Television Speech on the Occasion of World Quds Day

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, the noblest of all creation, and upon his pure and virtuous family, and his chosen companions, and those who follow them with goodness until the Day of Judgment.

Palestine; the most important and vital issue of the Islamic Ummah The issue of Palestine remains the most important and vital common issue of the Islamic Ummah. The policies of the oppressive and bloodthirsty capitalist system have deprived a nation of its home, its homeland, and the soil of its ancestors, and have installed a terrorist regime and foreign people in it.

What is more flimsy and baseless than the hollow logic of establishing the Zionist regime? According to their own claims, Europeans have oppressed the Jews during World War II, so they must take revenge on the Jews by displacing a nation in West Asia and committing horrific massacres in that country...! This is the logic that Western governments have relied upon with their unrestrained and insane support for the Zionist regime, thus undermining all their false claims regarding human rights and democracy. This ridiculous and tragic saga has continued for more than seventy years, with each passing moment adding another page to it.

The struggle against the Zionist regime is a collective duty From the very first day, the Zionists have turned the occupied Palestine into a base for terrorism. Israel is not a country, but a terrorist outpost against the Palestinian nation and other Muslim nations. The struggle against this bloodthirsty regime is a struggle against oppression and a struggle against terrorism; and this is a collective duty.

Weakness and division in the Islamic Ummah, a precursor to the occupation of Palestine One noteworthy point is that although the occupying government was established in 1948, the groundwork for encroaching upon this sensitive point of the Islamic region began years before that. These years coincided with the active intervention of the West in Islamic countries to impose secularism, extreme and blind nationalism, and to empower tyrannical governments that were either enamored with or subservient to the West. Studying the events of those years in Iran, Turkey, and the Arab countries of West Asia to North Africa reveals the bitter truth that weakness and division in the Islamic Ummah laid the groundwork for the catastrophe of the occupation of Palestine, and this blow was dealt to the Islamic Ummah by the world of global arrogance.

The synergy of the West and East camps with Zionist capitalists in the issue of the occupation of Palestine It is instructive that at that juncture, both the capitalist and communist camps synergized with the Zionist billionaires; Britain devised and pursued the original conspiracy, the Zionist capitalists took on its execution with money and weapons, and the Soviet Union was the first government to officially recognize the establishment of the illegitimate state and sent a multitude of Jews there. The occupying regime was the product of that situation in the Islamic world on one side, and this conspiracy and European aggression on the other.

The shift in the balance of power in the current world in favor of the Islamic world Today, the state of the world is no longer as it was then; we must always keep this truth in mind. Today, the balance of power has shifted in favor of the Islamic world. Various political and social events in Europe and America have exposed the deep structural, managerial, and moral weaknesses and disruptions of the Westerners before the world. The issues surrounding the elections in America and the severely embarrassing test of its boastful and arrogant managers, as well as the unsuccessful year-long confrontation with the pandemic in America and Europe and its shameful ramifications, and the recent political and social turmoil in the most important European countries, all signify the downward and declining trajectory of the Western camp. On the other side, the growth of resistance forces in the most sensitive Islamic regions, the growth of their defensive and offensive capabilities, the growth of awareness, motivation, and hope among Muslim nations, the growth of inclination towards Islamic and Quranic slogans, scientific growth, and the growth of independence-seeking and self-reliance among nations are blessed signs that herald a better future.

The necessity of synergy among Muslim countries centered on Palestine and Quds In this blessed future, the synergy of Muslim countries must be a major and fundamental goal, and this does not seem far-fetched. The axis of this synergy is the issue of Palestine in the sense of the entire country, and the fate of the noble Quds. This is the very truth that illuminated the heart of the great Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) to announce World Quds Day on the last Friday of Ramadan. The synergy of Muslims around the noble Quds is the nightmare of the Zionist enemy and its American and European supporters. The failed plan of the "Deal of the Century" and the subsequent attempts to normalize relations between several weak Arab states and the occupying regime are desperate efforts to escape that nightmare. I firmly say: these efforts will lead nowhere; the downward and declining movement of the Zionist enemy regime has begun and will not pause.

Decisive factors for the future: the continuation of resistance in the occupied territories and global support for Palestinian fighters Two important factors will determine the future: first — and more importantly — the continuation of resistance within the territories of Palestine and the strengthening of the line of jihad and martyrdom, and second, global support from governments and nations of Muslims around the world for the Palestinian fighters. Everyone — statesmen, intellectuals, religious scholars, parties and groups, valiant youth, and other sectors — must find their place in this nationwide movement and play a role. This is what nullifies the enemy's plots and creates a last-days manifestation for this divine promise: "Or do they intend a plot? But those who disbelieve are the ones who will be plotted against. And God prevails in His matter; but most people do not know."

