West Asia

The first boats to successfully break the Gaza siege in 2008 were the Free Gaza and the Liberty. They carried 44 people from 17 countries. Their triumphant arrival marked a historic moment for the international solidarity movement. “There were many moving scenes as Palestinians learned how far we had come from to offer solidarity - their Israel overlords had told the Palestinians for years that nobody cared about them, which is a big line,” said solidarity activist Roger Fowler.

On August 9, a U.S.-supported Saudi airstrike bombed a bus carrying schoolchildren in Sa’ada, a city in northern Yemen. The attack killed at least forty-three people. “This conflict is backed by the U.S. and the U.K.,” journalist Nima Elbagir said. “They are in full support of the Saudi-led activities in Yemen today.”

“Everybody thinks they will be killed soon, the situation for those alive is miserable. If you don’t die in the war, the poverty caused by the war may kill you, which is why I think the only option left for me is to join the peace convoy.” - Abdullah Malik Hamdard, Afghan peace walker

A new Amnesty International report documents the plight of dozens of families in southern Yemen whose loved ones have been tortured, killed, or forcibly disappeared by Yemeni security forces reporting to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition that, with vital US support, has been bombarding and blockading famine and disease-ravaged Yemen for three brutal years. The disappearances, and torture, can sadly be laid at the doorstep of the United States.

On average, during Trump’s first year in office, the Pentagon dropped 121 bombs per day on Afghanistan. The total number of weapons – missiles, bombs - deployed in Afghanistan by manned and remotely piloted aircraft through May this year is estimated at 2,339. 

Europe is facing the most significant refugee crisis since World War II. All attempts at resolving the issue have failed, mostly because they have ignored the root causes of the problem.