mintpressnews--2020-03-27--From Electoral Politics to Coronavirus Response: In Israel, Apartheid Mentality Reigns

Jerusalem , Palestine — Once again , Benjamin Netanyahu wins big in Israeli politics .
Even as his main opponent , former Israeli army chief Benny Gantz was given a mandate to form and head a coalition government , Netanyahu , indicted and presumed to be on his way out , managed to pull in Gantz , break up the Blue and White opposition party , stop the coalition from forming , and remain on top .
In an unprecedented upset , the Arab Joint List , a coalition of four predominantly Palestinian political parties , was able to win @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This made them the third largest block within the legislature .
They were going to support a Gantz-led government from the outside , which means they would not be a part of the actual coalition government .
This is an enormous gesture on behalf of the Joint List , whose constituents are primarily Palestinian citizens of Israel , the country ’ s most disenfranchised group of citizens .
It was a moment of sweet illusion when , thanks to the recommendation of the members of the Arab Joint List , Gantz was given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be the first politician to get Netanyahu out of the Premier seat in over a decade .
However , that moment did not last long .
It was naive to think that an Israeli politician would agree to rely on Palestinians to advance his political career – this would be a stain he could never erase .
It was also naive to believe that there is anyone in Israeli politics that could not be outsmarted by Netanyahu .
Gantz is a good soldier , he had a long career in the service of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four years of being at its head .
Throughout his career , Gantz was responsible for countless dead and injured Palestinians and unspeakable destruction all over Palestine and Lebanon .
As army chief , he led the IDF during two bloody massacres in Gaza : one in November of 2012 and another , in the summer of 2014 .
The second was perhaps the worst massacre of Palestinians ever perpetrated by Israel .
It lasted over 50 days in which 2,500 Palestinians were murdered and tens of thousands were injured .
Now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Netanyahu , who was his boss while he was in uniform .
He obediently broke up his own political alliance , Blue and White , threw his political allies under the bus , and turned his back on the voters .
He also reneged on the one campaign promise that got him elected to begin with : to unseat Netanyahu .
No Zionist political leader will rely on a Palestinian party .
That is because the Israeli apartheid is not just a system of government , it is a state of mind .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal to a point where a career politician , in this case , Benny Gantz , gave up the chance to be Prime Minister because it meant he would need to rely on Palestinian citizens of Israel .
One of the criticisms leveled at Gantz was that he was going to rely on the members of the Arab Joint List for his coalition , even though they had made it clear that if it came to a vote , they would never support another assault on Gaza .
Furthermore , the members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so-called Trump peace plan and are known to support Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails .
The acclaimed Israeli author David Grossman , considered a beacon of the “ Zionist Left , ” called on Gantz to work with the Joint List , he added , “ even though I find some of their policies reprehensible.
” Apartheid in the time of COVID-19 In light of the outbreak of Covid-19 , the Israeli government has called for serious restrictions on movement , cramping the lifestyle of Israelis to levels they had never experienced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , using its intelligence agencies , is collecting information on Israeli citizens who have the virus , and this is raising some objections .
In fact , there are several campaigns now demanding “ Freedom to Move ” be restored and that the intelligence agencies not be involved in collecting data .
Five million Palestinians who live no more than a few short miles from Israelis , live in ghettos , not to say concentration camps , and under the shadow of the Israeli intelligence agencies and no one ever hears of Israeli @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move or to end the repression of their rights .
The Tel-Aviv marathon was held recently , just as the coronavirus issue was beginning to spread , and all the foreign runners were prohibited from participating .
40,000 Israeli runners participated in the event and not a word was said about the closures , arrests , water restrictions and lack of rights of millions of Palestinians who live a few miles from there .
It gets worse .
Even with the outbreak of the coronavirus , Israeli authorities continue to demolish homes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israeli settler gangs continue to terrorize Palestinians .
This video , taken by a photographer from the human rights group , B ’ tselem shows settlers and soldiers shooting at Palestinians who were defending their home from an attack by settler thugs .
The army arrested the photographer and took his camera .
In the Naqab , where over 100,000 Palestinian Bedouin citizens of Israel live in “ unrecognized towns , ” COVID-19 turned a terrible situation into a potential disaster .
Because the Israeli authorities do not recognize these towns , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services like clean water , access roads or electricity , much less to health and medical services .
Palestinian Bedouin in the Naqab are all citizens of the state of Israel .
They live in crowded conditions because they are prevented from building .
The ones who dare to build are under constant fear of demolition and expulsion from their lands .
These conditions make it impossible to adhere to the basic most safety precautions needed to stop the spread of Corona .
Schools are now closed and the Israeli Ministry of Education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the internet , but over 50 percent of Palestinian citizens of Israel live below the poverty line and have no internet access .
In the Naqab , 70 percent of the students don ’ t even have access to electricity , much less wifi .
Apartheid Israel is alive and well , and at least for now , so is the man leading it .
Feature photo | Armed Israeli police patrol deserted street in Jerusalem ’ s Old City , in Jerusalem , March 23 , 2020 .
Mahmoud Illean | AP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights activist born in Jerusalem .
He is the author of “ The General ’ s Son .
Journey of an Israeli in Palestine , ” and “ Injustice , the Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five .
”

Jerusalem, Palestine — Once again, Benjamin Netanyahu wins big in Israeli politics. Even as his main opponent, former Israeli army chief Benny Gantz was given a mandate to form and head a coalition government, Netanyahu, indicted and presumed to be on his way out, managed to pull in Gantz, break up the Blue and White opposition party, stop the coalition from forming, and remain on top.
Fifteen seats
In an unprecedented upset, the Arab Joint List, a coalition of four predominantly Palestinian political parties, was able to win fifteen seats in the Israeli Knesset. This made them the third largest block within the legislature. They were going to support a Gantz-led government from the outside, which means they would not be a part of the actual coalition government. This is an enormous gesture on behalf of the Joint List, whose constituents are primarily Palestinian citizens of Israel, the country’s most disenfranchised group of citizens.
It was a moment of sweet illusion when, thanks to the recommendation of the members of the Arab Joint List, Gantz was given the mandate to form a government and be the first politician to get Netanyahu out of the Premier seat in over a decade. However, that moment did not last long. It was naive to think that an Israeli politician would agree to rely on Palestinians to advance his political career – this would be a stain he could never erase. It was also naive to believe that there is anyone in Israeli politics that could not be outsmarted by Netanyahu.
General Gantz
Gantz is a good soldier, he had a long career in the service of the Israeli army, which ended after four years of being at its head. Throughout his career, Gantz was responsible for countless dead and injured Palestinians and unspeakable destruction all over Palestine and Lebanon. As army chief, he led the IDF during two bloody massacres in Gaza: one in November of 2012 and another, in the summer of 2014. The second was perhaps the worst massacre of Palestinians ever perpetrated by Israel. It lasted over 50 days in which 2,500 Palestinians were murdered and tens of thousands were injured.
Now, still a good soldier, Gantz obeyed Netanyahu, who was his boss while he was in uniform. He obediently broke up his own political alliance, Blue and White, threw his political allies under the bus, and turned his back on the voters. He also reneged on the one campaign promise that got him elected to begin with: to unseat Netanyahu.
Apartheid is a state of mind.
No Zionist political leader will rely on a Palestinian party. That is because the Israeli apartheid is not just a system of government, it is a state of mind. Israeli racism is deeply institutional and deeply personal to a point where a career politician, in this case, Benny Gantz, gave up the chance to be Prime Minister because it meant he would need to rely on Palestinian citizens of Israel.
One of the criticisms leveled at Gantz was that he was going to rely on the members of the Arab Joint List for his coalition, even though they had made it clear that if it came to a vote, they would never support another assault on Gaza. Furthermore, the members of the Joint List are opposed to the so-called Trump peace plan and are known to support Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. The acclaimed Israeli author David Grossman, considered a beacon of the “Zionist Left,” called on Gantz to work with the Joint List, he added, “even though I find some of their policies reprehensible.”
Apartheid in the time of COVID-19
In light of the outbreak of Covid-19, the Israeli government has called for serious restrictions on movement, cramping the lifestyle of Israelis to levels they had never experienced. It is said that the government, using its intelligence agencies, is collecting information on Israeli citizens who have the virus, and this is raising some objections. In fact, there are several campaigns now demanding “Freedom to Move” be restored and that the intelligence agencies not be involved in collecting data. Five million Palestinians who live no more than a few short miles from Israelis, live in ghettos, not to say concentration camps, and under the shadow of the Israeli intelligence agencies and no one ever hears of Israeli demands to allow them the freedom to move or to end the repression of their rights.
The Tel-Aviv marathon was held recently, just as the coronavirus issue was beginning to spread, and all the foreign runners were prohibited from participating. 40,000 Israeli runners participated in the event and not a word was said about the closures, arrests, water restrictions and lack of rights of millions of Palestinians who live a few miles from there.
It gets worse. Even with the outbreak of the coronavirus, Israeli authorities continue to demolish homes, arrest minors, and shoot protestors and Israeli settler gangs continue to terrorize Palestinians. A now removed video taken by a photographer from the human rights group, B’tselem showed settlers and soldiers shooting at Palestinians who were defending their home from an attack by settler thugs. The army arrested the photographer and took his camera.
