‏أ. منصور الثميلة

Until recently, I didn’t quite understand what people meant when they talked about the hostility towards Saudi Arabia online, or about those who seemed almost pleased whenever something terrible happened to the Kingdom. Maybe my information bubble had protected me from much of it. I follow the news and try to read thoughtful discussions, but I rarely spend much time in comment sections. Then I came across some of the replies to my comment under Ali Shihabi’s post about the attack on King Khalid International Airport. And I kept thinking about them. I’m not an expert on Yemen. When I was at school in Siberia, I knew Yemen as the country of beautiful Sana’a and the extraordinary island of Socotra. Later, most of what I heard about the country was about war and the suffering it brought. I’ve tried to learn more since then, but I know how much I still don’t understand. The history of this conflict is long, painful and complicated, including Saudi Arabia's involvement in the war. I don't pretend to understand every aspect of it, and I certainly wouldn't try to judge the entire conflict in a few paragraphs. But there is something I genuinely struggle to understand. The Houthis are not the Yemeni people as a whole. They are an armed and political movement with their own interests and external supporters. So whose interests are served by firing missiles at a civilian airport in Riyadh? What does this achieve for ordinary Yemenis? Does it bring them any closer to peace? Saudi Arabia has also supported diplomatic efforts to end this conflict. And peace and stability in Yemen are important to the Kingdom’s own security and future. I believe we can discuss the history of this war, disagree about political decisions and question the actions of those involved without losing sight of something very simple. The suffering of the Yemeni people is real. So is the suffering of people in Saudi Arabia. One does not cancel out the other. Whatever anyone thinks about this conflict, people killed or injured at a civilian airport should never become something to celebrate or mock. I chose not to respond to those comments. Not because I believe these issues should not be discussed, but because I didn’t feel that those replies were an invitation to a serious conversation about the conflict or the people suffering because of it. There is a difference between trying to understand the causes of violence and using those causes to justify or make light of the suffering of civilians. I didn’t expect that distinction to be controversial. #SaudiArabia