Caught on video: 'Like asking if you’ll stop beating your wife’, Saudi ambassador dodges Yemen cluster bomb question

Saudi’s ambassador to US, Al-Saud tells us how misogyny is the mother's milk of militarism.

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, Prince Abdullah Al-Saud was asked, “will you continue to use cluster weapons in Yemen?” “This is like the question, ‘Will you stop beating your wife?’” Al-Saud responded, letting loose a bellowing laugh.

More lengthy video of the brave The Intercept reporters’ Zaid Jilani & Alex Emmons debate with Al-Saud can be watched below:

And Zaid Jilani & Alex Emmons' report on The intercept can be read here: https://goo.gl/qc2TVq 

For lasting peace in Yemen, bring women to the table

"...Currently, Yemen is going through a third round of peace talks. Women’s voices have been absent from the peace talks so far. This unfairness threatens the sustainability of any deal that may be reached, and women are worried that any peace deal will be centred on a power-sharing formula instead of a socially responsible resolution leading to reparation for victims and affected communities. Now, once again, we are pushing for the inclusion of women. We will not stop our peaceful campaigns until our voices are heard and until our rights are implemented," writes the tireless magnificent Rasha Jarhum via LSE Middle East Centre. For full article, check here.

Women’s access to the Yemen peace talks

"The latest round of peace talks between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels is slated to begin in Geneva next week. The two parties will negotiate a cease-fire agreement to end the recent nine-month conflict that has devastated the Gulf state—one of the world’s most impoverished and worst scoring countries in terms of gender equality, even before the Houthi insurgency broke out last March. Each delegation will consist of 12 members. A week from the start of negotiations, however, delegations have yet to be finalized, in part because the UN has insisted that women be added to the presently all-male delegations. Houthi officials barred Dr. Shafiqa al-Wahsh, a prominent Yemeni women’s rights leader, from traveling to preparatory meetings. Al-Wahsh is just one of many women’s advocates trying to make inroads to the peace talks: in October, 45 women representing different political parties and ethno-religious factions met with the UN Special Envoy to Yemen for a workshop on the effect the war is having on women and to discuss avenues for women’s participation in formal peacebuilding processes." -blogs.cfr.org

Notes: Low Female Political Participation in Geneva's Peace Talks

Only one woman participant in Geneva's peace talks. She's a representative from the GPC. Why not have equal gender participation! #yemen

— Afrah Nasser (@Afrahnasser) June 15, 2015

Yemeni women hv been affected by the bloody war as much as all men hb; then, thr should be no reason 2 marginalise them in the peace talks.

— Afrah Nasser (@Afrahnasser) June 15, 2015

Keep on excluding women, "half" of the society, and you'll end up with "half" peace, idiot patriarchal male politicians! #yemen

— Afrah Nasser (@Afrahnasser) June 15, 2015

If we marginalize women jst coz they're being used 4 docrative reasons, then,1. get th competent ones! 2. get ride of the decrotive males 2!

— Afrah Nasser (@Afrahnasser) June 15, 2015

Not extravagant topic 2 discuss th importance of women's equal participation in Geneva's talks; it's abt having sustainable peace! #yemen

— Afrah Nasser (@Afrahnasser) June 15, 2015