In the Naqab, where over 100,000 Palestinian Bedouin citizens of Israel live in “unrecognized towns,” COVID-19 turned a terrible situation into a potential disaster. Because the Israeli authorities do not recognize these towns, they have no access to the basic most services like clean water, access roads or electricity, much less to health and medical services.
Palestinian Bedouin in the Naqab are all citizens of the state of Israel. They live in crowded conditions because they are prevented from building. The ones who dare to build are under constant fear of demolition and expulsion from their lands. These conditions make it impossible to adhere to the basic most safety precautions needed to stop the spread of Corona.
Schools are now closed and the Israeli Ministry of Education is providing lessons to Israeli citizens via the internet, but over 50 percent of Palestinian citizens of Israel live below the poverty line and have no internet access. In the Naqab, 70 percent of the students don’t even have access to electricity, much less wifi.
Apartheid Israel is alive and well, and at least for now, so is the man leading it.
Feature photo | Armed Israeli police patrol deserted street in Jerusalem’s Old City, in Jerusalem, March 23, 2020. Mahmoud Illean | AP
Miko Peled is an author and human rights activist born in Jerusalem. He is the author of “The General’s Son. Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,” and “Injustice, the Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.”


mintpressnews--2020-03-26--Has Saudi Arabia Shot Itself in the Foot With Its Oil Price War?

Faced with an escalating crisis brought on by the global outbreak of COVID-19 , Saudi Arabia made a conscious decision to increase oil production in order to avert a potential oil-price collapse .
The move sent an already faltering global economy into a tailspin .
The trouble began at the beginning of March , after Russia rejected an ultimatum from Saudi Arabia to cut oil production in light of falling prices .
The Saudi response was to effectively flood the oil market with an additional 2.6 million barrels a day at a dramatically discounted price .
History has taught us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ common experience .
Between 1981 and 1985 , the Kingdom cut oil production drastically in light of rising supply from the North Sea , Siberia and Mexico .
When the move amounted to little benefit , Saudi Arabia slashed their prices and increased production .
It did the same in November 2014 after asking Russia to cut oil production , leading to yet another depression in the oil industry .
At the time , Saudi Arabia ’ s deputy economic minister said “ if we don ’ t take any reform measures , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same , then we ’ re doomed to bankruptcy in three to four years.
” The statement was a telling indication that the Saudi leadership was well aware of the devastating consequences of such a strategy .
Oil markets have faced rising and falling prices since the start of 2020 .
In fact , days after the new year began , oil prices dipped sharply and then rose after the United States assassinated Iranian General Qasem Soleimani , bringing the world to the brink of a major war .
This was always going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis .
“ Price action in the oil market is testament to some of the challenges we face , ” economist Cameron Bagrie told MintPress News via email .
Initially , the Saudi sentiment appeared to be to “ allow this thing to go on for a while to bring structural change to the industry , ” according to one Saudi source .
That sentiment , however , may not continue in the long run .
The impact of coronavirus has destroyed the demand for oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struggle when there are no more consumers .
As domestic and international flights across the globe grind to a halt and as many countries impose lockdowns and self-isolation procedures , both personal and commercial demand for oil has dissipated .
Saudi Arabia announced this week that it would reduce government expenditures by $ 13.2 billion USD , or close to five percent of its budget spending for 2020 .
According to the state-run Saudi Press Agency ( SPA ) , the Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Economy and Planning took the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ development in the public finance management , and existence of the appropriate flexibility to take measures in the face of emergency shocks with a high level of efficiency.
” The real reason for this move though ( as stated by the Saudi government itself ) was to take measures to “ reduce the impact of low prices of oil ” with additional precautions to be taken to deal with the expected drop in prices .
According to Reuters , Saudi Arabia was already well aware of this pending situation .
Before the OPEC+ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government agencies to propose a 20 to 30 percent cut in their budgets due to the decline in oil prices , anticipating that talks with Russia were always going to be problematic .
Economists are expecting Saudi Arabia ’ s budget deficit to grow significantly from 4.7 percent of its GDP in 2019 to well into the double-digits .
As it stands , the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) has said Riyadh needs oil at $ 80 a barrel in order to balance its current 2020 budget .
Flitch Ratings goes one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will need oil prices at $ 91 a barrel , assuming everything else runs as normal .
As of writing , Brent crude oil is barely at $ 30 a barrel .
In order to cope , the Saudi government announced it will put a stop to major projects and investments and the Saudi wealth fund will diminish at an astonishing rate .
One must bear in mind that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ( MBS ) had only recently unveiled his Vision 2030 plan , a symbolic move to diversify the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is difficult to see how this vision would be realized at the current rate , given the plan relies on enormous government spending .
Further , Aramco , the Saudi national oil company that recently went public for the first time in its history , is unlikely to convince investors to bank on Saudi oil .
The Saudi kingdom may have no choice but to pick up the slack , and to do so as soon as possible .
On the other hand , analysts are far more confident that Russia can weather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saudi Arabia can .
By all accounts , Russia is in a stronger financial and political leadership position than its Saudi counterpart .
According to Oil Price , Russia ’ s budget breakeven price is $ 40 USD and can produce over 11 million barrels per day without facing many repercussions .
The United States has just recently become the largest oil producer in the world .
Saudi Arabia ’ s decision to tinker so heavily with global oil markets is therefore sure to hurt U.S.-based oil companies .
As the Financial Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatens America ’ s growing shale industry , hurts debt-burdened US oil majors and exacerbates the pressure on collapsing stock markets.
” Despite this , the Trump administration is unusually silent about this particular topic .
Given how outspoken Donald Trump can be , and given his pledge to put “ America first ” , his turning a blind eye to what Saudi Arabia is doing to global oil markets is noticeable , to say the least .
One reason for this inaction may be that while U.S. companies will suffer , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meaningful alliances with adversarial nations , such as Russia , will always take precedence over anything else .
What this current Saudi-Russia oil spat appears to confirm is that the in-roads Saudi-Russian relations were making over the last three years have been brought to a complete standstill .
As one senior Washington-based legal source said , “ we were concerned anyway that the Saudis were becoming too dependent on Russia because of the OPEC-plus deals and were listening too much to its [ Russia ’ s advice ] .
” In 2018 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saudi leadership over the killing of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi , Russian President Vladimir Putin smiled as he high-fived MBS before taking a seat next to him .
The two countries appeared to be set to start a new era of Saudi-Russian relations which would center around maintaining the stability of oil prices , as well as defense and arms sales .
The damage done by this recent feud may be enough to undo prospective developments between the two nations , solidified when Putin ’ s spokesperson said that the Russian president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to MBS or his father anytime soon .
The other factor to bear in mind is that the Saudi strategy is to absolve itself of any fault and lay the blame squarely at Russia ’ s feet .
As a Saudi source close to the royal court said , “ the beauty of this is you can blame it on the Russians.
” As the corporate media and the Trump administration are far too hesitant to irk Saudi Arabia too much , the belief that the Saudis can place the burden on Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That being said , thirteen Republican senators did send a letter in mid-March urging MBS to reverse his decision , stating “ the added impact of unsettled global energy markets is an unwelcome development.
” The senators also questioned the notion that the Saudi Kingdom “ is a force for stability in the global markets.
” NOPEC : the US could use to intervene if it wanted to The U.S. has open to it a ‘ No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act ’ ( NOPEC ) bill , which , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ artificially cap oil and gas production , or to set prices , something Saudi Arabia has routinely done in recent history .
The law would also pave the way for Saudi Arabia to be sued in U.S. courts .
In the past , Donald Trump vetoed the bill , presumably under Saudi pressure .
As such , there are no real indications that Trump ’ s sentiment on this issue is set to change anytime soon .
However , Trump may not make it through to the end of 2020 without being unseated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other plans for the U.S.-Saudi relationship .
Saudi Arabia , Russia and the United States will not escape this price war unscathed .
However , the real victims of these tit-for-tat games of chicken are nations like Iran , who have seen at least a quarter of its oil rigs idled and the never-ending decline of its currency .
This may very well be another reason we can expect the United States not to intervene , given the situation may help Washington to achieve its long-standing goal of crippling the Iranian economy in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tehran .
In the meantime , the U.S. is continuing to edge closer toward a war with Iran in Iraq , with multiple attacks taking place even throughout this month .
If that war happens , the least of anyone ’ s worries will be cheaper oil prices .
Feature photo | A Saudi trader talks to others in front of a screen displaying Saudi stock market values at the Arab National Bank in Riyadh , Saudi Arabia , Dec. 12 , 2019 .
Amr Nabil | AP Darius Shahtahmasebi is a New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on US foreign policy in the Middle East , Asia and Pacific region .
He is fully qualified as a lawyer in two international jurisdictions .

Faced with an escalating crisis brought on by the global outbreak of COVID-19, Saudi Arabia made a conscious decision to increase oil production in order to avert a potential oil-price collapse. The move sent an already faltering global economy into a tailspin.
The trouble began at the beginning of March, after Russia rejected an ultimatum from Saudi Arabia to cut oil production in light of falling prices. The Saudi response was to effectively flood the oil market with an additional 2.6 million barrels a day at a dramatically discounted price.
