by Julia Conley, The Anti Media:

As local journalists in Yemen reported that at least 15 civilians were killed in Saudi airstrikes in the port city of Hodeidah on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo officially certified that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), whose three-year assault on the country has been made possible by U.S. support, are doing all they can to avoid civilian casualties.

“The governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are undertaking demonstrable actions to reduce the risk of harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure resulting from military operations of these governments,” Pompeo said.

The certification was met with anger by lawmakers and others who have demanded for months that the U.S. stop providing the Saudis and UAE with fuel, weapons, and tactical support in the war—with Sen. Bernie Sanders declaring Pompeo’s statement “outrageous.”

“The Saudi-led war on Yemen is killing thousands of people, including a school bus full of children last month,” tweeted Sanders. “America’s role should not simply be to help our Saudi clients manage the slaughter more responsibly; we need to stop supporting it altogether.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called the certification a “rubber stamp” for a coalition whose attacks the U.S. has steadfastedly backed even as it targeted a school bus in a strike that killed 40 children last month.

For months, Congress has raised serious concerns about US support of the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen. @SecPompeo’s response today makes a mockery of congressional oversight authority. It’s not a certification – it’s a rubber stamp for Saudi Arabia. 1/2 https://t.co/7SgETUkTnK

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) 12 September 2018

The Trump Admin has all the facts here – but continues to support a coalition that bombs schoolchildren on a class trip. It's wrong, and does nothing to make America safer. We should use our influence to bring an end to Yemen’s humanitarian crisis – not contribute to it. 2/2

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) 12 September 2018

In an op-ed for Common Dreams following Pompeo’s announcement, Peace Action’s Kevin Martin denounced the decision and called on Americans to divest from U.S. government contractors that have sold weapons to the Saudis.

“The United States is the number one weapons dealer in the world, and Saudi Arabia is our biggest customer, having purchased over $100 billion in armaments since 2010,” said Martin, adding that the bombs in several recent deadly attacks “were built by Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons manufacturer and the largest U.S. government contractor of any kind, with net sales of over $13 billion in just the second quarter of this year. It’s not hyperbole to state Lockheed makes a killing, in more ways than one.”

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