Israel–Yemen relations

Yemen occupies a strategic position at the entrance to the Red Sea and controls the Bab-el-Mandeb, Israel's outlet to the Indian Ocean and the Far East. Yemenite Jews once formed a sizable Jewish minority in Yemen with a distinct culture but most of them immigrated (ethnically and religiously expelled) to Israel in the mid-20th century.

In February 1948, Imam Yahya was assassinated and Ahmad bin Yahya came to power. The new Imam called upon all Arabs to unite against the Zionist State. He promised to provide Egypt with assistance in the war against Israel, but his contributions were minor. After the Arab defeat and establishment of the State of Israel, he feared that Israel might demand reparations for Jewish property in Yemen. Thinking this, he swiftly set in motion a plan for Jewish emigration en masse; referred to as "Operation Magic Carpet", the effort would see nearly 50,000 Jews flying safely out of Yemen.Jews And Muslims In Lower Yemen: A Study In Protection And Restraint 1918–1949

When the country was divided after Britain's withdrawal in 1967, both North and South Yemen adopted a policy that was in line with their superpower orientation. Thus, Marxist South Yemen began to regard the Arab–Israeli conflict through Soviet eyes, depicting Israel as a tool manipulated by United States capitalism, while the Yemen Arab Republic in the north tended to side with the moderate Arab countries. Following the merger of the two countries on 22 May 1990, hostility towards Israel lessened.

In the spring of 1958, the Ba'ath Party established a branch in Sanaa. In 1964 Yemen joined twelve Arab states at a summit in Cairo, whose purpose was to plan reprisals against Israel.

In 1964, an Egyptian pilot, Captain Abbas Hilmi defected to Israel and told his interrogators that the Egyptians were using poison gas against the Yemeni Royalists. In an effort to rid itself of the Egyptian military force, the Royalist government appealed to the UAR to send forces to fight against Israel.Without Glory in Arabia: The British Retreat from Aden (International Library of Colonial History), Peter Hinchcliffe

In an attempt to explore the underlying reasons for the Six-Day War, observers concluded that both the U.S. and Great Britain sought the withdrawal of Egyptian forces from Yemen and that the war's objective was to restore the Royalist regime. Many Yemenis were convinced that Israel was behind this maneuver. Rumors spread in South Yemen that shortly before their withdrawal from there, the British collaborated with Israel in an attempt to crush the tribes of Southern Arabia in order to prolong their colonial rule.

Following the Six-Day War, Yemen severed its diplomatic relations with the US due to "Washington's blind support to Israel against the Arab cause in Palestine" and condemned Israel for its occupation of Palestinian land.Revolution and Foreign Policy: The Case of South Yemen, 1967–1987, Fred Halliday The division of Yemen into two countries following Britain's withdrawal was a source of major concern for the Israelis. A Yemeni government official assured the Americans that "North Yemen would do nothing to undermine U.S. peace efforts in the current Egyptian–Israeli talks to implement the Camp David agreements." In the early fall of 1987, relatively little attention was paid to the Arab-Israeli conflict due to the fact that the threat from Iran became the Arab world's primary occupation, and the YAR was just as concerned about the Iranian threat as its neighbors in South Arabia.

In 1976, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) raided Entebbe Airport in Uganda and the Osiraq nuclear reactor in Iraq. This made officials in Sanaa aware that Israel would use force to keep its gateway to the Indian Ocean open. San'a's fears increased particularly since the Israeli Intelligence Services had frequently sent vessels to monitor any activity in the Red Sea. In addition, Israeli agents operated in the area to guarantee the safe passage of Israeli ships on their way to and from Eilat. Sanaa repeatedly called for an end to the Iran–Iraq War. In 1982 Sanaa not only condemned Israel for its invasion of Lebanon and the U.S. for facilitating that invasion, but also joined a ministerial delegation sent by South Yemen to all Arab capitals to discuss the issue. In addition, it joined South Yemen in informing PLO leader Yasser Arafat of its willingness to absorb Palestinian refugees.

On 22 June 1969, a coup overthrew Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi and brought Salim Rubai Ali to the Presidency.Jewish Emigration from the Yemen 1951–98: Carpet Without Magic The new government began providing support in Lebanon. Israeli Intelligence Service's documents reveal that it had a detailed knowledge of the magnitude of South Yemen's assistance to the Palestinians. While Aden preached unity within the PLO camp, it maintained close contacts with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The foreign policy resolutions of the Unification Congress of October 1975 called for support for the Palestinians. Reacting to Israel's raids in south Lebanon, Abd al-Fattah Ismail, a spokesman for South Yemen, attested to the close link with the Arab liberation movement in its entirety.Revolution and Foreign Policy: The Case of South Yemen, 1967–1987 (Cambridge Middle East Library) by Fred Halliday In February 1977, Yasser Arafat was cordially received in Aden where he was referred to as "Brother Arafat the President of Palestine," and In March 1977, President Rubiyya Ali met the Somali, Sudanese and YAR chiefs of state in Taiz, in order to consider means of consolidating Arab solidarity "in order to confront Israel's aggressive policy and the Zionist forces supporting it". Responding to accusations made by Washington that South Yemen supported terrorism, Foreign Ministry officials in Aden claimed that supporting the just cause of national liberation movements, suppressed by Zionist imperialist and racist regimes did not constitute an act of terrorism.