History has taught us that the Saudi response has been a common experience. Between 1981 and 1985, the Kingdom cut oil production drastically in light of rising supply from the North Sea, Siberia and Mexico. When the move amounted to little benefit, Saudi Arabia slashed their prices and increased production. It did the same in November 2014 after asking Russia to cut oil production, leading to yet another depression in the oil industry. At the time, Saudi Arabia’s deputy economic minister said “if we don’t take any reform measures, and if the global economy stays the same, then we’re doomed to bankruptcy in three to four years.” The statement was a telling indication that the Saudi leadership was well aware of the devastating consequences of such a strategy.
Oil markets have faced rising and falling prices since the start of 2020. In fact, days after the new year began, oil prices dipped sharply and then rose after the United States assassinated Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, bringing the world to the brink of a major war. This was always going to be short-lived however, in light of the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.
“Price action in the oil market is testament to some of the challenges we face,” economist Cameron Bagrie told MintPress News via email.
The oil industry is obviously facing a demand shock and is in trend decline. But the responses are testament to that old adage: where push comes to shove it’s ‘every man (or woman) for themselves.’”
Bagrie added:
We need group interest as opposed to self-interest around the globe in response to rising economic and health challenges.”
Saudi chickens are coming home to roost
Initially, the Saudi sentiment appeared to be to “allow this thing to go on for a while to bring structural change to the industry,” according to one Saudi source. That sentiment, however, may not continue in the long run.
The impact of coronavirus has destroyed the demand for oil. A consumer-based economy is doomed to struggle when there are no more consumers. As domestic and international flights across the globe grind to a halt and as many countries impose lockdowns and self-isolation procedures, both personal and commercial demand for oil has dissipated.
Saudi Arabia announced this week that it would reduce government expenditures by $13.2 billion USD, or close to five percent of its budget spending for 2020. According to the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Economy and Planning took the measures “in light of the noticeable development in the public finance management, and existence of the appropriate flexibility to take measures in the face of emergency shocks with a high level of efficiency.”
The real reason for this move though (as stated by the Saudi government itself) was to take measures to “reduce the impact of low prices of oil” with additional precautions to be taken to deal with the expected drop in prices.
According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia was already well aware of this pending situation. Before the OPEC+ talks fell through, Saudi Arabia asked government agencies to propose a 20 to 30 percent cut in their budgets due to the decline in oil prices, anticipating that talks with Russia were always going to be problematic.
Economists are expecting Saudi Arabia’s budget deficit to grow significantly from 4.7 percent of its GDP in 2019 to well into the double-digits. As it stands, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said Riyadh needs oil at $80 a barrel in order to balance its current 2020 budget. Flitch Ratings goes one step further and assesses that the Kingdom will need oil prices at $91 a barrel, assuming everything else runs as normal. As of writing, Brent crude oil is barely at $30 a barrel.
In order to cope, the Saudi government announced it will put a stop to major projects and investments and the Saudi wealth fund will diminish at an astonishing rate. One must bear in mind that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) had only recently unveiled his Vision 2030 plan, a symbolic move to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil. It is difficult to see how this vision would be realized at the current rate, given the plan relies on enormous government spending.
Further, Aramco, the Saudi national oil company that recently went public for the first time in its history, is unlikely to convince investors to bank on Saudi oil. The Saudi kingdom may have no choice but to pick up the slack, and to do so as soon as possible.
On the other hand, analysts are far more confident that Russia can weather the storm to a greater extent than Saudi Arabia can. By all accounts, Russia is in a stronger financial and political leadership position than its Saudi counterpart. According to Oil Price, Russia’s budget breakeven price is $40 USD and can produce over 11 million barrels per day without facing many repercussions.
The impact on US-Saudi relations
The United States has just recently become the largest oil producer in the world. Saudi Arabia’s decision to tinker so heavily with global oil markets is therefore sure to hurt U.S.-based oil companies. As the Financial Times explained, “the Russian-Saudi crude war threatens America’s growing shale industry, hurts debt-burdened US oil majors and exacerbates the pressure on collapsing stock markets.” Despite this, the Trump administration is unusually silent about this particular topic. Given how outspoken Donald Trump can be, and given his pledge to put “America first”, his turning a blind eye to what Saudi Arabia is doing to global oil markets is noticeable, to say the least.
One reason for this inaction may be that while U.S. companies will suffer, the U.S. strategy of deterring nations from forming meaningful alliances with adversarial nations, such as Russia, will always take precedence over anything else. What this current Saudi-Russia oil spat appears to confirm is that the in-roads Saudi-Russian relations were making over the last three years have been brought to a complete standstill. As one senior Washington-based legal source said, “we were concerned anyway that the Saudis were becoming too dependent on Russia because of the OPEC-plus deals and were listening too much to its [Russia’s advice].”
In 2018, when the world demanded answers from the Saudi leadership over the killing of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi, Russian President Vladimir Putin smiled as he high-fived MBS before taking a seat next to him. The two countries appeared to be set to start a new era of Saudi-Russian relations which would center around maintaining the stability of oil prices, as well as defense and arms sales. The damage done by this recent feud may be enough to undo prospective developments between the two nations, solidified when Putin’s spokesperson said that the Russian president has “no plans” to speak to MBS or his father anytime soon.
The other factor to bear in mind is that the Saudi strategy is to absolve itself of any fault and lay the blame squarely at Russia’s feet. As a Saudi source close to the royal court said, “the beauty of this is you can blame it on the Russians.” As the corporate media and the Trump administration are far too hesitant to irk Saudi Arabia too much, the belief that the Saudis can place the burden on Russia may end up being a valid one.
That being said, thirteen Republican senators did send a letter in mid-March urging MBS to reverse his decision, stating “the added impact of unsettled global energy markets is an unwelcome development.” The senators also questioned the notion that the Saudi Kingdom “is a force for stability in the global markets.”
NOPEC: the US could use to intervene if it wanted to
The U.S. has open to it a ‘No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act’ (NOPEC) bill, which, if passed, could render it illegal to artificially cap oil and gas production, or to set prices, something Saudi Arabia has routinely done in recent history. The law would also pave the way for Saudi Arabia to be sued in U.S. courts.
In the past, Donald Trump vetoed the bill, presumably under Saudi pressure. As such, there are no real indications that Trump’s sentiment on this issue is set to change anytime soon. However, Trump may not make it through to the end of 2020 without being unseated, and the incoming president may have other plans for the U.S.-Saudi relationship.
Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United States will not escape this price war unscathed. However, the real victims of these tit-for-tat games of chicken are nations like Iran, who have seen at least a quarter of its oil rigs idled and the never-ending decline of its currency.
This may very well be another reason we can expect the United States not to intervene, given the situation may help Washington to achieve its long-standing goal of crippling the Iranian economy in a bid to implement regime change in Tehran.
In the meantime, the U.S. is continuing to edge closer toward a war with Iran in Iraq, with multiple attacks taking place even throughout this month. If that war happens, the least of anyone’s worries will be cheaper oil prices.
Feature photo | A Saudi trader talks to others in front of a screen displaying Saudi stock market values at the Arab National Bank in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 12, 2019. Amr Nabil | AP
Darius Shahtahmasebi is a New Zealand-based legal and political analyst who focuses on US foreign policy in the Middle East, Asia and Pacific region. He is fully qualified as a lawyer in two international jurisdictions.


mintpressnews--2020-03-30--US Accused of Using Food Aid to Smuggle Weapons to Militants in Syria’s Rukban Refugee Camp

DAMASCUS ( Mideast Discourse ) — While the COVID-19 pandemic has taken center stage in the media , little attention is being paid to a tragedy playing out in southeastern Syria .
Far away from the western media coverage of the “ Islamic State of Idlib ” , the scene is set in a desolate area on the border between Syria and Iraq , adjacent to the illegal U.S. military base of Al Tanf .
The Rukban Camp holds 13,500 displaced Syrian civilians and 6,000 armed militant terrorists of Maghawir Al-Thawra and their families .
On March 28 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Damascus , in which they exposed U.S. support for the terrorists who control the camp .
Under the guise of humanitarian aid , the U.S. has coerced the UN into complicity .
UN aid trucks , according to the statement , are being used to deliver not only food and supplies to the suffering civilians but also arms and ammunition to Maghawir Al-Thawra who administer the camp .
The U.S. uses the residents of the camp as a pretext to continue its illegal occupation of the area , claiming the U.S. troops are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ camp .
The situation in the camp is dire , as the terrorists are in complete control , even deciding who eats , and who starves .
According to the joint statement , many civilians have been evacuated from the camp and relocated to government-controlled areas that are safe and have free medical care facilities under the Syrian Ministry of Health , who work in conjunction with the World Health Organization ( WHO ) .
However , the U.S.-backed terrorists have prevented some civilians from leaving by threatening them with dire consequences based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the suffering civilians trapped in the camp as hostages .
The ‘ Russian Centre for Syrian Reconciliation ’ said in September 2019 that the Rukban Camp is controlled by an illegally armed militia , and they had refused to let UN buses inside to evacuate those who needed to be evacuated , instead insisting on using the civilians as human shields .
Maghawir Al-Thawra had seized a large cargo delivered by the UN and the Syrian Red Crescent and the confiscated goods were warehoused by the terrorists .
“ Sometimes , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but we only saw a small portion of it , most often sold to us , not given for free .
The militants take the free aid and resell it to the refugees — that ’ s their business .
