Zarif says support for Palestine, Iran's principled policy

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has once again reiterated the Islamic Republic's principled policy to support Palestine, urging all countries in the Muslim world to boost their unity to defend the Palestinian cause.

ID: 56935 | Date: 2018/12/23
"We hope that some Muslim countries that have pinned their hopes on the support of the Zionists and the US will return to the Muslim world and realize that the Zionists are not a trustworthy friend or partner for anybody," Zarif said in a meeting with a Palestinian parliamentary delegation led by senior Palestinian lawmaker, Mahmoud al-Zahar, in Tehran on Sunday.


The Iranian foreign minister added that efforts to counter the Palestinian resistance are unfortunately being made from inside the Muslim world, saying that all countries and Islamic movements are also under such pressure.


Back in May, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said resistance is the sole way to save the oppressed Palestinian nation.


In response to an earlier letter from Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, Ayatollah Khamenei reaffirmed Iran’s unwavering support for Palestine and Palestinian fighters, noting that strengthening the resistance front in the Muslim world and intensifying the fight against the occupying regime of Israel and its supporters were the solution to the Palestinian issue.


In a Saturday meeting with Zahar, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani stressed the importance of making more efforts to expose brutal crimes committed by the Israeli regime against the oppressed Palestinian nation.


"Criminal measures by this regime (Israel) should be exposed to the world and such disclosure of issues will lead to more support for the Palestinian cause,” Larijani said.


For his part, Zahar, who is also the co-founder of Hamas and a member of the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip, hailed Iran's real support for Palestine and expressed hope that the Palestinian people's resistance and the Muslim world's support would put an end to the Zionist project as soon as possible.


He pointed to a plan by President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas to dissolve the parliament and said under the Palestinian constitution, the parliament should not be dissolved under any circumstances, even in an emergency situation, until its term is finished.


On Saturday, Hamas slammed the parliament's dissolution plan, saying the move will only add to the internal divisions between the Palestinian factions.


“The decision by Abbas deepens the internal Palestinian division and destroys the Palestinian political system,” said Yehya Musa, a senior Hamas leader and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).


Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said internal and extensive corruption of the Israeli leaders, the awakening of the nations and their awareness of the Zionist regime's conspiracies and oppression against humanity would lead to Tel Aviv's destruction.


In a meeting with Zahar, the senior Iranian official added that support for the Palestinian cause and the liberation of Jerusalem al-Quds are the most important priorities of the Muslim world.


“Any move that will lead to a deviation in the course of the fight against the Zionist regime as the main threat to the Muslim world is considered as a betrayal of Muslims in the world,” Shamkhani said.


He criticized the United Nations for failing to fulfill its commitments on reconstructing Gaza and meeting the basic needs of the Palestinians in the besieged enclave, and underlined Iran's firm support for the oppressed people of Palestine and the continuation of aid delivery to them.


Zahar, for his part, appreciated Iran's assistance to the Palestinian resistance and said Hamas regards Israel as an occupying and illegitimate regime and rejects any move, which leads to recognition of the Tel Aviv regime and overlooking the Palestinian people's right to take their lands back.