Abe Hamadeh is the Trump-Endorsed GOP Candidate for US Congress in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District.
Guest Post by Founder and CEO of Henry Public Relations Bryan Leib:
Recognizing threats takes leadership and common sense. Using your platform to speak out on it means you must be strong in your convictions and prepared to take incoming fire.
One such issue was back in October 2023 when the Houthi terrorist group started attacking U.S. interests in the Middle East. I watched in disbelief as the President of the United States and many sitting Members of the House and Senate were radio silent as U.S. forces intercepted Houthi missiles that were heading towards Israel.
One such leader who recognized the Houthi threat immediately was Abe Hamadeh. He sprung into action by issuing a strong statement saying, “In recent days, U.S. forces have intercepted missiles over the Red Sea fired from Houthis based in Yemen that were heading towards Israel. These missiles are provided by the Islamic Republic of Iran and have sophisticated long-range capabilities.”
Hamadeh went on to send a clear message to the Biden Administration, saying, “I am calling on the Biden Administration to reverse its foolish decision and reclassify the Houthis as the terrorists they are”.
I am calling on the Biden Administration to reclassify the Yemen based Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization after their recent attempted missile attacks on Israel.
Full Statement
pic.twitter.com/o9xHd25TiY
— Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) October 21, 2023
He has since doubled down on this statement and as the Houthis have significantly ramped up their efforts to not only send missiles towards Israel, they have also hijacked several shipping vessels in the region and attacked U.S. warships.
These actions by the Houthis have caused hundreds of ships to now avoid the Suez Canal all together and sail an extra 4,000 miles around Africa, burning fuel, inflating costs and adding 10 days of travel or more in each direction.
These ships are avoiding one of the world’s most important shipping routes, the Red Sea, where for months the Iranian-backed Houthi militia has attacked ships with drones and missiles from positions in Yemen.
So not only are the Houthis launching missiles and rockets at Israel and the United States, now they are directly affecting the global supply chain.
Imagine that – a rogue terrorist group that could be squashed in 48 hours by the United States military is the main reason for global supply chain problems right now. Why are we allowing them to gain traction when we could easily destroy their infrastructure with surgical air strikes?
Sadly, it took many months for the Biden Administration to take any diplomatic or military action on this front. On January 17, 2024, they took a diplomatic step by labeling the Houthis as a Speciality Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The SDGT is considered to be a watered down version of the FTO and once again, it’s projecting weakness instead of strength.
For example, FTO groups are banned from being granted U.S. Visas and admission to the United States while the SDGT has no such ban. Does the Biden Administration want Houthis to gain visas and enter the United States?
I don’t think any of us should be shocked that it took months for the Biden Administration to take diplomatic action and when they finally did, it wasn’t the strong approach that the previous administration took.
When America projects weakness, our adversaries expose this and when we project strength, they back down every single time.
Similar to President Donald J. Trump, Hamadeh knows that the only way to handle terrorists is to project American strength at every turn. President Trump’s Peace Through Strength foreign policy is the path forward in the Middle East.
Central to President Trump’s foreign policy vision was the principle of “Peace through Strength.” This approach prioritized a robust military, fortified national defense, and resolute diplomacy as the cornerstones of preserving peace.
By showcasing military strength and unwavering resolve, the Trump administration positioned itself as a formidable force in international affairs. This newfound leverage enabled the United States to pursue diplomatic initiatives from a position of strength, yielding tangible results in key negotiations and conflict resolutions.
Most importantly, after years of perceived decline in U.S. influence, the Trump administration’s unwavering commitment to strength and resolve restored confidence in American leadership. By leading with strength, rather than capitulation, the United States reasserted its position as a beacon of stability and a guarantor of peace.
President Biden would be wise to heed the call from Hamadeh to upgrade the Houthis to a FTO classification and to launch a maximum pressure and maximum sanctions campaign against the Houthis number one financial supporter, the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Bryan E. Leib is the Founder and CEO of Henry Public Relations, a Senior Fellow for the Center for Fundamental Rights and a former GOP Congressional Candidate.
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