FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C. - September 29, 2021

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media@cmep.org
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 CMEP Celebrates Rep. Khanna NDAA Amendment
to End US Support for the Saudi-led war and blockade on Yemen

 

Last Thursday, September 23, the cause of peace won an important victory in the halls of the U.S. Congress on the road toward ending the years of war that have produced nothing but suffering for Yemen and the region. The House passed an amendment to the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), that CMEP supports and has worked for, to prohibit U.S. logistical support, intel sharing, maintenance, and spare parts for the Royal Saudi Air Force conducting operations in Yemen for years.

It is a significant achievement that must be maintained in U.S. law and followed up by strengthening diplomacy to persuade the various factions fighting in Yemen to reach a political compromise by negotiation and end the humanitarian crisis once and for all. 

For those in the region, Representative Khanna’s Yemen amendment becoming law would put teeth into the Biden Administration’s stated commitment to end the Saudi airstrikes that have directly killed and maimed many civilians in Yemen, as well as prevented food and medicine from being imported to Yemenis via the Saudi blockade. The amendment removes a critical element of US material support of Saudi operations, indicating a US preference for Saudi Arabia to engage in diplomacy to bring the war to a negotiated end.

Since the Biden Administration announced its opposition to offensive operations over Yemen in February, Saudi Arabia has used US-supplied aircraft to make 848 airstrikes on Yemen anyway. As a result of nearly 7 years of US-enabled Saudi-led war, there are now over 16 million Yemenis living on the edge of famine, and 400,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

For Americans seeking an end to Yemen’s war, the amendment has shown that citizen advocacy for peace can gain support even in a divided Washington as 11 Republican members and 208 Democratic members of the House voted in favor of the amendment. Americans can work together to act for peace. 

CMEP’s Senior Director of Advocacy and Government Relations, Kyle Cristofalo said: “CMEP is proud to have supported such efforts and will continue to do so. We call on Congressional leaders in the House and the Senate to ensure this bipartisan amendment is included in the final NDAA bill sent to the President’s desk.”

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Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a coalition of 30 national church communions and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical traditions that works to encourage US policies that actively promote a comprehensive resolution to conflicts in the Middle East with a focus on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. CMEP works to mobilize US Christians to embrace a holistic perspective and to be advocates of equality, human rights, security, and justice for Israelis, Palestinians, and all people of the Middle East.

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