To get money , we had to work at the camp .
They set up a brick factory and we had to work like dogs there , ” said Ahmad Mohammed , a former resident at Rukban Camp , who has been evacuated to Palmyra , and is now living safely there .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ humanitarian aid given freely , “ Medical aid depended on the militants , too : if you co-operate , you have access to doctors .
If you don ’ t , there will be no aid , ” Mr. Mohammed said .
The U.S. military uses the assets on hand , in this case Maghawir Al-Thawra , to keep the very small numbers of American troops safe , and firmly in control of the area .
The Pentagon knows it would be very hard to get approval for 6,000 Americans troops to hold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on hand and are vicious fighters who will carry out crimes without batting an eye .
U.S. troops illegally occupied the area at Al Tanf in 2015 , defying international law and the UN charter .
President Trump famously ordered the troops to withdraw from Syria , only to back-track later and order the U.S. military to occupy and confiscate the oil wells in the Deir-Ez-Zor area illegally .
However , the U.S. military presence at Al Tanf has never been under the withdrawal order , and the U.S. military base there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They partner with the Maghawir Al-Thawra , who are on the U.S. payroll and are tasked with the security and administration of Rukban .
“ We believe that the American side ’ s reluctance to exert influence on their militants to ensure the unhindered departure of people from the Camp and the safe work of humanitarian representatives in the At-Tanf zone they occupied is clear evidence of their intention , ” the March 28 statement asserted .
The UN is prolonging the suffering On March 18 , UNICEF shut down the only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical care , such as surgeries , and Caesarean-sections .
Two days later a group in Rukban issued an urgent appeal addressed to the UN and the international community in general , calling for quick action to lift what it called the “ Coronavirus siege , ” which has only worsened the already miserable situation in the camp .
Serena Shim , an American journalist , was covering the Syrian conflict from the Turkish-Syrian border in 2014 .
She had reported that terrorists had crossed from Turkey into Syria on trucks bearing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ World Food Organisation ’ and other humanitarian aid organizations .
She was killed the day after she had broadcast that the Turkish intelligence agency had threatened her .
While her death was pinned on a cement truck hitting her small car , the driver of the truck was never charged .
Syrians need to return to normal life in their homes , not in camps .
The solution for the Rukban Camp is to be shut down , the residents evacuated to safe areas , which have aid , schools and medical care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the area , taking with them their partners Maghawir Al-Thawra .
The Syrian war is over .
Peace has returned to Syria , and there is no justification for keeping hostages in a camp , which has always been more like a prison than a sanctuary .
Feature photo | A U.S.-backed anti-government fighter mans a heavy machine gun next to a US soldier in al Tanf , a border crossing between Syria and Iraq .
Hammurabi ’ s Justice News | AP Steven Sahouni is an independent Syrian political analyst and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been covering the Syrian crisis since it ’ s onset in 2011 and has published several articles in numerous media outlets – He is regularly interviewed by US , Canadian and German media .

DAMASCUS (Mideast Discourse) — While the COVID-19 pandemic has taken center stage in the media, little attention is being paid to a tragedy playing out in southeastern Syria. Far away from the western media coverage of the “Islamic State of Idlib”, the scene is set in a desolate area on the border between Syria and Iraq, adjacent to the illegal U.S. military base of Al Tanf. The Rukban Camp holds 13,500 displaced Syrian civilians and 6,000 armed militant terrorists of Maghawir Al-Thawra and their families.
On March 28, the Russian-Syrian Coordination Committee released a statement in Damascus, in which they exposed U.S. support for the terrorists who control the camp. Under the guise of humanitarian aid, the U.S. has coerced the UN into complicity. UN aid trucks, according to the statement, are being used to deliver not only food and supplies to the suffering civilians but also arms and ammunition to Maghawir Al-Thawra who administer the camp. The U.S. uses the residents of the camp as a pretext to continue its illegal occupation of the area, claiming the U.S. troops are protecting the displaced civilians living at the camp.
The situation in the camp is dire, as the terrorists are in complete control, even deciding who eats, and who starves. According to the joint statement, many civilians have been evacuated from the camp and relocated to government-controlled areas that are safe and have free medical care facilities under the Syrian Ministry of Health, who work in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO). However, the U.S.-backed terrorists have prevented some civilians from leaving by threatening them with dire consequences based on misinformation. Maghawir Al-Thawra is benefitting from the suffering civilians trapped in the camp as hostages.
The ‘Russian Centre for Syrian Reconciliation’ said in September 2019 that the Rukban Camp is controlled by an illegally armed militia, and they had refused to let UN buses inside to evacuate those who needed to be evacuated, instead insisting on using the civilians as human shields. Maghawir Al-Thawra had seized a large cargo delivered by the UN and the Syrian Red Crescent and the confiscated goods were warehoused by the terrorists.
“Sometimes, we received aid from the Red Crescent, but we only saw a small portion of it, most often sold to us, not given for free. The militants take the free aid and resell it to the refugees — that’s their business. To get money, we had to work at the camp. They set up a brick factory and we had to work like dogs there,” said Ahmad Mohammed, a former resident at Rukban Camp, who has been evacuated to Palmyra, and is now living safely there. He said that Maghawir Al-Thawra was selling humanitarian aid given freely, “Medical aid depended on the militants, too: if you co-operate, you have access to doctors. If you don’t, there will be no aid,” Mr. Mohammed said.
The U.S. military uses the assets on hand, in this case Maghawir Al-Thawra, to keep the very small numbers of American troops safe, and firmly in control of the area. The Pentagon knows it would be very hard to get approval for 6,000 Americans troops to hold Al Tanf, but the terrorists are on hand and are vicious fighters who will carry out crimes without batting an eye.
U.S. troops illegally occupied the area at Al Tanf in 2015, defying international law and the UN charter. President Trump famously ordered the troops to withdraw from Syria, only to back-track later and order the U.S. military to occupy and confiscate the oil wells in the Deir-Ez-Zor area illegally. However, the U.S. military presence at Al Tanf has never been under the withdrawal order, and the U.S. military base there is only manned by a few hundred troops. They partner with the Maghawir Al-Thawra, who are on the U.S. payroll and are tasked with the security and administration of Rukban.
“We believe that the American side’s reluctance to exert influence on their militants to ensure the unhindered departure of people from the Camp and the safe work of humanitarian representatives in the At-Tanf zone they occupied is clear evidence of their intention,” the March 28 statement asserted.
The UN is prolonging the suffering
On March 18, UNICEF shut down the only clinic providing Rukban Camp residents with advanced medical care, such as surgeries, and Caesarean-sections. Two days later a group in Rukban issued an urgent appeal addressed to the UN and the international community in general, calling for quick action to lift what it called the “Coronavirus siege,” which has only worsened the already miserable situation in the camp.
Serena Shim, an American journalist, was covering the Syrian conflict from the Turkish-Syrian border in 2014. She had reported that terrorists had crossed from Turkey into Syria on trucks bearing the symbols of the UN’s ‘World Food Organisation’ and other humanitarian aid organizations. She was killed the day after she had broadcast that the Turkish intelligence agency had threatened her. While her death was pinned on a cement truck hitting her small car, the driver of the truck was never charged.
Syrians need to return to normal life in their homes, not in camps. The solution for the Rukban Camp is to be shut down, the residents evacuated to safe areas, which have aid, schools and medical care available. The US troops should evacuate from the area, taking with them their partners Maghawir Al-Thawra. The Syrian war is over. Peace has returned to Syria, and there is no justification for keeping hostages in a camp, which has always been more like a prison than a sanctuary.
Feature photo | A U.S.-backed anti-government fighter mans a heavy machine gun next to a US soldier in al Tanf, a border crossing between Syria and Iraq. Hammurabi’s Justice News | AP
Steven Sahouni is an independent Syrian political analyst and writer based in Lebanon; he has been covering the Syrian crisis since it’s onset in 2011 and has published several articles in numerous media outlets – He is regularly interviewed by US, Canadian and German media.


mintpressnews--2020-03-31--Already Faced with Famine and War, Yemenis Fear Saudi Arabia is Weaponizing COVID-19

SANA ’ A , YEMEN — The war in Yemen began in earnest on Mar .
26 , 2015 , but it is about to take on another complex dimension as that country grapples with a collapsed healthcare system and a new Saudi military escalation amid the looming threat of a coronavirus outbreak .
That outbreak threatens a population already struggling against an unprecedented explosion of famine , epidemics and disease .
On Monday , the Saudi-led coalition announced a new military operation targeting three major Yemeni cities , including Sana ’ a , Hodeida , and Sadaa .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ airstrikes struck a farm that bred Arabian horses in southeast Sana ’ a , killing 70 horses and injuring many more .
A number of horse breeders were also killed or wounded in the attack .
Saudi airstrikes also targeted the populated Attan neighborhood and the Sana ’ a International Airport .
In Hodeida , Saudi warplanes bombed a quarantine center that had been prepared to treat coronavirus patients .
Saudi airstrikes also destroyed water wells on Kamran Island , which was reportedly struck with three U.S.-made bombs .
The wells provided clean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The airstrikes also targeted civilian facilities in the al-Jah and al-Saleif districts .
Those attacks claimed a yet confirmed number of casualties and destroyed civilian infrastructure that had been rebuilt following prior Saudi attacks .
