Saudi Arabia, UAE hostile to Hamas because it resists Israeli occupation: Houthi

The leader of Yemen’s popular Ansarullah resistance movement says Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are hostile towards the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement because the Gaza-based group is valiantly fighting the Israeli occupation.

“The religious, moral, ethnic and national duty for everyone is to support the Palestinian cause ... If the Saudi regime sides with the Palestinian resistance [front], we will welcome such a stance,” Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi said in a televised speech broadcast live from the Yemeni capital of Sana’a on Monday evening.

He, meanwhile, condemned prison sentences handed out on Sunday to dozens of long-term Palestinian residents in Saudi Arabia, saying the Riyadh regime and the UAE are hostile to Hamas because the movement has stood up to the Israeli enemy.

The Ansarullah leader noted that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their allies have wickedly criminalized support for Hamas, and the recent verdicts against Palestinians in Saudi Arabia reflect the kingdom’s amity to the Israeli regime.

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“Saudis say they consider helping the Palestinian resistance a punishable crime,” he commented.

Houthi highlighted that Sana’a is ready to release captured Saudi officers in exchange for the freedom of Palestinians being kept behind bars in the kingdom.

The Ansarullah chief also condemned Saudi Arabia for restricting the annual Hajj pilgrimage to its own citizens and residents for the second year running under the pretext of the coronavirus pandemic, terming the measure as “unacceptable” and “sacrilegious.”

Houthi stressed that Hajj is both an Islamic and a universal symbol, and its restriction to one country or a limited number of pilgrims destroys the sanctity of such a key pillar of Islam, adding, "It is a dangerous action against the Muslim world as well."

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Ansarullah leader hailed Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip over last May’s Operation Sword of al-Quds against Israel, saying, “The operation was successful and ended with a divine victory.”

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Houthi said the operation disgraced the Arab countries that normalized their relations with the Tel Aviv regime, emphasizing that these states justify the Israeli military’s actions but falsely blame Palestinian resistance movements.

“The Arab states that are normalizing ties with the Israeli regime are betraying Islam,” the Ansarullah leader said.

Moreover, Houthi lauded Hezbollah after the Lebanese resistance movement retaliated Israeli shelling and airstrikes on southern Lebanon with a rocket barrage on Friday, emphasizing Ansarullah's support for Hezbollah.

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Resistance groups have rallied behind Hezbollah after the movement retaliated Israeli shelling and airstrikes on southern Lebanon with a rocket barrage on Friday.

“Hezbollah is at the forefront of resistance against Israeli aggression. While treacherous countries are trying to criticize the operation, they are silent in the face of Israeli aggression,” he said.

The Ansarullah head also criticized the ongoing siege on Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition, stating that continuation of wars and conflicts in Muslim countries is a joint American-British-Israeli scheme.

He said the United States, Britain and Israel are supporting continuation of‎ crimes being committed against Yemeni people, and are plundering Yemen’s natural resources.

“Most of the Yemeni population is living in poverty because of the US-backed and Saudi-led aggression on our country. The former Yemeni government [led by fugitive president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi] was treacherous since it was acting to the detriment of Yemeni people,” Houthi said.

Yemen siege must be removed without preconditions in order for peace to prevail: Houthi

Houthi says unconditional removal of the blackmail-style blockade on Yemen is the key to durable peace.

He added, “Aggression against Yemen unmasked the true nature of the US and its allies. When Washington and its allies speak of peace they mean others must surrender to their demands."

“We do not want to prolong Yemen's conflict at all, but will resist [Saudi-led] aggression by all available means,” Houthi concluded.

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