Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution at the Third International Conference on Quds and Support for the Rights of the Palestinian People

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 the Messenger of God, the most trustworthy, and upon his pure family and chosen companions. I welcome you, dear guests, scholars, thinkers, politicians, Mojahedin, and defenders of the ideological and jihadist borders of Islam. You have gathered to discuss and seek solutions regarding the greatest calamity that has befallen the Islamic Ummah in contemporary history due to the machinations of colonialism; namely, the occupation of Palestine and the Holy Quds. The coincidence of this conference with the anniversary of the birth of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) in a year that the Iranian nation has adorned with the blessed name of that Prophet should inspire all of us to strive for unity, determination, and trust in God's promise, and pave the way for God's mercy and assistance; God willing. The current era is the era of Islamic awakening; and Palestine is at the center of this awakening. Nearly sixty years have passed since the occupation of Palestine, and the oppressed Palestinian nation has endured many hardships through various trials; from the initial helpless and desperate resistances at the beginning of the ordeal, to displacement and exile, witnessing the destruction of their homes and the massacre of their loved ones, to seeking refuge in international forums and resorting to futile political deals and the all-or-nothing gamble of fighting against the occupier, and involving powers that are themselves the main culprits in the emergence and continuation of this calamity. The outcome of these historical experiences has brought forth a new and vibrant generation of that brave and courageous nation, leading to the eruption of the Intifada. On the opposing front, a different path has been taken; from the ruthless savagery and unbridled genocide and destructive rage, to military aggressions against neighbors and the claim from the Nile to the Euphrates, to political and economic encroachments in the region, exploiting the weakness and betrayal of some politicians in the Islamic world, and suddenly confronting the awakening of the slumbering lion of Palestine and the tumultuous Intifada of a nation that has risen up. The product of this tumultuous process, which has always relied on the money and power of the British and American governments and their shameful support for the Zionist criminals, is today the instability, doubt, and despair of the leaders of the usurping regime and their confrontation with the rising wave of Islamic awakening. It is true that today Palestine is the scene of the most brutal human crimes committed by the foreign and usurping Zionists against its oppressed owners, and in an exceptionally horrific manner, the most atrocious injustices are openly and proudly perpetrated and announced by the Zionist government. However, a glance at the breadth and depth of this sixty-year saga reveals a shocking and instructive truth, which is nothing but the transformation of the scene and the shifting of the power dynamics of the two fronts; both within Palestine and in the Middle East and the Islamic world, where the catastrophe of the usurpation of Palestine was fundamentally designed and executed by Western politicians to seize and ensure long-term dominance over it. Consider Palestine in the 1940s: a land in the heart of the Arab world, a poor country, a weak government, an uninformed populace, and neighbors who were puppets of colonialism; the wealthiest, most armed, and most malevolent Western government, at the instigation of the Zionists, wrested it from the Muslims and handed it over to a racist, greedy, and terrorist party. All Western governments and both opposing political poles of the world assisted in this; the puppet governments in the region, such as Pahlavi Iran and others, turned their backs on Islam and Arabism, serving this cause; money, weapons, knowledge, and industry were provided by all; America acted as the guardian and attorney and executor of this, while the Soviet Union had no objection to this issue with America; the resolutions of the United Nations, even in their weak and conservative form, were completely disregarded by the illegitimate and rebellious Zionist government; emboldened by America and Europe, it launched military attacks against Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon, occupying parts with the intent of permanent seizure; it spoke recklessly of terror, murder, and plunder, threatening and one after another, the notorious terrorists came to power, the last of whom was the infamous criminal of "Sabra and Shatila." For decades, the usurping government remained with a harsh, inflexible, demanding, and invincible face on the Palestinian scene. On the opposing front, after the initial weakness and failure of the half-hearted efforts of the early years, experiences were tested one by one, and the intellectual and practical justifications from nationalism and Marxist leftism and the like emerged unsuccessful from the crucible of testing. The religious faith - to which the nation is firmly committed - gradually created bright points in the closed and sorrowful horizon and generated hopes; and at this moment, suddenly the sun of the "Islamic Revolution" rises from the east; on the high flag of this divine revolution, along with the name of God and Islamic law, the name of Palestine is inscribed. From this juncture, the course of events changes, and the process of the decline of the usurping government and the absolute dominance