There is a better way to stop the Houthi attacks than bombing them

“It is time to stop talking about the risk that the war in Gaza will spread elsewhere in the Middle East. It has already happened”, according to Jeremy Bowen, International Editor of the BBC.

The US and British attacks on the Houthis in Yemen, according to Mr Bowen, “are not just, as ministers in London have suggested, about the freedom of navigation and world trade.”

In fact “they are directly linked to events in Gaza and represent an escalation of the crisis that is gripping the region”.

He also thinks it “entirely possible that pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria will increase the action they are taking against the American forces in the region”.

Even all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah is possible, “if that theatre heats up more, and US forces retaliate”. It won’t be easy for American diplomacy to avert.

The BBC’s international editor to describe the Houthis in detail as a movement and their capabilities and why they are taking their current action:

“I have spent quite a bit of time with the Houthis in Yemen and they are people who are highly independently minded. They will relish conflict with the Americans. They want to be part of this war. What has been happening suits both the Houthis and the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

“The Houthis have said that they are carrying out these attacks in the Red Sea because of the war in Gaza, the killing of civilians and the severe privations Israel has imposed by blocking all but a fraction of the food and relief supplies that they need to survive”.

It is clear that Mr Bowen’s most important paragraph is the following:

“Some critics of the American and British support for Israel say that an immediate ceasefire in Gaza would be a much better way to stop the Houthi attacks than bombing them. If Houthi attacks continued after a ceasefire, the argument is that air strikes against them would have increased legitimacy”.

A very sensible piece of advice. It makes me very happy. I thought along the same lines before I read his article. In fact, that’s common sense for normal, ordinary people.