Condemn the attacks on Yemen!

The Peace and Justice Association demands that Norway condemn the attacks on Yemen and immediately withdraw from the US-led “Operation Prosperity Guardian” in the Red Sea. Until this happens, all Norwegian ships must stay away from the Red Sea. 

The reason for the attack is that the Yemeni authorities have declared that ships sailing to and from Israeli ports are not allowed to pass through Yemen’s territorial waters at the entrance to the Red Sea as long as Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza. With this, Yemen has taken responsibility for following up the UN Genocide Convention. This requires all signatory states to do everything in their power to prevent genocide. The attack on Yemen is thus not only an illegal act of aggression against Yemen. It also represents a further escalation of the US and UK’s active complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

“Operation Prosperity Guardian”, established by the US in December, is an illegitimate “coalition of the willing” of the same type as the one the US built prior to the attack on Iraq in 2003. If Norway continues to participate in the coalition after the leading members have carried out attacks on Yemen, Norway as a state will also be drawn in as a belligerent party against Yemen. 

Yemen has a legitimate right to counterattack ships belonging to states that have attacked the country. If Norway does not immediately withdraw from “Operation Prosperity Guardian”, seafarers on Norwegian-registered and Norwegian-owned ships sailing in the area will be in immediate mortal danger. Norwegian shipowners must deal with this by keeping their ships far away from Yemen’s waters. Attempting to sail into the Red Sea in the current situation would be a criminally irresponsible act.