Elie Cohanim: The attack on the UAE proves that the Biden government’s cancelation of the Houthis’ designation as a terrorist organization is a “grave mistake”
In a new episode of “The CAPITOL Opinion”, Lebanese journalist Maria Maalouf discussed the recent events in the United Arab Emirates after it was subjected to terrorist attacks launched by the Houthi coup militia on civilian areas in the capital Abu Dhabi, which resulted in a number of casualties and material losses.
Initially, Maalouf noted U.S. condemnation of the Houthi attacks, which targeted Abu Dhabi International Airport and the nearby Mussafah industrial zone.
Gross error
In an interview, Elie Cohanim, deputy special envoy for combating anti-Semitism at the State Department, said. President Joe Biden’s administration came to power in January 2021, and it made a grave mistake by removing the designation of the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization.
She justified her statement by saying that the Biden administration committed this grave mistake, saying that the administration of former US President Donald Trump, which had the honor and privilege of working with it as its deputy envoy, went through a long process to reach the designation of the Houthi as a terrorist organization, explaining that the lengthy process requires tons of documentation and review, and thus the Trump administration came to classify the Houthi as a foreign terrorist organization.
A gift to the Iranian regime
She highlighted that when the Biden administration took power and immediately reversed the designation of the Houthi as a foreign terrorist organization, it was clear to most observers that this was probably a gift to the Iranian regime, to try to get them to work with the Biden administration on a hoped-for nuclear deal.
She added: What we have seen since then, since the Biden administration took office, is that the Houthi have proven to be a terrorist organization, just as the Trump administration has labeled them, stressing that the administration of President Biden is now constrained because they made this grave mistake. All they can do now is condemn one attack after another.
Time to reverse course
She continued: What we saw in this latest attack on the UAE is that it is time to reverse course and do the right thing by our allies, confirming that the statements are not enough to be completely frank. When the USA is speaking, we are the greatest power on earth, and we are defending the values that our allies support.
Following the terrorist attack that targeted the United Arab Emirates, American President Joe Biden said that putting the Houthi militias on the terrorist list again is an issue under consideration, confirming during a press conference at the White House on the occasion of the first anniversary of his presidency in the United States: We are considering re-listing the Houthis.
