US must act to stop Saudi war on Yemen: Activist

Press TV has interviewed Medea Benjamin, a member of the CODEPINK in Washington, to discuss Saudi Arabia’s recent strike on an MSF hospital in Yemen.

Following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: This hospital is obvious that coordinates were given and the only positive sign of this news is that nobody got killed. But what if they were, and why is it that Saudi Arabia is targeting this and it is interesting that the US is providing intelligence in terms of where to hit or not on Yemen?  

Benjamin: Well first of all Doctors Without Borders said that not only had they given their coordinates but they had a sign on the roof, explicitly saying this is a hospital and the other thing is you said that people did not die but people will be dying without that hospital there. That was the hospital that took care of the needs of people in that region and one of the hospitals that is still functioning in that region. So because the hospital is not functioning now, there will be people dying as a result of that bombing.

Press TV: Seven months is a long time. Our results show based on our report there on the ground combined with official results that you have 7,000 people that have been killed as a result of this war. Isn’t it time that something needs to be done especially given that you have some players such as the US and the UK involved in terms of giving arms to Saudi Arabia for this bombing campaign?

Benjamin: Well it is absolutely reprehensible that the Saudis have been able to get away with this for month after month after month. I attend a lot of the congressional hearings, in fact one yesterday, where this issue came up and they just glossed right over it and say, ‘oh, we will talk to our Saudi friends about that.’

There is nothing that the US is doing that we know of to stop the Saudis. In fact on the contrary as you said not only is the US supplying the logistics for these bombing raids but the US is also supplying the weapons. So as US citizens I think it is reprehensible that we are not forcing our government to stop the Saudis from doing it, that the United Nations is not doing more to stop the Saudis.

It is just remarkable that after seven months creating not only all the deaths that you mentioned but a huge humanitarian crisis. Well the world is looking at the Syrian refugees. What about the 90 percent of Yemenis who are now facing shortages of food, shortages of water, do not have functioning hospitals to get health care? This is the huge crisis that we could do something about, which is to demand that the Saudis stop the bombing.   

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