In October 1978, South Yemen's main opposition party, the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP) demanded that Israel withdraw from all Arab occupied territories and allow the establishment of a Palestinian state. But while it did not acknowledge Israel's right to exist, the YSP did not call for its liquidation, nor did it call for the establishment of a "secular and democratic" state as the PLO Charter demanded. Israel was mentioned as being the political incarnation of Zionism. When Ali Nasir Muhammad came to power as President in October 1980, South Yemen joined Syria, Libya, Algeria, Iraq and the PLO in boycotting Sadat's peace initiative.

Following the seizure of the Achille Lauro passenger ship by the Palestinians in October 1987, Ali Nasir feared an Israeli strike, and therefore denied that PLO forces were stationed on an island controlled by South Yemen. When South Yemen embarked on an initiative to normalize relations with Oman in the late 1980s, the official statement from Aden was: {{cquote|"normalizing relations between the PDRY and the Sultanate of Oman is one of the PDRY's goals in securing the stability of the region and avoiding the hostile dangers that threatens our people as a result of the growing imperialist military presence and the U.S. and Israeli plots against our Arab peoples"}}

Yet after the 1973 blockade, Yemen did not interrupt the free navigation of Israeli ships originating from Eilat, and when Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin visited Aden in September 1979, South Yemen was prepared to accept the principle of freedom of navigation for all ships from "all adjoining states". At the same time, officials in Aden continued to express solidarity of their Arab neighbors. Therefore, in 1976 South Yemen sent troops as part of the Arab deterrent force in Lebanon, and when Ali Nasser Muhammad visited Moscow in February 1978, the joint communique issued by the two governments condemned the Israeli-Egyptian dialogue.Yemen Foreign Policy and Government Guide

In 1982, South Yemen went along with the North Yemen's proposal to host PLO forces after their eviction from Lebanon by the Israelis. In 1983, it played a major diplomatic role in restoring unity within the Palestinian camp.Perilous Prospects: The Peace Process And The Arab-israeli Military Balance

The unification of the two Yemens on 22 May 1990, reduced the vocal campaign against Israel but did not bring normalization. During the Gulf crisis, Jordan's King Hussein persuaded Yemen to support Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and there were reports of Yemeni troops concentration along the Saudi border. Then, in an about-face, the Government of Yemen invited United States General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. to visit Sanaa. Confused by this policy turnabout, Israeli and Western observers regarded the invitation as a maneuver aimed at dividing the coalition. In the end, only Yemen and the PLO supported the Iraqi cause. However, the Yemeni government offered no more than vocal support. Yemen's sympathy for Saddam Hussein stemmed not only from its hostility towards Israel, but also from fear of the Saudi threat.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}

Covert negotiations regarding the transfer of Jews to Israel were denied by San'a. In an interview to Radio Amman, Yemen's Deputy Information Minister Abd-al-Rahman al-Akwa denied reports from Israeli and American sources that attempts were being made to transfer Yemeni Jews to Israel. When the London Sunday Times reported that Israel was preparing to airlift Yemeni Jews to Israel, Yemeni sources denied that San'a decided to expel the Jews and added that "Yemeni citizens, including Jews have the right to travel to any country except Israel. Ariel Sharon, who later became Israel's Minister of Housing was reported to have said that 1,600 Yemeni Jews were about to emigrate to Israel, and Integration Minister Rabbi Yitzhak Perez stated that Israel was using "secret efforts to bring 1,500 Jews from Yemen." In May 1992, Radio Monte Carlo in Arabic announced that a "responsible" Yemeni source has denied the veracity of the report about the immigration of Jews. In the spring of 1993, Israeli sources said that some 100 Jews immigrated secretly to Israel. Attempting to cover up the immigration issue, Yemeni sources said that prominent Jews had asked for protection against Israeli attempts to coerce them to immigrate to Israel.