Ansar Allah , the political wing of Yemen ’ s Houthis , the primary force fighting to repel Saudi forces from Yemen , vowed a “ painful response ” and said that the Saudi raids are a dangerous escalation that would be met with the bombing of vital facilities deep inside Saudi Arabia , including sensitive economic targets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Houthi-allied Army targeted what they called strategic and sensitive sites in the Saudi capital of Riyadh , Najran , and Jizan using a squadron of domestically-manufactured combat drones and ballistic missiles in retaliation for Saudi airstrikes that targeted al-Jawf , Marib , and Sadaa last week .
In addition to the ongoing Saudi airstrikes and blockade on the country , epidemics such as diphtheria , cholera , dengue fever , swine flu , and malaria are still sweeping the nation , making it nearly impossible for Yemenis to effectively face the coming novel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sweeping the world .
To Yemenis , who have little to no access to healthcare , a pandemic like this is an added worry to their already troubled lives .
To tackle COVID-19 , the Houthis welcomed a call by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a ceasefire in the war-ridden country .
“ We welcome the UN Secretary-General ’ s call for ceasefire… we reaffirmed our readiness to deal with all peace initiatives to achieve a comprehensive political solution , ” said Mahdi al-Mashat , the president of Yemen ’ s Supreme Political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ We are ready to cooperate to move from war stage to peace.
” On Wednesday , Guterres urged Yemen ’ s rival parties to work with his Special Envoy Martin Griffiths to achieve a nationwide de-escalation , saying , “ a political solution is the only way to a comprehensive and sustainable resolution of the conflict in Yemen.
” Although Turki al-Maliki , spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition , stated that the coalition supported Griffiths ’ efforts in Yemen , Saudi warplanes launched over 100 airstrikes since Guterres ’ statement was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in al-Jawf , Marib , and Yemeni border districts .
Moreover , authorities in the Sana ’ a Health Ministry accused Saudi Arabia of trying to spread the coronavirus intentionally .
On Monday , Saudi warplanes dropped boxes containing face masks in the al-Ahli district in Hodeida province and Bani Sa ’ ad and al-Taweilah in the al-Mahwit governorate as well as Nugom in Sana ’ a .
The number of masks was insignificant and dropped into densely populated areas causing a predictably frenzied panic among desperate citizens who all stormed the locations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Authorities accuse the Saudi government of intentionally causing panic among Yemenis in order to encourage them to break social distancing guidelines and expedite the spread of COVID-19 .
If Saudi officials genuinely wanted to provide aid to Yemeni civilians , they say , they could do so through official UN channels .
Some residents told MintPress that they also fear the masks could be contaminated with the coronavirus , and Yemeni officials have warned residents to be cautious of free equipment offered by the Saudi Coalition .
The Ministry of Health said Saudi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by deporting Yemenis from Saudi Arabia in large numbers , a practice they say began last month when the pandemic was already well underway .
In addition , the Saudi-led coalition allowed four passenger aircraft to land in Yemen last week with a total of 1,000 passengers on board ; this at a time when most countries have suspended inbound flights in an effort to contain the pandemic .
The coalition has near complete control of Yemen ’ s airspace .
Ansar Allah said that the Saudi-led coalition — which has imposed an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be responsible for a possible spread of the coronavirus to Yemen .
Houthi leader Mohammed al-Houthi said on Twitter that “ those who have been killing the Yemenis with their weapons would not hesitate to take their lives through less costly means.
” Many Yemenis believe that the Saudi-led coalition would not hesitate to intentionally spread coronavirus in Yemen , especially after their bloody five-year-old military campaign has achieved so little .
The United States , for its part , is not making the dire situation facing Yemenis any easier .
The country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in its war on Yemen , is decreasing aid to relief workers , according to Yemeni officials and political parties leaders who spoke to MintPress .
Human rights activists say that if humanitarian and medical assistance does not reach Yemen soon , and in large quantities , the spread of COVID-19 in the country will be swift and deadly .
U.S. President Donald Trump recently slashed aid to Yemen , halting some $ 70 million used to fund healthcare programs in the country despite calls from NGOs , humanitarian groups , and even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision while the country prepares to battle the coronavirus outbreak .
Thus far , there are no officially confirmed cases of the COVID-19 in Yemen ; however , Ansar Allah officials told MintPress that they have recorded cases near the Saudi border and in southern Yemen , however , MintPress was not able to verify those claims independently .
According to Ansar Allah , at least ten Saudi-backed militants in the Medi front near Hajjah have been infected with coronavirus , but those numbers have yet to be officially confirmed by medical bodies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already taken pre-emptive measures by closing the ports under their control and preventing public gatherings , they would likely quickly be overwhelmed should there be an outbreak of coronavirus as they are already struggling to maintain essential services amid the ongoing Saudi siege and relentless attacks over the past five years .
Sana ’ a , in particular , where four million people live , including 1.5 million internally displaced people , is particularly susceptible to an outbreak .
The city is overcrowded , suffering from an acute lack of sanitation and civilian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from five years of war .
More than 100,000 people have been killed in Yemen since January 2016 , according to a report by the Armed Conflict and Location Event Data Project ( ACLED ) .
Yemeni doctors fear that if COVID-19 can not be contained , that number could be dwarfed in a matter of days .
With the world preoccupied with the number of global cases and deaths that the virus has claimed , in Yemen , over 100,00 people die every year as a result of disease and epidemics like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them children .
If one is able to dodge death by war or disease , they now face the prospect of catching COVID-19 in a country where 19.7 million people are in need of the most basic health care , according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs .
Countries with robust health care systems may be able to resist the virus , at least to some extent , but the ongoing blockade and bombing of civilian infrastructure , particularly hospitals , have crippled Yemen ’ s health system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even the most basic public health needs .
Furthermore , medical treatment and supplies , including respirators , medical sterilizers , and cleaning tools , have become difficult to come by since the Saudi-led coalition forced the closure of the Sana ’ a International Airport in August 2016 .
The Saudi blockade on what is already one of the poorest countries on earth entails tight control over all aspects of life in Yemen .
The blockade also restricts movement to the country , meaning that access to medical supplies and entry for emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arabia .
In fact , the reality of life under siege means that for Yemen ’ s people , their fate lies almost entirely in the hands of Saudi Arabia .
While most of the health services around the world are being overwhelmed by the coronavirus , the deliberate targeting , and attacks on the country ’ s healthcare facilities over the past five years will make matters worse .
The Saudi-led coalition has destroyed 385 hospitals and health facilities .
Most of the country ’ s estimated 300 remaining facilities are either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , already overwhelmed with the pandemic , have done little to provide the necessary medicine and medical supplies to help Yemen face COVID-19 .
More than 250,000 Saudi-led airstrikes have also destroyed 8,610 service facilities , including 15 airports , 6,404 transportation-related targets , 866 food stores , 387 fuel stations , 668 markets , and 736 food trucks , according to Yemen ’ s Eye of Humanity Center for Human Rights and Development .
The report from the center , issued on the fifth anniversary of the war , also reported that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generators , 1,990 reservoirs and water networks , and 1,953 government facilities have been bombed .
Moreover , at least 458,061 houses have been destroyed or damaged .
According to the UN , those facing malnourishment are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 , and Yemen is in the midst of the world ’ s worst famine .
The UN has said that 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food , including 8.4 million that are threatened immediately by severe hunger .
According to the world body , Yemen is suffering from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a result of the Saudi-led war backed by the United States .
The Saudi-led coalition has targeted Yemen ’ s urban and rural livelihood alike , bombing farms , food systems , markets , water facilities , transportation infrastructure , and even agricultural extension offices .
In coastal areas , fishing boats and food processing and storage facilities have been targeted , undermining livelihoods , disrupting local food production , and forcing residents to flee to the city .
Now , Yemen ’ s nationwide level of household food insecurity hovers at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rural households and 20 percent of urban households are now food insecure .
Almost one-third of Yemenis do not have enough food to satisfy basic nutritional needs .
Underweight and stunted children have become a regular sight , especially amongst the holdouts in rural areas .
High precision U.S. bombs dropped by Saudi-led coalition warplanes have destroyed at least 1,834 irrigation pumps , 109 artesian and surface wells , 1,170 modern irrigation networks , 33 solar irrigation units , 12 diggers , 750 pieces of agricultural equipment , 940,400 farms , 7,531 agricultural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poultry farms , and 359,944 beehives .
Attacks have completely destroyed at least 45 water installations ( dams , barriers , reservoirs ) and partially destroyed at least 488 , including the ancient Marib Dam .
As of Mar .
20 , 2020 , every fish off-loading port in Yemen had been targeted by Saudi attacks .
At least 220 fishing boats have been destroyed , 222 fishermen have been killed , and 40,000 fishermen have lost their only source of income .
According to Yemen ’ s Ministry of Fishing Wealth , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two million people living in coastal cities and villages .
Moreover , the war , which has wreaked havoc on Yemen ’ s already fragile economy , has caused thousands in Yemen to lose their jobs .
Many local and foreign companies have ceased operations in the country .
According to Yemen ’ s Ministry of Social Affairs , over 5 million workers are without jobs .
So far , Salaries for public-sector workers have not been paid regularly since the war began , and Saudi Arabia seized control of Yemen ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk of falling victim to epidemics .
