The Houthi rebels in Yemen have recently ordered some of the country's few remaining Jews to leave the country, claiming that the Jewish residents were "in contact with people abroad."
According to a report in The Media Line, some of the Jews living in Yemen's Amran Governorate, north of Sanaa, have been deported.
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A man by the name Ali Qudair, head of one of the local tribes in Amran, was quoted saying that in July, soldiers had surrounded a village and interrogated the members of at least one Jewish family that lived there about their alleged "contacts" with foreign officials.
"The soldiers entered the house of a Jewish family in the village and questioned members about their correspondence with the State of Israel, their property in the village and other areas, and whether or not they were in contact with relatives residing in other countries," Qudair told The Media Line.
Some of the people questioned were reportedly taken away to an undisclosed location and held there for 48 hours.
Qudair claimed that this incident was part of the persecution of the remaining Yemeni Jews that has gone on for years.
"Jews have been denied many of their rights. They no longer can travel except with prior permission from the Houthi-appointed area supervisor," he said.
There are also reports that Jews have been banned from traveling from various counties and regions to Yemen's major cities, and are allowed to work only as merchants or farmers. They are also reportedly banned from holding any Jewish ceremonies in public.
Saeed Ahmad (his name has been changed for his protection), who lives in the village Qudair spoke about, confirmed his report.
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"On July 12, the Houthis arrested seven individuals from the Jewish community after questioning them and searching some of their homes," Ahmad told The Media Line.
Ahmed claimed that the Houthis had told Jews to leave Yemen and placed restrictions on Jewish property, including a prohibition on Jews selling property to anyone other than local residents.
"The Jews are getting ready to leave Yemen," Ahmad said.
A source in Yemen's Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor spoke to The Media Line and expressed concern for the fate of the Jews.
The Houthis started "killing, jailing and deporting many of the Jews in the governorates of Saada and Amran," the source said, pointing out the example of one man who was stabbed to death after being accused of witchcraft.
He also said that many Jews had been imprisoned as a way of pressuring the entire community to leave, without sparking international outrage.
An official in Yemen's Interior Ministry said: "Decisions regarding deportations, investigations or any action against the Jews come from intelligence officials under the Houthis' command."
According to the ministry source, few Jewish families remain in Yemen.
"The remaining Jews in Yemen do not exceed 22 families, most of them living in Amran Governorate," the source continued. "Others live in the Sanaa and Saada governorates," he noted.
The Interior Ministry source claimed that the last Jews could be expelled sometime in the next few months, and said that international superpowers had been involved in the matter.
Other reports said that Jews from Yemen had left the country for the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