In the autumn of 1993, Saleh met Mousa Abu Marzook, head of the Hamas Political Bureau. The President of Yemen expressed full support for the Palestinian struggle, and they discussed ways to bring all Palestinian factions to agree on a common strategy. In an interview with an Egyptian weekly, Saleh said that his country would be willing to host a meeting of all Palestinian factions, in order to discuss their differences and bring unity to their ranks. In another interview with a London-based Arabic newspaper, Basindwah said that Yemen would exert every effort in order to reconcile all factions within the Palestinian camp and called on the Palestinians to prevent Israel from benefiting from the dissension in their ranks. When interviewed by the Egyptian press, Basindwah said that his government would support any decision made by the Palestinians. And when asked about the future of the Palestinian forces stationed in Yemen, he said that: "The Palestinian forces stationed in Yemen are actually in their homeland. But whether they decide to stay or leave is a matter for the PLO to decide."A History of Modern Yemen, Paul Dresch{{page needed|date=April 2022}}

When asked by a London weekly whether or not Arafat had informed him regarding the autonomy agreement with Israel, Saleh admitted that the agreement was reached in complete secrecy, and that he knew about it just a few weeks before its signature. He added: {{Quotation|"We were as surprised as the entire world, but when it comes to the settlement of their own problem, we support the choice of the Palestinian people"}} When a journalist asked him about his country's position on the Israeli-Palestinian agreement regarding Gaza and Jericho, Saleh said: "We support the will of the Palestinian Arab people and whatever these militant Arab people have made and accepted. We had hoped for better agreement. We would have hoped that the Gaza-Jericho First Agreement would have also included the West Bank and East Jerusalem."

Despite its willingness to moderate its attitude towards Israel, San'a was not ready to take any step which might trigger Arab criticism against it. Even reports regarding the relaxation of the Arab Boycott against Israel by Oman and other Gulf countries did not inspire the Yemeni government to follow suit. In a statement to Al Ahram, Basindwah said that his country was not ready to end the boycott of Israel before a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East became reality.

The Yemeni government seemed determined to maintain friendly relations with Egypt, even though the latter concluded a peace agreement with Israel. During his visit to Cairo in August 1993, Basindwah said: "The relations between Yemen and Egypt are deep rooted. These relations were baptized by blood when the Egyptian people and Army helped Yemen during our revolution against the defunct imams' rule and British colonialism". In an interview with an Egyptian newspaper, Saleh expressed his country's unqualified support for Egypt.

In March 1994, Sheikh Abd-al-Majid al-Zindani, member of the Yemeni Presidential Council warned against what he regarded as a foreign and Zionist scheme to partition Yemen into several stateless in order to make it easier to control its oil wealth and strategic location, especially in the strait of Bab el Mandab. In 1995, Yemen and Eritrea had a conflict over the strategic Hanish islands in the Red Sea. The Yemenis were convinced that Israel was involved in the conflict.A History of Modern Yemen, Paul Dresch{{page needed|date=April 2022}} Yemen's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abd-al-Karim al-Iryani said in a news conference:

{{Quotation|In fact, it has been proved beyond any doubt that there was a direct Israeli involvement, we would have been very happy to announce this, for several reasons which I do not care to discuss here. But we know in advance, and we were told by the Eritreans before we had a dispute with them that they received a grant from Israel, in the form of four or six boats. This fact was known to us, and we mentioned it in the media. What we know are the statements by the Israeli health minister ... It is normal for Israel to sympathize with Eritrea. Eritrea has official diplomatic relations with Israel. Do you expect it to support Yemen, which has not yet announced an end to the state of war with Israel?|Abd-al-Karim al-Iryani, Yemeni Foreign Minister|news conference}}A History of Modern Yemen, Paul Dresch{{page needed|date=April 2022}}

Yemeni officials suggested that Israel supplied ammunition and equipment to the Eritrean forces in return for military bases on the Red Sea islands. Israel's Health Minister Efraim Sneh responded by saying that although Israel maintained good relations with Eritrea, it did not take part in the conflict. The fears that Israel was determined to prevent Yemen from controlling Bab-el-Mandeb increased partially as a result of an intense Iranian propaganda campaign aimed at keeping the two countries hostile to each other. Commenting on the Yemeni–Eritrean dispute over the three Red Sea islands, and the Eritrean occupation of Greater Hanish, an Iranian source said: {{Quotation|Observers believe that the Eritrean move of occupying Greater Hanish was instigated by countries that do not want Yemen to dominate the Bab-el-Mandeb island and strengthen its regional position. After unification, and with the pooling of the resources of its north and south, Yemen attained a position that gave it the power to compete with regional powers. ... Israel has always had its eye on the Red Sea so that the countries that have no problems with Israel might attain predominance in the region. Hence Tel Aviv is not very pleased about Yemen holding sway over the region|Iranian source}}

