Lasting peace establishment possible only through end of Palestine's occupation: Iran

Iran has censured Israel's "criminal" actions and the illogical and unlawful US support for the regime, saying the continuation of resistance until full liberation of Palestine would play a leading role in the establishment of "lasting" peace in the Middle East.

According to Press TV, Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Friday on the occasion of the Palestinian Land Day, an annual event to mark the killing of six Palestinians by Israeli forces during mass protests against Zionist entity’s seizure of their land in 1976.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the establishment of sustainable and fair peace in the region will only be possible through the continuation of resistance until complete end of Palestine's occupation, the return of all [Palestinian] refugees to their homeland, determination of Palestine's next system based on [holding] a referendum in the presence of all its main residents and finally the formation of a united Palestinian government with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital," the statement said.

It added that the US government's moves in violation of the United Nations Security Council and its support for the Israeli regime, which was against international law, prove "futility of efforts by some Arab countries in the region to normalize ties" with the Tel Aviv regime.

The US measures also show that "overt and covert efforts to establish relations with this regime cannot help restore the Palestinians' rights and end the occupation of Arab-Islamic lands," it said.

The extra-territorial and illegal utterances of US President Donald Trump in calling the Occupied Islamic city of Bayt al-Muqaddas (Jerusalem) as the Zionist capital, shifting the US embassy to this usurped holy place and backing the Israeli annexation of Syria’s Golan heights have all proved that Palestinian resistance is the correct path, with the annual Land Day being one of its symbols for the resolve to eventually return to their original homes and hearths.

The statement also described the Land Day as a "turning point" in the history, culture and resistance of Palestinians, saying it has played and would play an important role in boosting the Palestinian people's resistance against the Israeli regime's occupation.

SS