JEDDAH: The Muslim World League (MWL) on Saturday criticized the methodology and findings of a UN report on children in armed conflict.
The report commended the Saudi-led coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen for its actions to improve child protection, and for its cooperation with the UN.
However, the report by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, which was submitted to the Security Council last week, also blamed the coalition and Iran-backed Houthi rebels for causing the deaths of children in the conflict in Yemen.
The MWL said that, on behalf of the Muslim world and the many organizations, Islamic and non-Islamic, with which it was affiliated, it rejected the findings of the report.
It pointed out that in August, the UN itself had applauded the work undertaken by the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (KSRelief) and the center for the rehabilitation of Yemeni children.
The MWL said the documentation in the UN report failed to reach international standards, and the report had failed to determine liability with a proper investigation.
“The Houthi militias have thwarted relief efforts between 2015 and 2017 — 65 aid ships, 124 relief convoys, 628 trucks, 5,500 food baskets and 6,000 bags of flour were looted by the militias during this period,” the MWL said.
“Furthermore, between 2015 and 2017, Houthi militias have carried out numerous attacks against many UN and other relief organizations and aid workers in Sanaa, Taiz, Hajjah, Al-Hudeidah, Ibb and Aden. They have committed acts of murder and kidnapping and blocked entry to, looted and forcibly closed aid offices. This has been part of the Iran-backed Houthis’ crimes against the Yemeni people since they hijacked legitimacy in the country.
“The UN secretary-general’s report should have drawn on the apparent physical evidence of all the tragedies and challenges, and the UN must reveal the truth about those who committed those crimes and support the coalition in overcoming the challenges.”
The MWL said the coalition was “more than glad to restore happiness and stability in Yemen and ensure its children’s safety and prosperous future. The coalition has taken upon itself to unite Yemen under one legitimate government. It sees the beauty of the country’s diversity and believes it is the source of its wealth, prosperity and development, and aims to renew its political, intellectual and social unity under an independent, civilized government that enjoys sovereignty.”
MWL rejects UN report on children in conflict
MWL rejects UN report on children in conflict
Israeli FM urges Jews to move to Israel a week after Sydney attack
- “Today I call on Jews in England, Jews in France, Jews in Australia, Jews in Canada, Jews in Belgium: come to the Land of Israel! Come home!” Saar said
JERUSALEM: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on Sunday for Jews in Western countries to move to Israel to escape rising antisemitism, one week after 15 were shot dead at a Jewish event in Sydney.
“Jews have the right to live in safety everywhere. But we see and fully understand what is happening, and we have a certain historical experience. Today, Jews are being hunted across the world,” Saar said at a public candle lighting marking the last day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
“Today I call on Jews in England, Jews in France, Jews in Australia, Jews in Canada, Jews in Belgium: come to the Land of Israel! Come home!” Saar said at the ceremony, held with leaders of Jewish communities and organizations worldwide.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israeli leaders have repeatedly denounced a surge in antisemitism in Western countries and accused their governments of failing to curb it.
Australian authorities have said the December 14 attack on a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach was inspired by the ideology of the Islamic State jihadist group.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Western governments to better protect their Jewish citizens.
“I demand that Western governments do what is necessary to fight antisemitism and provide the required safety and security for Jewish communities worldwide,” Netanyahu said in a video address.
In October, Saar accused British authorities of failing to take action to curb a “toxic wave of antisemitism” following an attack outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, in which two people were killed and four wounded.
According to Israel’s 1950 “Law of Return,” any Jewish person in the world is entitled to settle in Israel (a process known in Hebrew as aliyah, or “ascent“) and acquire Israeli citizenship. The law also applies to individuals who have at least one Jewish grandparent.zz
