The Yemeni Jewish community is to emigrate to Abu Dhabi following the signing of a peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Reports suggest that the transfer was arranged at the request of the US government and that Iran will help facilitate the journey. Iran supports the Houthi rebel group, whose alleged mistreatment of the Jewish community is behind their impending emigration. In July of this year, local sources told the Arabic-language newspaper Al-Mesryoon that Houthi leaders in Yemen’s Kharif District were preventing the Jewish community from accessing water, electricity, and food. It was claimed that they were forcing Jews to sell their property at reduced rates. The Houthis – who control much of North and West Yemen – have a long history of persecuting Jews, including through forced marriage, false imprisonment, or arbitrary killings. Their slogan is “God is great, death to America, death to Israel, curse the Jews, victory for Islam.”
WHO ARE THE HOUTHIS?
The Houthi movement, officially called Ansar Allah, rose to prominence in the mid-2000s amid growing opposition to Yemen’s authoritarian government. Their 2014 coup d’état forced President Hadi to flee and precipitated the beginning of the Yemen Civil War. Whilst the specifics of the Houthis’ ideology are a source of contention, part of their aim is to assert the control of the Zaidi Shia Muslim community to which they belong. They are also seeking greater autonomy for the Houthi tribe, which is concentrated in the North. Despite the group’s emphasis on Israel and its possible links with Hezbollah and Hamas, some members have insisted that their slogan – or sarkha (scream) – should not be interpreted literally. The Houthis’ alleged persecution of the Jewish community is part of a wider campaign against several of Yemen’s religious minorities, including Christians and Baha’is, and can be understood within the context of their systematic human rights abuses. In 2019, the UN Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen stated that the Houthis, together with other parties to the conflict, were responsible for acts amounting to violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture, and child recruitment.
WHY ABU DHABI?
The UAE’s decision to take in Yemeni Jews is part of a broader initiative to prove itself as a centre of religious tolerance. Last year – the so-called “Year of Tolerance” – saw Pope Francis visit Abu Dhabi and sign a joint declaration with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, promoting human fraternity. The UAE also unveiled plans for the Abrahamic Family House, an interfaith complex featuring a mosque, church and synagogue. Critics have pointed out that the UAE’s human rights record sits at odds with its supposed religious tolerance, in particular its opposition to freedom of expression. Most importantly, the UAE has played a major role in prolonging the Yemen Civil War by participating in the Saudi-led coalition, which is fighting the Houthis. 60% of the war’s civilian deaths have been attributed to Saudi Arabia’s military campaign.
WHAT NEXT?
The emigration of Yemeni Jews to Abu Dhabi would mean the end of all Jewish presence in the country and the loss of Yemen’s smallest religious minority. It would also signal the end of Jewish suffering at the hands of the Houthi movement. At a conference on the civil war in 2017, Yemen’s information minister, Moammer al-Iryani, spoke of his desire to re-establish a relationship between Yemen and its Jewish community. He noted that Yemeni Jews formed part of the country’s heritage and culture. Today, al-Iryani’s vision of reconciliation seems a far-off dream.
Miranda is a GDL student and Gray's Inn scholar. After graduating from the University of Oxford with a Modern Languages degree, she completed the Teach First programme. She now hopes to pursue a career at the Bar.