Leader reaffirms Iran’s support for Palestine

Yesterday May 14 was that disgraceful day in modern history, when the British occupiers of Palestine, while leaving this Muslim land, planted the illegitimate Zionist entity called Israel. Immediately, the fully armed illegal Jewish migrants from Europe attacked Palestinians killing a great many men, women, and children, and driving into neighbouring lands, over 700,000 others whose descendants continue live as refigures without state today, while Jews from various countries have flocked to the

The West and the reactionary Arab regimes had tried to sellout Palestine but the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 shattered their dream as the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (God bless him) called for the weeding out of this cancerous tumour from the heart of the Islamic world. He also designated the Last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadhan as Qods International Day in order to mobilize the support of the Muslim ummah for the cherished goal of liberation of Palestine from the Zionist tentacles.

This resulted in the emergence of successive Intefadhas in occupied Palestine, with emphasis on the enlightened teachings of Islam for reclamation of Islam’s former qibla or direction of the ritual prayer, the al-Aqsa Mosque. The present Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has reaffirmed the Islamic Republic of Iran’s support for Palestinian Muslims, and has called for a free and fair referendum, involving all original inhabitants of Palestine, including the local Jews, but not the illegal Zionist migrants, in order to determine one single state with one single government. Recently, the Leader received in Tehran some key officials of the Palestinian Islamic Movements, and urged them to carry on their brave struggle until eradication of the Zionist entity. Stay with us for highlights of his speech.

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei underlined Iran’s commitment to providing unwavering support for Palestine, stressing that this approach is not confined to a specific period of time. The audience included Ramadhan Abdullah, the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, and his delegation. Ayatollah Khamenei analyzed the ongoing developments in the region, saying the West, led by the US, is actually making an effort to dominate the region through a large-scale and extensive war with the Islamic Resistance. He said: “The large-scale war under way today in the region is continuation of a war that started 37 years ago against the Islamic Republic of Iran and in this confrontation, the issue of Palestine is the main and pivotal issue, and just in the same way that the Islamic Republic of Iran considered supporting Palestine as its duty from the beginning, it will continue to fulfill this duty in the future as well.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s position on the issue of Palestine has not been and is not limited to any specific period of time. He said that before the victory of the Islamic Revolution and during anti-Shah struggles, the issue of supporting Palestine and the necessity of countering the Zionist entity were constantly highlighted in the positions taken by the Late Imam Khomeini. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, supporting the Palestinian people was again among the top priorities of Iran. Therefore, defending the Palestinian cause is naturally enshrined in the nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Leader said the Islamic Revolution achieved victory under conditions that the Americans were at the zenith of their power in the region and all affairs were apparently in the interest of America, but the Islamic Revolution breathed fresh life into the corpus of the Islamic society and completely changed the conditions in the region.

The Leader, noting that extensive political, propaganda and even military pressures have been exerted to bring the Islamic Revolution to its knees or force the Islamic establishment to back down from its positions. He said: “What is going on today in the region is in fact the continuation of America’s confrontation with the Islamic establishment of Iran.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said the main objective behind the ongoing war waged by the West, led by the US, against the Islamic front is to dominate the region, adding, that developments in the region must be studied and analyzed from this viewpoint, and within this framework, the issues of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Hezbollah are part of this large-scale confrontation.” Stressing that under such circumstances, “defending Palestine symbolizes defending Islam,” Ayatollah Khamenei underscored, “the Arrogance front is making massive efforts to introduce this confrontation as a ‘war between Shi’ite and Sunni’.”

Referring to the fact that in Syria, the government in power is not a Shi’ite government, Ayatollah Khamenei said: “But the Islamic Republic supports the Syrian government because those standing against Syria are in fact hostile to Islam in principle and are serving the interests of America and the Zionist entity.” He said it is a colonialist and American plot to stir up confrontation between Shi’ites and Sunnis, emphasizing, “the most important issue under the present circumstances in the region is to achieve a correct understanding of the main two fronts engaged in this large-scale conflict and correctly know our position, because if the distance between the two fronts is not known correctly, we may inadvertently stand against the Islamic front.”

Stressing that based on such an overarching view of regional issues, the Islamic Republic of Iran considers the US as its main enemy and the illegal Zionist entity as its backup, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Iran always considers defending the issue of Palestine as its duty and will continue to fulfill this duty.” He referred to the illegal sanctions imposed by the US and its followers on the Islamic establishment in Iran during recent years, saying, “The main goal behind these sanctions is to dissuade the Islamic Republic of Iran from the path it has taken, but they have failed to realize their goals, and they will not achieve their (desired) result in the future either. Based on divine promises, we believe that we will emerge winner from this extensive confrontation and we have been victorious so far, because the enemies were seeking to annihilate the Islamic Republic, but now not only does the Islamic establishment continue to exist, but has been also making progress in different sectors and taken deeper root on a daily basis.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the remarks made by the secretary general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement about efforts made to ratchet up pressure on Lebanon’s legendry anti-terrorist movement, the Hezbollah, saying, “Lebanon’s Hezbollah is too strong to be harmed by such actions and today, the Zionist regime is far more terrified and scared of Hezbollah than ever before.” Stressing that the divine tradition promises the victory of the Front of Truth, Ayatollah Khamenei said: “This victory is definitive despite ups and downs, and twists and turns, but the divine promise for those assisting the religion of God is unbreakable.”

At the start of this meeting, Ramadhan Abdullah, the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, offered his gratitude to the Islamic Republic of Iran for its support and positions taken on the issue of Palestine. He presented a report on the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, saying, “Despite continuation of the Zionist blockade and tougher conditions, the people of Gaza have been standing firm and fast, and in the West Bank, despite the Zionist regime’s crushing and widespread suppression, the flames of Intifada have been ablaze due to determination and willpower of the new generation of Palestinian youths.”

Reiterating the daily growing readiness of resistance forces in Palestine and their incredible capabilities, Abdullah referred to ongoing developments in the region and said: “The Americans and countries following them were plotting to present an unrealistic image of the Islamic Republic of Iran and cause the Zionist regime to be forgotten (as an enemy), and also aimed to disintegrate the region through insinuating Shiite-Sunni war, and on this basis, pressures have been increasing on the Lebanese Hezbollah, but the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, with a correct knowledge of developments, has stressed its support for Hezbollah and resistance against America and the Zionist regime.”

AS/SS