholeheartedly disagree with that, saying the Houthis are launching terrorist attacks as well as continually violating the agreement to cease fire. In their letter to the Biden administration, they wrote:
“In the year and a half since that action was taken, the Houthis have not moderated their actions or engaged in a productive dialogue. Furthermore, the humanitarian crisis