It ’ s true that the United States and many other countries , including Britain and France , think of their own citizens first , their problems and their challenges .
Yet these countries provide support to Saudi Arabia at all levels , allowing it to collapse Yemen ’ s health sector amid the worst pandemic in recent history .
Feature photo | A medical staff member works on setting up an isolation room at a coronavirus quarantine ward at a hospital in Sanaa , Yemen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hani Mohammed | AP Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist .
He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media .

SANA’A, YEMEN — The war in Yemen began in earnest on Mar. 26, 2015, but it is about to take on another complex dimension as that country grapples with a collapsed healthcare system and a new Saudi military escalation amid the looming threat of a coronavirus outbreak. That outbreak threatens a population already struggling against an unprecedented explosion of famine, epidemics and disease.
On Monday, the Saudi-led coalition announced a new military operation targeting three major Yemeni cities, including Sana’a, Hodeida, and Sadaa. In Sana’a, More than ten airstrikes struck a farm that bred Arabian horses in southeast Sana’a, killing 70 horses and injuring many more. A number of horse breeders were also killed or wounded in the attack. Saudi airstrikes also targeted the populated Attan neighborhood and the Sana’a International Airport.
In Hodeida, Saudi warplanes bombed a quarantine center that had been prepared to treat coronavirus patients. Saudi airstrikes also destroyed water wells on Kamran Island, which was reportedly struck with three U.S.-made bombs. The wells provided clean water to more than 10,000 people. The airstrikes also targeted civilian facilities in the al-Jah and al-Saleif districts. Those attacks claimed a yet confirmed number of casualties and destroyed civilian infrastructure that had been rebuilt following prior Saudi attacks.
Ansar Allah, the political wing of Yemen’s Houthis, the primary force fighting to repel Saudi forces from Yemen, vowed a “painful response” and said that the Saudi raids are a dangerous escalation that would be met with the bombing of vital facilities deep inside Saudi Arabia, including sensitive economic targets. On Sunday, Yemen’s Houthi-allied Army targeted what they called strategic and sensitive sites in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, Najran, and Jizan using a squadron of domestically-manufactured combat drones and ballistic missiles in retaliation for Saudi airstrikes that targeted al-Jawf, Marib, and Sadaa last week.
In addition to the ongoing Saudi airstrikes and blockade on the country, epidemics such as diphtheria, cholera, dengue fever, swine flu, and malaria are still sweeping the nation, making it nearly impossible for Yemenis to effectively face the coming novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which is sweeping the world. To Yemenis, who have little to no access to healthcare, a pandemic like this is an added worry to their already troubled lives.
To tackle COVID-19, the Houthis welcomed a call by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a ceasefire in the war-ridden country. “We welcome the UN Secretary-General’s call for ceasefire… we reaffirmed our readiness to deal with all peace initiatives to achieve a comprehensive political solution,” said Mahdi al-Mashat, the president of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council said. Al-Mashat went to say, “We are ready to cooperate to move from war stage to peace.”
On Wednesday, Guterres urged Yemen’s rival parties to work with his Special Envoy Martin Griffiths to achieve a nationwide de-escalation, saying, “a political solution is the only way to a comprehensive and sustainable resolution of the conflict in Yemen.”
Although Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, stated that the coalition supported Griffiths’ efforts in Yemen, Saudi warplanes launched over 100 airstrikes since Guterres’ statement was made. The airstrikes targeted populated areas in al-Jawf, Marib, and Yemeni border districts.
Weaponizing COVID-19
Moreover, authorities in the Sana’a Health Ministry accused Saudi Arabia of trying to spread the coronavirus intentionally. On Monday, Saudi warplanes dropped boxes containing face masks in the al-Ahli district in Hodeida province and Bani Sa’ad and al-Taweilah in the al-Mahwit governorate as well as Nugom in Sana’a. The number of masks was insignificant and dropped into densely populated areas causing a predictably frenzied panic among desperate citizens who all stormed the locations to retrieve what protection they could. Authorities accuse the Saudi government of intentionally causing panic among Yemenis in order to encourage them to break social distancing guidelines and expedite the spread of COVID-19. If Saudi officials genuinely wanted to provide aid to Yemeni civilians, they say, they could do so through official UN channels. Some residents told MintPress that they also fear the masks could be contaminated with the coronavirus, and Yemeni officials have warned residents to be cautious of free equipment offered by the Saudi Coalition.
The Ministry of Health said Saudi Arabia is also trying to spread COVID-19 by deporting Yemenis from Saudi Arabia in large numbers, a practice they say began last month when the pandemic was already well underway.
In addition, the Saudi-led coalition allowed four passenger aircraft to land in Yemen last week with a total of 1,000 passengers on board; this at a time when most countries have suspended inbound flights in an effort to contain the pandemic. The coalition has near complete control of Yemen’s airspace.
Ansar Allah said that the Saudi-led coalition — which has imposed an all-out blockade on the country — will be responsible for a possible spread of the coronavirus to Yemen. Houthi leader Mohammed al-Houthi said on Twitter that “those who have been killing the Yemenis with their weapons would not hesitate to take their lives through less costly means.” Many Yemenis believe that the Saudi-led coalition would not hesitate to intentionally spread coronavirus in Yemen, especially after their bloody five-year-old military campaign has achieved so little.
The United States, for its part, is not making the dire situation facing Yemenis any easier. The country, a primary backer of Saudi Arabia in its war on Yemen, is decreasing aid to relief workers, according to Yemeni officials and political parties leaders who spoke to MintPress. Human rights activists say that if humanitarian and medical assistance does not reach Yemen soon, and in large quantities, the spread of COVID-19 in the country will be swift and deadly.
U.S. President Donald Trump recently slashed aid to Yemen, halting some $70 million used to fund healthcare programs in the country despite calls from NGOs, humanitarian groups, and even members of Congress, to delay the decision while the country prepares to battle the coronavirus outbreak.
Is Yemen already infected?
Thus far, there are no officially confirmed cases of the COVID-19 in Yemen; however, Ansar Allah officials told MintPress that they have recorded cases near the Saudi border and in southern Yemen, however, MintPress was not able to verify those claims independently. According to Ansar Allah, at least ten Saudi-backed militants in the Medi front near Hajjah have been infected with coronavirus, but those numbers have yet to be officially confirmed by medical bodies.
Although Yemen’s authorities have already taken pre-emptive measures by closing the ports under their control and preventing public gatherings, they would likely quickly be overwhelmed should there be an outbreak of coronavirus as they are already struggling to maintain essential services amid the ongoing Saudi siege and relentless attacks over the past five years.
Sana’a, in particular, where four million people live, including 1.5 million internally displaced people, is particularly susceptible to an outbreak. The city is overcrowded, suffering from an acute lack of sanitation and civilian infrastructure that has been all but decimated from five years of war.
More than 100,000 people have been killed in Yemen since January 2016, according to a report by the Armed Conflict and Location Event Data Project (ACLED). Yemeni doctors fear that if COVID-19 cannot be contained, that number could be dwarfed in a matter of days.
With the world preoccupied with the number of global cases and deaths that the virus has claimed, in Yemen, over 100,00 people die every year as a result of disease and epidemics like cholera and dengue fever, most of them children. If one is able to dodge death by war or disease, they now face the prospect of catching COVID-19 in a country where 19.7 million people are in need of the most basic health care, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
A healthcare system crippled by years of war
Countries with robust health care systems may be able to resist the virus, at least to some extent, but the ongoing blockade and bombing of civilian infrastructure, particularly hospitals, have crippled Yemen’s health system, leaving it unable to deal with even the most basic public health needs. Furthermore, medical treatment and supplies, including respirators, medical sterilizers, and cleaning tools, have become difficult to come by since the Saudi-led coalition forced the closure of the Sana’a International Airport in August 2016.
The Saudi blockade on what is already one of the poorest countries on earth entails tight control over all aspects of life in Yemen. The blockade also restricts movement to the country, meaning that access to medical supplies and entry for emergency medical personnel are all determined by Saudi Arabia. In fact, the reality of life under siege means that for Yemen’s people, their fate lies almost entirely in the hands of Saudi Arabia.
While most of the health services around the world are being overwhelmed by the coronavirus, the deliberate targeting, and attacks on the country’s healthcare facilities over the past five years will make matters worse. The Saudi-led coalition has destroyed 385 hospitals and health facilities. Most of the country’s estimated 300 remaining facilities are either closed or barely functioning. International organizations, already overwhelmed with the pandemic, have done little to provide the necessary medicine and medical supplies to help Yemen face COVID-19.
More than 250,000 Saudi-led airstrikes have also destroyed 8,610 service facilities, including 15 airports, 6,404 transportation-related targets, 866 food stores, 387 fuel stations, 668 markets, and 736 food trucks, according to Yemen’s Eye of Humanity Center for Human Rights and Development. The report from the center, issued on the fifth anniversary of the war, also reported that 16 ports, 297 electrical stations and generators, 1,990 reservoirs and water networks, and 1,953 government facilities have been bombed. Moreover, at least 458,061 houses have been destroyed or damaged.
First famine, now a pandemic
According to the UN, those facing malnourishment are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, and Yemen is in the midst of the world’s worst famine. The UN has said that 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million that are threatened immediately by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in over 100 years as a result of the Saudi-led war backed by the United States.