(Arabic section)

I would like to speak briefly to Arab youth in their own language:

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Peace be upon all the free Arabs, especially the youth, and peace to the resilient people of Palestine and Quds and the defenders at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Peace be upon the martyrs of resistance and the vast multitude of fighters who have sacrificed their lives on this path; especially martyr Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, martyr Sayyid Abbas Mousavi, martyr Fathi Shaqaqi, martyr Imad Mughniyeh, martyr Abdul Aziz Rantisi, martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and finally the prominent figure of the martyrs of resistance, martyr Qassem Soleimani, each of whom, after a fruitful and blessed life, left significant impacts in the environment of resistance with their martyrdom.

The struggle of the Palestinians and the pure blood of the martyrs of resistance have managed to keep this blessed flag raised and have multiplied the inner strength of Palestinian jihad by hundreds. The Palestinian youth once defended themselves by throwing stones, and today they respond to the enemy with precision-guided missiles.

Palestine and Quds are referred to as the "Holy Land" in the Holy Quran; for decades, this pure land has been occupied by the most impure and vile individuals of humanity; devils who drag honorable people into dust and blood and then shamelessly admit to it. Racists who have tortured the rightful owners of the land with murder, plunder, imprisonment, and torture for more than seventy years, but thanks be to God, they have not been able to subdue their will.

Palestine is alive and continues its jihad, and with God's help, it will ultimately be able to overcome the vile enemy. The noble Quds and all of Palestine belong to its people and will return to them, God willing; "and this [task] is not difficult for God."

In the issue of Palestine, all governments and nations of Muslims have a duty and responsibility, but the axis of the struggle is the Palestinians themselves, who today number about fourteen million inside and outside the land. The unity and common resolve of this group can achieve great things. Today, unity is the greatest weapon of the Palestinians.

The enemies of Palestinian unity are the Zionist regime, the United States, and some other political powers, but if there is no division from within the Palestinian community itself, external enemies will not be able to do anything. The axis of this unity must be internal jihad and distrust of the enemies. The main enemies of the Palestinians, namely the United States, Britain, and the vile Zionists, should not be relied upon in Palestinian policies.

The Palestinians — whether in Gaza, in Quds and the West Bank, in the lands of 1948, or even in the camps — all form a single unit and must adopt a strategy of cohesion; each section must defend the others and use the tools at their disposal when pressure is applied to them.

Hope for victory is greater today than ever; the balance of power has significantly shifted in favor of the Palestinians; the Zionist enemy has weakened year by year; its army, which introduced itself as "an army that never loses," has today become an army that "will not see victory" after the experience of the 33-day war in Lebanon and the 22-day and 8-day wars in Gaza. Its political situation, which is forced into four elections in two years, and its security situation, which is continuously suffering defeats, and the increasing desire of Jews for reverse migration have become a source of disgrace for that boastful regime. The relentless efforts, with the help of America, to normalize relations with a few Arab countries are another sign of the weakness of that regime; and certainly, this will not help it. Decades ago, it established relations with Egypt; since that day, the Zionist regime has become much more vulnerable and weaker; with this in mind, can relations with a few weak and insignificant countries help it? Certainly, those countries will not benefit from this relationship either; the Zionist enemy will seize their wealth or land and spread corruption and insecurity among them.

Of course, these truths should not make others forget their heavy responsibilities regarding this movement; Muslim and Christian scholars must declare normalization as a religious prohibition, and intellectuals and free individuals must explain the consequences of this betrayal, which is a dagger in the back of Palestine, to everyone.

In contrast to the declining trend of the regime, the increasing capabilities of the resistance front herald a bright future: the increase in defensive and military power, self-sufficiency in producing effective weapons, the self-confidence of the fighters, the growing awareness of the youth, the expansion of the resistance's reach throughout Palestine and beyond, the recent uprising of the youth in defense of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the simultaneous reflection of the struggle and suffering of the Palestinian nation in the public opinion of many regions of the world.

The logic of the Palestinian struggle, which has been registered by the Islamic Republic in the documents of the United Nations, is a progressive and attractive logic; Palestinian fighters can propose a referendum involving all the original inhabitants of Palestine. This referendum will determine the political system of the country, and the original inhabitants of every ethnicity and religion, including Palestinian refugees, will participate in it; that political system will return the refugees and determine the fate of the foreign settlers.

This demand is based on the common democracy that is accepted in the world, and no one can undermine its progressiveness. Palestinian fighters must continue their legitimate and moral struggle against the occupying regime to the extent that it is compelled to accept this demand. In the Name of God, move forward and know that "Indeed, God will help those who help [His religion]."

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.