Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, March 16, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee hosted a teach-in and panel discussion with Milwaukee 4 Yemen and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network – Milwaukee on the connections between Yemeni and Palestinian liberation.

Community members and activists gathered at Zao MKE Church and learned about the history of Yemen, its people’s struggle against U.S. imperialism, the solidarity between the Yemeni and Palestinian liberation movement, and what can be done locally to stand with Yemen and Palestine.

This event was prompted by the recent military attacks on Yemen by the U.S., where the capital Sana’a, as well as Hodeidah and Saada, were targeted and bombed on January 11. This attack was an attempt by the U.S. and the U.K. to shake the solidarity of the brave Yemeni people, who have been blocking trade shipments to Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian liberation movement. The history of brutal oppression and sanctions on Yemen by the U.S. goes back much further, as was discussed in the event.

The event opened with a brief overview of Yemen, its rich history and culture, and why it is a target of U.S. imperialism. A member of Milwaukee 4 Yemen, discussed much of the revolutionary history in Yemen and how his family had been part of the growing movement for self-determination in Yemen.

“One important thing to mention is that the air strikes and destruction [of Yemen] is done by the U.S. What the U.S. has done, and continues to do to the Yemeni people, is unforgivable. It has resulted in what is considered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, and still Yemen has the courage and conviction to stand in solidarity with Palestine,” said Sara Onitsuka, chair of the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee and host for the event.

Khaled Abukhamireh, a member of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, elaborated on the early colonial history and the partitioning of Palestine by France and the U.K. after World War I through the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration.

Referring to the settler colonial state of Zionist Israel, Abukhamireh laid out the ‘pillars’ of imperialism. “People want you to be on the sidelines, they want you to say ‘this is too complicated for me, I just want to move on.’ But if imperialism goes away, Zionist Israel and its authoritarian regime will fall. If one of these pillars falls, they will all fall.”

The connection of the Yemeni and Palestinian liberation efforts was brought home by Hayley Thomson, a member of the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee, who talked about how the U.S. war machine engages in recruitment in high schools and universities, particularly STEM students. One particular weapons manufacturer that recruits through UW-Milwaukee is Astronautics Corporation of America, which has subsidiaries in Israel and deals directly with the Israel occupation. Thomson mentioned another target of the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee, the Wisconsin Defense Industry Council. The council’s purpose is to “strengthen and support Wisconsin’s defense industry” and it claims it wants to support local defense spending in the state.

“The timing of the creating of this council, at the end of 2023, means they saw the genocide happening in Palestine and thought ‘how can we make money off of this?’” Thomson said.

Thomson concluded by touching on why it is important to stand with Yemen and Palestine, stating, “We are fighting the same oppressor. Their fight for liberation is the same as ours – there is no liberation with the military receiving all of this funding.”

The Milwaukee Anti-war Committee stands in support of the resistance of Yemen and Palestine against the U.S. empire, who have the right to resist foreign influence.

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