The Saudi-led coalition has targeted Yemen’s urban and rural livelihood alike, bombing farms, food systems, markets, water facilities, transportation infrastructure, and even agricultural extension offices. In coastal areas, fishing boats and food processing and storage facilities have been targeted, undermining livelihoods, disrupting local food production, and forcing residents to flee to the city.
Now, Yemen’s nationwide level of household food insecurity hovers at over 70 percent. Fifty percent of rural households and 20 percent of urban households are now food insecure. Almost one-third of Yemenis do not have enough food to satisfy basic nutritional needs. Underweight and stunted children have become a regular sight, especially amongst the holdouts in rural areas.
High precision U.S. bombs dropped by Saudi-led coalition warplanes have destroyed at least 1,834 irrigation pumps, 109 artesian and surface wells, 1,170 modern irrigation networks, 33 solar irrigation units, 12 diggers, 750 pieces of agricultural equipment, 940,400 farms, 7,531 agricultural reserves, 30 productive nurseries, 182 poultry farms, and 359,944 beehives.
Attacks have completely destroyed at least 45 water installations (dams, barriers, reservoirs) and partially destroyed at least 488, including the ancient Marib Dam. As of Mar. 20, 2020, every fish off-loading port in Yemen had been targeted by Saudi attacks. At least 220 fishing boats have been destroyed, 222 fishermen have been killed, and 40,000 fishermen have lost their only source of income. According to Yemen’s Ministry of Fishing Wealth, this affects the lives of more than two million people living in coastal cities and villages.
Moreover, the war, which has wreaked havoc on Yemen’s already fragile economy, has caused thousands in Yemen to lose their jobs. Many local and foreign companies have ceased operations in the country. According to Yemen’s Ministry of Social Affairs, over 5 million workers are without jobs. So far, Salaries for public-sector workers have not been paid regularly since the war began, and Saudi Arabia seized control of Yemen’s Central Bank, leaving vulnerable populations at risk of falling victim to epidemics.
It’s true that the United States and many other countries, including Britain and France, think of their own citizens first, their problems and their challenges. Yet these countries provide support to Saudi Arabia at all levels, allowing it to collapse Yemen’s health sector amid the worst pandemic in recent history.
Feature photo | A medical staff member works on setting up an isolation room at a coronavirus quarantine ward at a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, Mar. 15, 2020. Hani Mohammed | AP
Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.


mintpressnews--2020-03-31--Meet the Americans Studying Medicine on the Cuban Government’s Dime

It ’ s a medical school like no other : the largest of its kind in the world .
The Latin American School of Medicine ( ELAM ) in Havana , Cuba hosts students from well over 100 countries and every year , dozens of American students are paid to go there to train as doctors .
Paid , that is , by the Cuban government on the proviso that they return to the U.S. and serve underprivileged communities .
Generally , students come from underprivileged backgrounds themselves and would not have been able to attend medical school in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cost of in-state training at am American public college runs to nearly $ 35,000 per year , according to the Association of American Medical Colleges , with private universities charging well over $ 50,000 .
Women and people of color make up the clear majority of applicants .
Cuba is constantly demonized by both the U.S. government and the media .
Washington made its opposition to the 1959 revolution immediately clear , attempting an ill-fated invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 .
Decades of illegal blockades have since sapped the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it remains ideologically committed to opposing American imperialism and providing similarly poor countries with medical relief .
While the U.S. sends troops to other countries , Cuba invariably sends medical professionals .
ELAM is the centerpiece of this policy .
Amid a global COVID–19 pandemic , the island of 11 million has been punching above its weight , leading the fight back .
A Cuban drug , Interferon Alpha 2b , has proven successful in boosting the immune systems of coronavirus patients .
Fearing a public relations defeat , the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to refuse aid from Cuba .
Despite this , last week , 140 medical personnel left the country to travel to northern Italy , the current hotspot of the virus .
“ This is a global battle and we have to fight it together , ” said Carlos Armando Garcia Hernandez , a nurse who volunteered for the mission .
Doctors have also been sent to many neighboring islands , as well as Venezuela , Suriname and Nicaragua .
“ It was like going to the UN ” MintPress News spoke with two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they chose Cuba and how they found themselves on the tiny Caribbean island that has been shunned by American media and foreign policy .
“ It was like going to the UN , ” said Sarpoma Sefa-Boakye , a Ghanaian-American who studied there between 2002 and 2009 .
Dr. Sefa-Boakye now practices family medicine in San Diego .
Walking to school every day , she said , she passed dorm rooms filled with Africans , Latin Americans and students from other Caribbean islands , all speaking different languages .
“ The teaching [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Olive Albanese assures me , with class sizes similar to those in American medical schools .
Albanese is a fifth year student from Milwaukee , Wisconsin , currently studying at ELAM .
“ They actually recruit for students from the most humble communities around the world , people whose families would never be able to afford them a medical education , because we are the ones who will make the most humble and conscientious doctors , ” she adds .
While Albanese applied to study because she wanted a university experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than just academically , Dr. Sefa-Boakye had no idea about the existence of such a possibility until she was spending time in Ghana and was shocked to meet Cuban doctors speaking her parents ’ language of Twi .
She was even more astonished when they told her that as an American , she could study for free in Cuba .
Within weeks , she had enrolled .
Bernie Sanders was roundly condemned for praising the country ’ s health and medical prowess .
“ These are flat-out dictators , period , and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” former vice-president Joe Biden told him at the most recent Democratic debate in Miami .
Cuba preaches the idea of socialist medicine , which can be traced back to the revolutionary Che Guevara , himself a doctor .
But the island , beset by poverty and by decades of U.S. sanctions , has had to develop unique methods for dealing with public health .
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 , Cuba was cut off from a major trading partner and a vital source of oil .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against countries like Iran and Venezuela , the U.S. greatly increased sanctions on the island , imposing a unilateral ( and illegal ) embargo .
With no oil and without the ability to pay for imported food or goods , the economy was devastated , and Cuba entered what it euphemistically calls “ the special period.
” Across the country there was widespread hunger , with caloric intake sharply decreasing and a generalized loss of weight among the population .
The death rate among the elderly greatly increased .
Out of necessity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embraced local , organic gardening , small-scale farming , permaculture , and a more vegan diet .
As such , the changes , forced upon the population out of desperation ultimately led to positive changes in diet , industry , and lifestyle .
Today , Cubans enjoy a longer life expectancy than Americans .
The period is explored in the documentary “ The Power of Community : How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.
” The health industry was also forced to change to a cheaper system of preventative medicine .
Health professionals across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to visit and consult with every resident , nipping problems in the bud before they developed into costly diseases .
Thus , teenage obesity was dealt with cheaply through advice on cooking , diet and exercise courses before it could metastasize into extremely expensive heart surgery .
Dr. Sefa-Boakye arrived at the tail end of the Special Period .
“ We spent six months on diabetes my first year in medical school because authorities were like ‘ we CAN NOT have a diabetes epidemic here , ’ so whatever was needed in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lifelong condition ] , that was a special focus in our training , ” she said .
To combat Dengue Fever , she noted , local community doctors and students like her made home visits to ensure no one was keeping large stores of water that could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes .
The benefit of this , Albanese says , is that medical authorities have incredibly detailed statistics about health problems in every neighborhood .
Every neighborhood has its own local doctors and consultation offices , meaning everyone can see a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives within a short walk , too .
“ No one slips through the cracks , ” she says .
This has developed into a much more integral system .
“ We had to learn about the biological , psychological social determinants of a human being .
That meant that you not only had to treat the person by themselves , you had to treat them within [ the context of ] the community .
And within the community was the ability to use medicine like acupuncture , plant-based foods , acupressure and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are certainly downsides to studying in Cuba , not least the intensive Spanish-language courses non-speakers must take .
The internet is still infuriatingly slow and patchy on the island ; the government continues to be highly mistrustful of it .
Perhaps they have reason to be ; the U.S. government was secretly behind multiple friendly-looking social networks aimed at Cubans , that were , in fact , attempts to foment regime change from within , sending users anti-communist propaganda and prompting them to attend anti-government demonstrations .
The result is that “ it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relationships with friends and family back home , ” according to Albanese .
Because of the embargo , there are also still shortages of testing kits and other equipment , meaning that practicing in Cuba does have its challenges .
Nevertheless , there is no need to constantly check and confirm if insurance companies will allow doctors to treat patients with certain drugs .
Because there is no profit motive , doctors can also spend as long as they feel necessary consulting with patients .
Indeed , Dr. Sefa-Boakye claimed she knew the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families and was taught to treat them like they were loved ones .
And of course , the system is free for both doctors and patients .
“ Imagine getting sick and not having to worry about insurance and hospital bills !
” said Albanese .
In the U.S. , one of the most common conversation topics between doctors is student loans .
Sefa-Boakye says her colleagues look at her with amazement when she tells them she has no debt because Cuba paid for her studies .
The country not only brings in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its own doctors to poor countries too .
Tens of thousands of Cuban doctors work in dozens of countries , generating significant income for the cash-strapped island .
While they are often described as little more than slaves in the U.S. press , the defection rates for those abroad appears to be minuscule .
The effect they have had is not .
