Shoppers may not have realized it yet, but we face a serious threat to trade, says ALEX BRUMMER

As a Washington correspondent in the 1980s, I vividly remember receiving a call from a British embassy source asking me to come because they had something urgent to share.

The UK government was alarmed by reports that the United States, in its battle with Sandinista rebels in Nicaragua, was considering mining the country’s strategically important ports with access to Caribbean and Pacific waters.

The UK, home of the International Maritime Agency, has an immediate and historic obligation, as a major trading nation, to support freedom on the high seas.

Despite the excellent relations between President Reagan and Mrs. Thatcher, I was told that Britain would take a very dim view of any attempt by Americans to interfere with that principle. The dispute over Nicaragua’s ports caused some stir.

As Israel’s military response unfolded to the rape, looting and murder of 1,195 Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023, and the taking of 250 hostages by Hamas fighters, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen began to fire on Red Sea shipping and sent armed drones to Israel.

Hostilities with the Houthis have reached a new intensity in the last 48 hours, when they launch missiles into Tel Aviv, wounding a dozen citizens.

The attacks came after Israel attacked ports and energy infrastructure in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The Houthis have been threatening Western energy supplies for almost a decade by targeting Saudi Arabia’s oil fields.

In 2022, they temporarily disrupted refining by attacking a Jeddah oil terminal. The Saudi air force, armed with British-made Tornado fighters and supported by British and American weaponry, has struggled to suppress the Houthis with a ruthless bombing campaign.

Many buyers in Europe may not have realized this. But the Houthi threat to the Red Sea – in support of Hamas – has had a significant impact on the supply chain this holiday season.

Freight costs have risen, adding pounds to shopping bills, as some ships from Asia have been diverted around the Cape of Good Hope. American and British naval vessels have been deployed to keep sea lanes open.

You would have to listen very carefully to the rhetoric of London politicians to hear any commitment to maintaining the freedom of the seas.

Indeed, because oil prices have remained low during current geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, British and American politicians, diplomats and aid groups have remained silent on broader strategic issues.

The references in the statements of the G7 and the International Monetary Fund and the central banks have been decidedly neutral, mischievously referring to geopolitical tensions without explaining them in detail.

Israel’s ruthless harassment of Hamas in Gaza has claimed 45,000 lives, according to Hamas/Palestine data.

It has attracted condemnation from all corners of the world and led to Israel’s leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, being accused of possible humanitarian crimes. The loss of civilian lives, including Palestinian children, is an enormous tragedy.

The consequences for the emerging nation of Israel have been serious. The BDS boycott organization has scored some important victories and spread a new social media hashtag ‘#ShutDownNation’. It claims these victories include the cancellation of a $25bn (£20bn) investment by chipmaker Intel.

Israel’s stated promise to eliminate the Houthi threat and behead rebel leaders is a reminder of how Netanyahu’s much-despised government, aided by American war materiel, has been doing the West’s job by eradicating the “arc of resistance.” of Iran in the Middle East. .

The weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, and the fall of the horrendous Assad dynasty, is a devastating blow to its supporting powers, Iran and Russia. What will come next in Damascus is anyone’s guess.

It is unclear whether Israel will be able to repeat its military success in Yemen, given that Saudi aggression only strengthened the Houthi rebels.

However, if the country can help restore the long-term security of oil supplies, while keeping long-term energy prices low, that should contribute to economic stability.

And by defending free passage on the high seas, Israel could help give a much-needed boost to a fragmented global trading system.