While waging a verbal campaign against Israel, Yemen continued to collaborate closely with Iran and Iraq. It denounced U.S. policy toward Iraq and assisted Saddam Hussein on every occasion. According to the London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, 19 Iraqi pilots were being trained in Yemen in the fall of 1993. According to Iran's Minister of the Interior, Ali Mohammad Besharati, the promotion of his country's relations with Yemen was a pivotal feature of Iranian diplomacy.Zeev Maoz, Defending the Holy Land: A Critical Analysis of Israel's Security & Foreign Policy{{page needed|date=April 2022}} When the warring political forces in Yemen decided to reach an agreement in January 1994, the Yemeni government decided to hold a ceremony with Jordan's King Hussein as the mediator. Arafat was among the dignitaries invited. In an interview to Al-Ahram, Saleh said that he conferred with Egyptian President's Hosni Mubarak, and told him that it was beyond his comprehension how the Arabs continuously engaged in negotiations with Israel while they remained at odds with each other. When the U.S. announced its decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Yemeni Cabinet denounced the decision and expressed hope that the US government will reverse the bill that Yemen regarded as "contradictory to all resolutions of international legitimacy". Yet despite the official Yemeni statements Israel, low profile contacts between the two countries continued to take place.

Yemen sent a representative to attend former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's funeral, and although they were critical of the slow pace of the peace process, Yemeni officials were encouraged by the Israeli–Palestinian dialogue.

In February 1996, Abd-al-Wahhab Darawsha and Talab al-Sani, both leaders of the Democratic Party and Knesset members arrived in San'a at the invitation of the Yemeni parliament, the House of Representatives. The Yemeni government did not give publicity to their visit.Maoz, Defending the Holy Land: A Critical Analysis of Israel's Security & Foreign Policy{{page needed|date=April 2022}} Yemeni sources were careful to state that the visitors were being hosted in their capacity as Arab citizens, and not as Knesset representatives. Coaxed by President Bill Clinton and President Mubarak, the Yemeni government agreed to participate in the peacemaking summit that took place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on 13 March 1996.

In the spring of 1996, Yemeni Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Abd al-Karim al-Iryani said that his government was deeply suspicious of what he called "the Zionist entity's intentions and seriousness in the search for peace". Yemen's Prime Minister, Faraj Said Bin Ghanem discussed issues of national security with his Egyptian counterpart, Kamal Ganzouri and Assistant Yemeni Foreign Minister, Eid Ali Abdel Rahman told news reporters that San'a would not take any steps towards establishing diplomatic relations with Israel until the latter agreed to the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.Maoz, Defending the Holy Land: A Critical Analysis of Israel's Security & Foreign Policy{{page needed|date=April 2022}}

The unwillingness of the Yemeni government to warm up to Israel was largely due to pressure exerted by the opposition groups. The most vocal opponent of the government's attempts to reconcile with Israel was the Yemeni Reform Grouping. Yemen's Deputy Prime Minister, Abd-al-Wahhab al-Anisi, who headed the group that was a partner of the General People's Congress in the coalition government, stated that he had reservations regarding Yemen's participation in the economic summit meeting held in Amman at the end of 1995. He also stated that his party boycotted the visit of an Israeli Knesset delegation to Yemen. His party's position, he said, was that peace in the Middle East could not be established without securing the Palestinians right to an independent state. The YSP was no less critical of the government's policy. It repeatedly called upon the government to refrain from participating in any event which Israel was represented. In August 1997, it urged the government to boycott the Middle East and North Africa economic summit scheduled for November that year in Qatar, if Israel did not take serious measures toward a lasting peace. Parliamentary speaker Abdullah al-Ahmar said that those countries who decided to attend the summit would be serving Israel's interests. Yemen's opposition parties became more vocal during the summer of 1997, when Israel's right-wing Likud government did not show willingness to accelerate the peace process.

In April 1999, there was a report that Abd al-Karim al-Iryani, by then Prime Minister of Yemen, had met with the director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Reportedly, the meeting once again focused on visits, refugees and Israeli investments. But this was denied by Sana'a. In June 1999, a Yemeni government official denied a report by the Israeli daily Maariv that Yemen was intending to normalize its relations with Israel. The Maariv report was described as "fabricated and baseless in spirit and content".

In January 2000, the Jordanian Al Majd newspaper said, quoting well-informed diplomatic sources in Amman that the Israeli embassy in the Jordanian had tried repeatedly to contact the Yemeni ambassador in Amman, Hassan Al Louzi, by telephone. In the same month, in a statement to the Kuwaiti daily Al-Seyassah, the then Yemeni foreign minister Abdul Qadir Bajamal said that all attempts made by Israel to use time to serve its interests in making a peace deal are doomed to failure. In March the Israeli airline, El Al, asked permission to use Yemeni airspace for its flights to the Far East but this was refused.

