Who doesn’t want to root for a brave ragtag resistance going up against an advanced superpower? This is basically the essence of Star Wars: seeing the evil Empire being defeated by the cunning, courageous, and charismatic Rebellion.
Well, Star Wars is effectively taking place in Yemen right now, with the Houthi rebels having spent years fighting on behalf of oppressed Palestinians against the combined technological might of the US Navy and Israel. Impressively, they’re not doing too badly given the massive power imbalance, with the US having to resort to the negotiating table to agree a ceasefire.
Now they have a fan in the most unexpected place: the White House. Donald Trump has just gushed in admiring terms about their bravery and resilience, telling the press:
“You know, we hit them very hard. They had a great capacity to withstand punishment. They took tremendous punishment. You can say there’s a lot of bravery there…It was amazing what they took. But we honor their commitment and their word.”
Donald Trump praises Houthis’ “bravery"
— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) May 7, 2025
“You know, we hit them very hard. They had a great capacity to withstand punishment. They took tremendous punishment. You can say there’s a lot of bravery there…It was amazing what they took. But we honor their commitment and their word.” pic.twitter.com/XS1ChpFKd7
The Houthis themselves have reasons to be cheerful about the ceasefire. Their chief negotiator Mohammed Abdul Salam, said, “What changed is the American position, but our position remains firm”, underlining their commitment to the Palestinian people “will not change”, and confirming that the agreed ceasefire doesn’t include stopping action against Israel.
“Israel is not gonna like this”
MAGA appears bewildered by Trump suddenly praising a group that’s been thoroughly demonized in the U.S. press, insisting he’s behaving like “Roman historians praising the virtues of their defeated enemies” or that Trump is simply saying this “to prepare our soldiers“. Others are taking a more realistic view, wondering “Does this guy even know why he’s bombing the Houthis?” and pointing out “Israel is not gonna like this.“
But just because tempers have cooled between the Houthis and the United States, expect tensions to massively increase between the Houthis and Israel very soon. Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich has promised that Gaza will be “completely destroyed” and ethnically cleansed, vowing that soon there will be no Palestinians at all there.
Global anger and condemnation are rising against this genocidal plan, so expect the ceasefire to be pushed to breaking point soon. But, either way, it certainly sounds like Trump has a soft spot for the Houthis and is impressed by their courage and tenacity. Whether that affection will last remains to be seen, but for now, maybe the prospect of Houthi leaders enjoying a polite sit-down in the Oval Office to meet their newest star-struck fan isn’t a complete impossibility.
Published: May 8, 2025 05:15 am