of America in the region - which has been complicit with the usurping government for many years - begins; jihadist groups faithful to Islam arise in Palestine and Lebanon, forming a generation of sincere and steadfast fighters; jihad and martyrdom are revived, and the true power - that is, the power of a nation whose resolve to stand firm and sacrifice is steadfast - reclaims its place in the equations of Palestine and the region. The pure blood of the martyr-seeking youth and the field presence of the selfless fighters disrupt all calculations of the materialist and pleasure-seeking world leaders and opens a new field where blood prevails over the sword. And today, after sixty years since that painful beginning, the front of truth, with new hopes and the motivation of faith - which has continuously attracted new generations - is becoming stronger day by day in the field of Palestine, imposing military and political defeats one after another on the enemy in Lebanon and Palestine, and moving towards a clear victory with the epic of jihad; as if the truthful words of God are addressed to them: "God has promised you abundant spoils that you will take; so hasten for this, and restrain the hands of people from you, and let it be a sign for the believers and guide you to a straight path. And another (victory) that you could not achieve, God has encompassed it, and God is capable of all things." Conversely, the front of falsehood, after successive retreats and the loss of initial false hopes, is afflicted with division, doubt, and confusion. Its main supporter - namely America - is itself facing unsolvable problems in the Middle East and is confronted with the growing hatred of the nations of this region, indeed of the entire world. The slogan from the Nile to the Euphrates has been reduced to the slogan of security - even within the wall it erects around itself - and in confronting the rising Palestine, it knows no way other than tanks, bombs, terror, prisons, and bulldozers; that is, the very tools whose use over the past decades has transformed the Palestinian nation into the tempered steel of today, and from now on, their effect will only be to make them more resilient. My brothers and sisters! Today, the Palestinian nation is in the midst of a difficult and long-term jihad, and this is not only the jihad of Palestine but a prominent part of the broad front of the jihad of the Islamic world against the arrogant, aggressive, ruthless, and plundering powers. The Islamic world has awakened, and the slogan of Islamic sovereignty in all Islamic countries has regained its foremost place among the youth, academics, and intellectuals of these countries. The Islamic Iran, which nurtures and implements the idea of religious democracy, is becoming stronger and more advanced day by day; the pure Islam that Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) introduced, free from syncretism, deviation, rigidity, and stagnation, has extended into the political arenas of many countries and has taken root in the East and West of the Islamic world. The bitter and poisonous taste of Western liberal democracy, which American propaganda deceitfully sought to present as a healing remedy, has hurt the soul and body of the Islamic nation and has burned their hearts. Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and other hidden dungeons, and above all, the cities of Gaza and the West Bank, have translated the Western concepts of freedom and human rights, which the American regime is the most shameless and brazen promoter of, for our nations. Today, Western liberal democracy is as discredited and detested in the Islamic world as socialism and communism were in the East yesterday. The Muslim nations want to achieve freedom, dignity, progress, and honor under the shade of Islam; the Muslim nations are weary of the two-hundred-year domination of foreigners and colonizers and are tired of the imposed poverty, humiliation, and backwardness. We have the right and we can turn the humiliation and arrogance of the dominating governments back upon themselves; this is the sincere sentiment of our nations and the current generation of the Islamic world from East Asia to the heart of Africa, and this is a complex, diverse, difficult, and long-term jihad field, and if we call Palestine the banner of this jihad, we do not speak in vain. Today, the entire Islamic world must regard the issue of Palestine as its own; this is the mysterious key that opens the doors of relief for the Islamic Ummah. Palestine must return to the Palestinian nation, and a single Palestinian government must be established to be governed by the choice of all Palestinians throughout their country. The fifty-year efforts of Britain, America, and the Zionists to erase the name of Palestine from the map of the world and to absorb the Palestinian nation into other nations have come to nothing, and the pressure, oppression, and cruelty have had the opposite result. Today, the Palestinian nation is more alive, braver, and more capable than its ancestors sixty years ago. This process, which has emerged under the shade of faith, jihad, and the glorious Intifada, must continue, and God's promise must be fulfilled, as He said: "God has promised those among you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors in the land, as He made those before them successors, and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has preferred for them, and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [so] that they worship Me and do not associate anything with Me. And whoever disbelieves after that - those are the defiantly disobedient." In a broader circle; that is, in the Islamic