Historical background of Yemen’s defense of Palestine

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says at the beginning of the Palestine issue, one of the countries that was at the forefront of confronting this task was the Yemen.

By Mohsen Pakaein 

On the first day of 1404 Iranian new year (March 21, 2025), Ayatollah Seyyed Ali  Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in his speech, referring to the great mistake of American and European politicians that the centers of resistance in the region are called Iranian proxy forces, said: “What does proxy mean? The Yemeni nation is motivated, the centers of resistance in the countries of the region are motivated. Iran does not need a proxy. What does proxy mean? They are themselves. At the beginning of the Palestine issue, one of the countries that was at the forefront of confronting this task was the Yemen.”

In relation to the historical background of the independent support of the Yemeni people for Palestine, the following points can be briefly noted:

1- Yemen was established as an independent country after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, and the government of the Mutawakkil or Mutawakkilian monarchy in the north of the country, headed by Imam Yahya bin Muhammad Hamid al-Din, seized power in Sana’a. The Mutawakkils, religious leaders belonging to the Zaydi branch who were known for their courage in fighting oppression and defending the oppressed, led Yemen from 1918 to 1962. The important point is that the Mutawakkil Kingdom and later the Yemen Arab Republic and the Republic of Yemen were among the most prominent governments opposing the Palestine partition plan at the United Nations.

2- In 1947, in the last year of Imam Yahya's rule, Yemen became an official member of the United Nations, and on November 29 of that year, the United Nations General Assembly unveiled the Palestine partition plan by issuing Resolution No. 181. At this time, Imam Yahya's son, Saif al-Islam Abdullah, as Yemen's special envoy, spoke in opposition to the Palestine partition plan at the General Assembly of the organization. The Supreme Leader of the Revolution also referred to Saif al-Islam Abdullah's presence at the United Nations in his speech on new year, 1404, without mentioning his name, and said, "The ruler of that day stood up, went and participated in an international gathering and opposed it." This historical incident shows that Yemen had declared its independent support for the Palestinian cause since its establishment and since its membership in the United Nations by adopting clear positions.
3- After the establishment of the Mutawakkil government, southern Yemen, under the name of the Aden government, was still under British colonial rule, and Yemeni Jews also lived in this region. After the Balfour Declaration was issued in 1917, when Britain formalized the occupation of Palestine by Zionism, the immigration of Aden Jews to occupied Palestine was often carried out secretly and covertly, with British support. The aim of this action was to try to Zionize Yemeni Jews and increase the population of Israel. This action angered Yemeni Muslims, and Imam Yahya, the founder of the Mutawakkil government of Yemen, issued a law in 1923 prohibiting the travel of Yemeni Jews to occupied Palestine.
4- After the fall of the Mutawakkil dynasty and the establishment of a republic in Yemen, the people of the country continued to support the liberation of Palestine. In 1964, Yemen joined the twelve Arab countries in the Cairo Conference, whose goal was to take retaliatory measures against Israel for diverting the Jordan River. At that time, Israel's water withdrawals from the Jordan River were objected to by Arab countries. Also, following the Six-Day War in June 1967, in a courageous move, Yemen severed diplomatic relations with the United States due to "Washington's blind support for Israel against the cause of Palestinian liberation" and condemned Israel for occupying Palestinian land. In 2010, Yemen expelled the country's chess team and members of the governing body after its players played against Israeli chess players in Belarus.

In support of the Palestinian people, Yemen has not had diplomatic relations with the Zionist regime for many years, and people holding Israeli passports or any passport stamped with the regime's stamp cannot enter Yemen. Israeli law also defines Yemen as an "enemy country."

5- With the emergence of Sayyid Hussein Badruddin al-Houthi and the presentation of some Quranic teachings to address the Palestinian issue, the Yemeni people's hatred of Israel intensified. Analyzing the events in the region, Badruddin al-Houthi  announced the increasing role of America and the dangers it poses in Palestine, Yemen, and other Islamic countries. In his first speech on International Quds Day in 2004, he considered Palestine to be the central issue of the Ummah and called on Muslims to fulfill their duty towards this central issue and prepare themselves to confront the enemies.

6- The seven-year confrontation between the Yemeni resistance and the Saudi coalition and the role played by the Zionist regime in this confrontation against the Yemeni people, formalized the Yemeni resistance in supporting Palestine and Hezbollah. At this point, the Zionist regime, from its military base in the ports of "Assab" and "Massawa" in Eritrea, delivered advanced military aid to the Khamis Mushatt base in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia and, in joint military operations with the Saudi coalition, brought the Yemeni people to the brink of death. This is how the Yemenis independently, in order to defend their land, put a serious and comprehensive confrontation with the Zionist regime on the agenda, and have continued to this day.
The result is that the propaganda of the United States and Europe that the Yemeni people defend Palestine and the people of Gaza on behalf of Iran is a blatant lie, contrary to historical precedents and part of the soft war and psychological operations against the Yemeni resistance. There is no doubt that the Yemeni people are independently fighting the Zionist regime and in this process have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy the support of Iran and other members of the powerful resistance front.