In October 2008, security forces arrested six alleged Islamist militants linked to Israeli intelligence. In March 2009, a state security court sentenced 27-year-old Abdullah al-Haidari to death after convicting him of establishing contacts with the office of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. A three-year prison term for another convict in the case, Emad Ali al-Raimi, 24, was also confirmed by the appeals court. The court also lowered the sentence for a third convict Ali Abdullah al-Mahfal, 25, from five to three years.Sanaa SABA Online in English, 16 February 2009 The three remaining suspects were released before trial, due to lack of evidence.

In the midst of the 2006 Lebanon War, The ruling party, the General People's Congress, strongly condemned the actions of what it considered to be aggressions against the Palestinians and the Lebanese and called for the international community to intervene. Other political parties have also condemned the Israelis, and announced their support for the Palestinian and Lebanese people "in their fight for their right of survival and defeating occupier." They also called for the closing of Israeli embassies in Arab countries.{{cite news|title=Yemeni parties condemn Israeli attacks in Palestine and Lebanon |date=15 July 2006 |work=NewsYemen |url=http://www.newsyemen.net/en/view_news.asp?sub_no=3_2006_07_15_6211 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205210709/http://www.newsyemen.net/en/view_news.asp?sub_no=3_2006_07_15_6211 |archive-date=5 February 2012}} Thousands came together in the capital city, Sana'a, on 19 July to protest the Israeli attacks against the Palestinians and Lebanese. The demonstration was organized by the ruling and opposition political parties.[http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/Thousands_in_Yemen_Sudan_protest_Israeli_attacks.html?siteSect=143&sid=6907240&cKey=1153316256000 Thousands in Yemen, Sudan protest Israeli attacks] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930201330/http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/Thousands_in_Yemen_Sudan_protest_Israeli_attacks.html?siteSect=143&sid=6907240&cKey=1153316256000 |date=30 September 2007}}, Swissinfo

Israeli action during the Gaza War (2008–2009) prompted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh condemned the Israeli raids as a “barbaric aggression”.{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4BQ0YZ20081227|title=Arab foreign ministers to meet on Gaza |date=27 December 2008|publisher=Reuters|access-date=28 December 2008}} Tens of thousands of people marched, many carrying banners condemning Israel and what they called "Arab silence" over the "extermination of the Palestinian people by the Zionist enemy".{{cite web |author1=Emad Malkay |author2=Mahmoud Kassem |date=28 December 2008 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aFmjwaMtMAk4&refer=home |title=Arab Protesters Condemn Israel's Gaza Air Strikes (Update2) |work=Bloomberg News |url-status=deviated|archive-date=23 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023210230/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aFmjwaMtMAk4&refer=home}} Following the war Yemen has prepared 42 tons of aid for the people of Gaza. Yemen has also declared its readiness to receive 500 injured Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and treat them in Yemeni hospitals.{{cite web |url=http://www.yobserver.com/front-page/10015494.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716055326/http://www.yobserver.com/front-page/10015494.html |archive-date=16 July 2011 |author=Zaid al-Alaya'a |date=6 January 2009 |title=Government warns against un-official collection of money for Gaza |website=Yemen Observer}}

In response to the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid, the Yemeni Parliament strongly condemned the Israeli attack and demanded for "an Islamic army to encounter the Israeli arrogance."{{cite web |title=Yemen denounces Israeli attack on Gaza flotilla, calls for sending "Islamic army" |url=http://www.newsyemen.net/en/view_news.asp?sub_no=3_2010_05_31_40105 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605090408/http://newsyemen.net/en/view_news.asp?sub_no=3_2010_05_31_40105 |archive-date=5 June 2010 |work=News Yemen |date=31 May 2010}}