Cuba , for instance , helped Venezuela ’ s Hugo Chavez build a nationalized healthcare system from the ground up .
“ You can not talk about Latin America ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Sefa-Boakye , estimating that there are incredibly more Cuban or Cuban-trained doctors in Africa currently than domestically-trained African doctors .
Cuba , like most countries , is in the midst of a growing COVID-19 problem .
The government confirmed 139 cases on Sunday .
The Guardian also reported that it faces a shortage of soap .
Nevertheless , Albanese believes it is more equipped than most to deal with a pandemic : “ I am very confident of Cuba ’ s public health and epidemiology system , it is all very organized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locally , ” she said .
“ I wish every U.S. citizen could experience the social qualities of Cuba .
I have noticed that despite all the day to day difficulties of living in a blockaded country , that there is generally less anxiety and depression here , that people are , in general , social , outgoing , friendly , easygoing , laugh often and find time to relax and enjoy life .
There is not so much social isolation and fear of strangers here as there is in the U.S. ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization .
Feature photo | Medicine students look through microscopes at a laboratory of the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana .
Javier Galeano | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

It’s a medical school like no other: the largest of its kind in the world. The Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Havana, Cuba hosts students from well over 100 countries and every year, dozens of American students are paid to go there to train as doctors. Paid, that is, by the Cuban government on the proviso that they return to the U.S. and serve underprivileged communities. Generally, students come from underprivileged backgrounds themselves and would not have been able to attend medical school in the U.S. for financial reasons. The average cost of in-state training at am American public college runs to nearly $35,000 per year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, with private universities charging well over $50,000. Women and people of color make up the clear majority of applicants.
Cuba is constantly demonized by both the U.S. government and the media. Washington made its opposition to the 1959 revolution immediately clear, attempting an ill-fated invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961. Decades of illegal blockades have since sapped the country’s strength and wealth. Nevertheless, it remains ideologically committed to opposing American imperialism and providing similarly poor countries with medical relief. While the U.S. sends troops to other countries, Cuba invariably sends medical professionals.
ELAM is the centerpiece of this policy. Amid a global COVID–19 pandemic, the island of 11 million has been punching above its weight, leading the fight back. A Cuban drug, Interferon Alpha 2b, has proven successful in boosting the immune systems of coronavirus patients. Fearing a public relations defeat, the United States government is actively trying to pressure countries to refuse aid from Cuba. Despite this, last week, 140 medical personnel left the country to travel to northern Italy, the current hotspot of the virus. “This is a global battle and we have to fight it together,” said Carlos Armando Garcia Hernandez, a nurse who volunteered for the mission. Doctors have also been sent to many neighboring islands, as well as Venezuela, Suriname and Nicaragua.
Watch: Cubans doctors arriving in Italy to help combat the coronavirus in Lombardy where scores have died. pic.twitter.com/MXQ14bWTU2 — Patrick Oppmann CNN (@CNN_Oppmann) March 22, 2020
“It was like going to the UN”
MintPress News spoke with two American attendees of ELAM to understand why they chose Cuba and how they found themselves on the tiny Caribbean island that has been shunned by American media and foreign policy. “It was like going to the UN,” said Sarpoma Sefa-Boakye, a Ghanaian-American who studied there between 2002 and 2009.
Dr. Sefa-Boakye now practices family medicine in San Diego. Walking to school every day, she said, she passed dorm rooms filled with Africans, Latin Americans and students from other Caribbean islands, all speaking different languages. “The teaching [here] is of the highest quality,” Olive Albanese assures me, with class sizes similar to those in American medical schools. Albanese is a fifth year student from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently studying at ELAM. “They actually recruit for students from the most humble communities around the world, people whose families would never be able to afford them a medical education, because we are the ones who will make the most humble and conscientious doctors,” she adds.
While Albanese applied to study because she wanted a university experience that would challenge her in more ways than just academically, Dr. Sefa-Boakye had no idea about the existence of such a possibility until she was spending time in Ghana and was shocked to meet Cuban doctors speaking her parents’ language of Twi. She was even more astonished when they told her that as an American, she could study for free in Cuba. Within weeks, she had enrolled.
Bernie Sanders was roundly condemned for praising the country’s health and medical prowess. “These are flat-out dictators, period, and they should be called for it, straight-up,” former vice-president Joe Biden told him at the most recent Democratic debate in Miami. Cuba preaches the idea of socialist medicine, which can be traced back to the revolutionary Che Guevara, himself a doctor. But the island, beset by poverty and by decades of U.S. sanctions, has had to develop unique methods for dealing with public health.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba was cut off from a major trading partner and a vital source of oil. In a similar fashion to its current actions against countries like Iran and Venezuela, the U.S. greatly increased sanctions on the island, imposing a unilateral (and illegal) embargo. With no oil and without the ability to pay for imported food or goods, the economy was devastated, and Cuba entered what it euphemistically calls “the special period.” Across the country there was widespread hunger, with caloric intake sharply decreasing and a generalized loss of weight among the population. The death rate among the elderly greatly increased.
Necessity meets invention
Out of necessity, Cuba abandoned oil-thirsty, mechanized agriculture and embraced local, organic gardening, small-scale farming, permaculture, and a more vegan diet. As such, the changes, forced upon the population out of desperation ultimately led to positive changes in diet, industry, and lifestyle. Today, Cubans enjoy a longer life expectancy than Americans. The period is explored in the documentary “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.”
The health industry was also forced to change to a cheaper system of preventative medicine. Health professionals across the country were assigned local neighborhoods and instructed to visit and consult with every resident, nipping problems in the bud before they developed into costly diseases. Thus, teenage obesity was dealt with cheaply through advice on cooking, diet and exercise courses before it could metastasize into extremely expensive heart surgery.
Dr. Sefa-Boakye arrived at the tail end of the Special Period. “We spent six months on diabetes my first year in medical school because authorities were like ‘we CANNOT have a diabetes epidemic here,’ so whatever was needed in the community [to fight the extremely costly lifelong condition], that was a special focus in our training,” she said. To combat Dengue Fever, she noted, local community doctors and students like her made home visits to ensure no one was keeping large stores of water that could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
The benefit of this, Albanese says, is that medical authorities have incredibly detailed statistics about health problems in every neighborhood. Every neighborhood has its own local doctors and consultation offices, meaning everyone can see a physician for free, and one who lives within a short walk, too. “No one slips through the cracks,” she says.
This has developed into a much more integral system. “We had to learn about the biological, psychological social determinants of a human being. That meant that you not only had to treat the person by themselves, you had to treat them within [the context of] the community. And within the community was the ability to use medicine like acupuncture, plant-based foods, acupressure and more,” Sefa-Boakye adds.
A different kind of health care
There are certainly downsides to studying in Cuba, not least the intensive Spanish-language courses non-speakers must take. The internet is still infuriatingly slow and patchy on the island; the government continues to be highly mistrustful of it. Perhaps they have reason to be; the U.S. government was secretly behind multiple friendly-looking social networks aimed at Cubans, that were, in fact, attempts to foment regime change from within, sending users anti-communist propaganda and prompting them to attend anti-government demonstrations. The result is that “it requires a huge effort to maintain long-distance relationships with friends and family back home,” according to Albanese. Because of the embargo, there are also still shortages of testing kits and other equipment, meaning that practicing in Cuba does have its challenges.
Nevertheless, there is no need to constantly check and confirm if insurance companies will allow doctors to treat patients with certain drugs. Because there is no profit motive, doctors can also spend as long as they feel necessary consulting with patients. Indeed, Dr. Sefa-Boakye claimed she knew the names of all her patients and their families and was taught to treat them like they were loved ones. And of course, the system is free for both doctors and patients. “Imagine getting sick and not having to worry about insurance and hospital bills!” said Albanese.
In the U.S., one of the most common conversation topics between doctors is student loans. Sefa-Boakye says her colleagues look at her with amazement when she tells them she has no debt because Cuba paid for her studies.
The country not only brings in students from around the world but exports its own doctors to poor countries too. Tens of thousands of Cuban doctors work in dozens of countries, generating significant income for the cash-strapped island. While they are often described as little more than slaves in the U.S. press, the defection rates for those abroad appears to be minuscule. The effect they have had is not. Cuba, for instance, helped Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez build a nationalized healthcare system from the ground up. “You cannot talk about Latin America’s healthcare without talking about Cuba,” said Sefa-Boakye, estimating that there are incredibly more Cuban or Cuban-trained doctors in Africa currently than domestically-trained African doctors.
Cuba, like most countries, is in the midst of a growing COVID-19 problem. The government confirmed 139 cases on Sunday. The Guardian also reported that it faces a shortage of soap. Nevertheless, Albanese believes it is more equipped than most to deal with a pandemic: “I am very confident of Cuba’s public health and epidemiology system, it is all very organized: nationally, provincially, regionally and locally,” she said.
“I wish every U.S. citizen could experience the social qualities of Cuba. I have noticed that despite all the day to day difficulties of living in a blockaded country, that there is generally less anxiety and depression here, that people are, in general, social, outgoing, friendly, easygoing, laugh often and find time to relax and enjoy life. There is not so much social isolation and fear of strangers here as there is in the U.S.”
Americans can apply for ELAM through the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization.
Feature photo | Medicine students look through microscopes at a laboratory of the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana. Javier Galeano | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.