During the 2012 Gaza War, according to a statement released to the Saba News Agency from a government source, "Yemen has announced its strong condemnation and denunciation of the "brutal Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip, and standing of the Yemeni people with their brothers in Palestine at all times".{{cite press release|title=Yemen strongly condemns brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza| location=Yemen|publisher=SABA news agency|date=16 November 2012| url=http://www.sabanews.net/en/news287944.htm|access-date=17 November 2012}} The unnamed spoken also said that "The Yemeni government calls for the international community to bare their responsibilities towards the Zionist offensive and take swift action to stop this brutal aggression".{{cite press release|title=Yemen condemns Israel's aggression in Gaza| location=Yemen|agency=Xinhua News Agency|date=16 November 2012| url=http://www.nzweek.com/world/yemen-condemns-israels-aggression-in-gaza-25978/|access-date=17 November 2012}} The Yemeni parliament has denounced the Israeli operation, considering it an "aggression against all Arab and Muslim countries" and calling for using oil as a weapon to end the Israeli operation. It called on the Arab parliaments and shoura councils to hold an urgent meeting to discuss the "Israeli aggression against Gaza", calling for visiting Gaza in sympathy with its people.{{cite press release|title=Parliament calls to use oil weapon against Israel|location=Yemen|publisher=SABA news agency|date=16 November 2012|url=http://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/arabic/subjects/5/2012/11/17/24463.htm|access-date=17 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119060432/http://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/arabic/subjects/5/2012/11/17/24463.htm|archive-date=19 November 2012|url-status=dead}} On 17 November, Permanent Representative of Yemen to the Arab League, Mohammed al-Haisami called "all Arab states to put an end to the cruel Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip and to stop the crimes committed by Israel on the Palestinian people".On 19 November, hundreds marched in Sanaa to "affirm their solidarity with those under siege in the Gaza strip". The demonstrators, which began at Change Square, marched to the local Hamas office in Haseba district.{{cite web|title=Yemenis march in solidarity with Gaza|url=http://www.yementimes.com/en/1626/news/1618/Yemenis-march-in-solidarity-with-Gaza.htm|publisher=Yemen Times|access-date=19 November 2012|archive-date=19 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119102429/http://yementimes.com/en/1626/news/1618/Yemenis-march-in-solidarity-with-Gaza.htm|url-status=dead}}

The Yemeni government denounced Israel during the 2014 Gaza War.{{cite web |date=10 July 2014 |title=Yemen denounces Israeli aggression against Palestinians |url=http://www.sabanews.net/en/news360673.htm |work=Yemen News Agency}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025}}

{{Further|Yemeni civil war (2014–present)}}

Since the beginning of the Yemeni civil war in 2014, both the Presidential Leadership Council and Houthis have refused normalization with Israel. The general public in Israel are increasingly growing concerned in regards to Houthi capability to potentially attack Israel. During a 2019 conference on fighting Iranian terrorism, a tense situation arose when the President of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi had to sit next to the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu even though the two are enemies. With backing from the UAE, groups in the south of Yemen are warming up to the idea of normalized relations.{{cn|date=December 2020}}

Following the Houthi insurgency in Yemen, tensions grew with Israel. Analyst Salem Al Ketbi argued that a Houthi attack on Israel, albeit unlikely, is still a possibility, but could take the form of an intelligence or cyberspace attack rather than a military one.{{Cite web |date=9 February 2022 |title=Could the Houthis attack Israel? |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/322017 |access-date=10 February 2022 |website=Israel National News |language=en}}

{{Further|Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)|Red Sea crisis}}

Shortly after the Gaza war began in October 2023, Houthi militants based in Yemen began targeting civilian merchant and naval vessels passing through the Red Sea.{{Cite web |last=Gambrell |first=Jon |date=2024-06-14 |title=US Navy faces its most intense combat since World War II against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels |url=https://apnews.com/article/us-navy-yemen-houthis-israel-war-7a9997f9d84ac669fae69ecf819913fb |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=AP News |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=15 February 2024 |title=Yemen's Houthis take responsibility for attack on Greek-owned bulk carrier |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/explosion-reported-near-vessel-east-yemens-aden-ukmto-2024-02-15/ |access-date= |website=Reuters |language=en |agency=Reuters}}{{Citation |title=Iran Looks to Houthi Proxies to Escalate Fight With Israel |vauthors=((Fassihi, F.)), ((Bergman, R.)), ((Schmitt, E.)) |year=2023 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/world/middleeast/iran-israel-houthis.html |access-date=9 December 2023}} The Houthis said that their attacks would continue until Israel ended its "crimes in Gaza."{{Cite web |date=2023-12-19 |title=Yemen's Houthis 'will not stop' Red Sea attacks until Israel ends Gaza war |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/19/yemens-houthis-will-not-stop-red-sea-attacks-until-israel-stops-gaza-war |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}{{Citation |title=How missiles from Yemen could escalate Israel-Gaza war |year=2023 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67635670 |access-date=9 December 2023}} The group said it would target vessels linked to Israel, but has primarily indiscriminately attacked many vessels with no relation to the country.{{Cite web |last=Karnitschnig |first=Matthew |date=2024-03-28 |title=How China ended up financing the Houthis' Red Sea attacks |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/china-finance-houthi-red-sea-attacks-iran-oil/ |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Politico Europe |language=en-GB}} By May 2024, Houthis had conducted over 50 attacks;{{Cite web |last1=Gambrell |first1=Jon |last2=Baldor |first2=Lolita C. |date=2024-05-31 |title=Houthi rebels say at least 16 killed and 42 others wounded in joint US-British airstrikes in Yemen |url=https://apnews.com/article/yemen-war-us-british-airstrikes-israel-hamas-12f99b7afc389a703f8dd333f2376b20 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250105114517/https://apnews.com/article/yemen-war-us-british-airstrikes-israel-hamas-12f99b7afc389a703f8dd333f2376b20 |archive-date=2025-01-05 |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=Associated Press |language=en}} Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said his forces had launched 606 ballistic missiles and drones against 107 ships affiliated with Israel and its allies across the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb strait, Gulf of Aden, and Indian Ocean.{{Cite web |last=Saeed |first=Al-Batati |date=2024-05-02 |title=Houthi leader vows 'fourth phase' of Red Sea ship attacks |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2503511/middle-east |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916234731/https://www.arabnews.com/node/2503511/middle-east |archive-date=2024-09-16 |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=Arab News |language=en}}

In addition to attacking ships in the Red Sea, Houthis targeted Israel itself with countless airstrikes and drone attacks since the war began, prompting retaliatory strikes by Israel.{{Cite web |author=Jon Gambrell |date=31 October 2023 |title=Yemen's Houthi rebels claim attacks on Israel, drawing their main sponsor Iran closer to Hamas war |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/yemens-houthi-rebels-claim-attacks-israel-drawing-main-104514030 |access-date=31 October 2023 |website=ABC News |language=en |agency=Associated Press}} The first was on 19 October 2023, when United States officials said the {{USS|Carney}} shot down three land-attack cruise missiles and several drones heading toward Israel launched by the Houthis in Yemen.{{cite news |last1=Copp |first1=Tara |last2=Baldor |first2=Lolita C. |name-list-style=and |date=19 October 2023 |title=US military shoots down missiles and drones as it faces growing threats in volatile Middle East |url=https://apnews.com/article/yemen-navy-warship-missiles-intercepted-2f5fc9c8a3737f762b29d5c53ec08a5b |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019193345/https://apnews.com/article/yemen-navy-warship-missiles-intercepted-2f5fc9c8a3737f762b29d5c53ec08a5b |archive-date=19 October 2023 |access-date=2 November 2023 |work=Associated Press}}{{Cite web |last=Martinez |first=Luis |date=2023-10-20 |title=US Navy destroyer in Red Sea shoots down cruise missiles fired by Houthis in Yemen: Pentagon |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/security-incident-involving-us-navy-destroyer-red-sea/story?id=104147141 |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=ABC News |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=8 November 2023 |title=IntelBrief: Houthi Involvement in Mideast War Hinders Prospects for a Yemen Settlement |url=https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2023-november-8/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111012230/https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2023-november-8/ |archive-date=11 November 2023 |access-date=10 November 2023 |website=The Soufan Center |language=en}} After a Houthi drone attack in July 2024 killed one person and injured 10 others near the U.S. embassy office in Tel Aviv,{{Cite web |last1=Goldman |first1=Paul |last2=Da Silva |first2=Chantal |date=2024-07-19 |title=Drone strike near U.S. Embassy office in Tel Aviv leaves one dead, Yemen's Houthi rebels claim attack |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-hamas-war-houthi-rebels-drone-strike-tel-aviv-us-embassy-office-rcna161846 |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=NBC News |language=en}} Israel responded by attacking military facilities and oil depots in al-Hudaydah, Yemen, killing at least six and wounding at least 83.{{Cite web |last1=Raine |first1=Andrew |last2=Poole |first2=Thom |last3=Tanno |first3=Sophie |last4=Kourdi |first4=Eyad |last5=Pourahmadi |first5=Adam |last6=Carey |first6=Andrew |last7=Izso |first7=Lauren |last8=Hira |first8=Humayun |date=2024-07-20 |title=At least 6 killed, Houthis say, as Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen day after Tel Aviv drone attack |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/20/middleeast/yemen-israel-strikes-hodeidah-intl/index.html |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=CNN |language=en}} Israel attacked Yemen again in September, killing six and injuring 57 others.{{Cite web |last1=Najjar |first1=Farah |last2=McCready |first2=Alastair |last3=Jamal |first3=Urooba |last4=Mohamed |first4=Edna |last5=Siddiqui |first5=Usaid |last6=Varshalomidze |first6=Tamila |date=2024-09-30 |title=Israel bombs Lebanon updates: Israel announces ground operation in Lebanon |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/9/30/israel-attacks-lebanon-live-israel-expands-strikes-on-beirut-as-105-killed |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} After Houthi attacks in December 2024, Israel launched two waves of strikes against Houthi territory in al-Hudaydah and Sanaa, killing a total of 13 people.{{Cite news |last1=Kershner |first1=Isabel |last2=Naar |first2=Ismaeel |date=2024-12-26 |title=Israel Bombs Yemeni Airport and Ports After Houthi Missile Launches |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/26/world/middleeast/israel-yemen-bombs-houthis.html |access-date=2025-02-09 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} The most deadly of these strikes targeted the Sanaa International Airport.{{Cite web |date=2024-12-26 |title=Israeli air strikes hit main Yemen airport |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyj88rye1jo.amp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241226144525/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyj88rye1jo.amp |archive-date=2024-12-26 |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=BBC News |language=en-gb}}

During much of the 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, which was agreed to on 15 January, Houthi attacks against ships in the Red Sea and against Israeli territory largely subsided.{{Cite web |title=Houthis have stopped attacking merchant ships since Gaza ceasefire, industry group says |url=https://www.stripes.com/theaters/middle_east/2025-02-19/houthis-red-sea-shipping-ceasefire-16881339.html |access-date=2025-07-01 |website=Stars and Stripes |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Myre |first=Greg |date=2025-01-29 |title=With Gaza ceasefire, Yemen's Houthi rebels halt attacks on ships in the Red Sea |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/01/29/nx-s1-5270518/with-gaza-ceasefire-yemens-houthi-rebels-halt-attacks-on-ships-in-the-red-sea |access-date=2025-07-01 |work=NPR |language=en}} The Houthis announced a resumption in attacks on 11 March, citing insufficient humanitarian aid entering Gaza.{{Cite web |last=Salhani |first=Justin |date=17 March 2025 |title=What's happening in Yemen? A breakdown of the Houthi-US violence |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/17/houthis-us-in-new-spiral-of-violence-everything-to-know |access-date=17 March 2025 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} After the March 2025 Israeli strikes on Gaza, the Houthis pledged escalation on 18 March.{{Cite web |date=18 March 2025 |title=Yemen's Houthis condemn Israel strikes on Gaza, vow escalation |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2025/03/18/yemen-s-houthis-condemn-israel-strikes-on-gaza-vow-continued-escalation- |website=Al Arabiya |agency=Agence France Presse}} On 4 May, a Houthi attack hit the Ben Gurion Airport in Israel;{{#invoke:Cite|web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/6-wounded-in-airport-missile-attack-one-in-good-to-moderate-condition-and-5-lightly-hurt/|title=6 wounded in airport missile attack — one in good-to-moderate condition and 5 lightly hurt|date=4 May 2025|website=The Times of Israel}} in response, Israel carried out retaliatory attacks on Yemen,{{#invoke:Cite|web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-air-force-struck-houthi-infrastructure-in-yemen-including-hodeidah-port-concrete-factory/|title=IDF says Air Force struck Houthi infrastructure in Yemen, including Hodeidah port, concrete factory|date=5 May 2025|website=The Times of Israel}} including an attack on Sanaa International Airport.{{#invoke:Cite|web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-sanaa-airport-completely-disabled-power-stations-cement-factory-also-targeted/|title=IDF says Sanaa airport 'completely disabled'; power stations, cement factory also targeted|date=6 May 2025|website=The Times of Israel}}

When the Israeli singer, Ofra Haza planned to visit Yemen, where her parents emigrated from, the Yemeni government gave its approval. The organ of the Nasserist Unionist People's Organisation, Al-Warawi, was critical of this decision: "The visit proves that the ruling coalition began to march toward normalization of cultural and economic relations with Israel." It added that the approval given to the singer's visit was "a flying balloon whose purpose is to gauge the response of the nation and the parties before additional steps to normalize relations can be taken." The organ of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, Al-Thawri, claimed that the attempt to improve relations with Israel was part of a Yemeni grand design to become friendly with the United States.

In 2010, Yemen sacked the country's chess team and members of the governing body after its players competed against Israel at a tournament in Belarus. The Yemeni Sports minister, Hamud Mohammed Ubad, ordered the dismissal after players ignored instructions to pull out if drawn against Israel. Ubad said that "this was an individual action contrary to the policy of Yemen, which refuses any normalisation with Israel".{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-sacks-chess-team-for-playing-against-israel-2087043.html|title=Yemen sacks chess team for playing against Israel |date=23 September 2010|work=The Independent|access-date=19 November 2012}}

{{Portal|Israel|Politics}}

• Foreign relations of Israel
• Foreign relations of Yemen
• International recognition of Israel

{{reflist}}

{{Foreign relations of Israel}}

{{Foreign relations of Yemen}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Israel-Yemen relations}}

Yemen

Category:Bilateral relations of Yemen