world, achieving this lofty goal; namely, liberation from domination, bullying, and the interference of colonialists and living under the shade of Islam is possible and achievable, and of course, it depends on a different kind of jihad. This is a scientific, political, and moral jihad; the Iranian nation has experienced it over the past twenty-seven years and has tasted its sweet fruits. The foundation of this sacred jihad is faith, people-centeredness, and knowledge-centeredness, and its characteristic is that every firm step in it makes the next step firmer and makes each stage more achievable. In the jihad of Palestine and in the jihad of the Islamic world, the main condition for success is to adhere to principles. The enemy always aims to steal principles and insists on overlooking them through deception, promises, and threats. With the elimination or weakening of principles, the Islamic world loses its guiding indicators and becomes subject to the rules determined by the enemy, and the result is evident. Often, some among our own nations and from within ourselves, following the enemy, advise us to abandon our principles and call it tactics and strategy! Whatever their motivation - negligence, greed, or betrayal - they are the embodiment of God's words: "So you will see those in whose hearts is disease hastening to them, saying, 'We fear a misfortune may strike us.' Perhaps Allah will bring about victory or a decision from Himself, and they will become regretful for what they concealed within themselves." They gain no benefit from aiding the enemy. America and the West have repeatedly shown that they do not even spare the submissive, and when the shelf life of collaborators expires, they easily discard them. Some others flaunt the enemy's power and frighten the rightful seekers from clashing with it. This statement contains a dangerous fallacy. First, the enemy that a wise person avoids clashing with is the enemy that targets his identity, vital interests, and very existence; resistance against such an enemy is the decisive judgment of human reason; because it is evident that the certain loss resulting from submission to it is the same as the potential loss resulting from confronting it; in addition to humiliation and disgrace. Today, global arrogance - of which the current President of the United States is the spokesperson - openly threatens the Islamic world and speaks of a crusade. The arrogant network of Zionism and the intelligence agencies of America and Britain are engaged in inciting discord throughout the Islamic world. With their money and encouragement, Islamic sanctities are openly insulted in the media, and even the celestial visage of the Messenger of God is not spared from their vile audacity. Thousands of films and computer games and the like are produced and sent to the markets with the ugly aim of portraying Islam and Muslims in a negative light, and all of this, in addition to their crimes in attacking Islamic countries and the massacres in Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and their meddling in Islamic countries to secure their illegitimate political and economic interests. Submission to such an enemy is completely contrary to the judgment of reason; and resistance is the only path recommended by intellect and Sharia. Secondly, exaggerating the enemy's power is one of its tricks. Political and military money and power, and modern and massive weaponry, frighten governments that are deprived of the support of their people. Military dominance over a regime like Saddam's, which neither had the support of its people nor did its army have any sense of faith and jihad, is not evidence of power. America has not been able to prevail over the Iraqi nation. Iraq has been able to challenge and expose America's claim to democracy and ridicule its supposed absolute and invincible power. Nations and governments that rely on their people, if they possess the capital of faith in God and faith in themselves and adopt resistance, will never be defeated, and enduring the hardships of jihad will gift them victory and will nullify the false myth of the invincibility of the aggressive enemy. The present and not-so-distant past have proven this and will continue to prove it; God willing. The interconnected rings of the American conspiracy regarding Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, aimed at establishing dominance over the Middle East under the leadership of the Zionist regime, will never succeed and will only bring catastrophic losses for the American leaders. If the American government accidentally follows reason and conscience, it must abandon its obstinacy against the Iraqi nation and comply with that nation's vote regarding its chosen government; respect the elected government of the Palestinian nation and rein in its rebellious and wicked ally, the usurping Zionist government; immediately release the oppressed prisoners in Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and its other hidden prisons; stop the conspiracy against Syria, Lebanon, and the Islamic Republic of Iran; and not inflame the sensitive region of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf with its ignorance. In conclusion, I say to the brave and resilient Palestinian nation: You have made the Islamic world proud with your brilliant jihad and patience and have become a model nation; the heavy burden of this great calamity has not bent your back, and the pure blood of your martyrs has rooted your determination and steadfastness deeper; your enemy, with its savagery and ruthlessness, with its massacres, destruction, kidnapping, and barbarism, has not been able to push you back, and today you are stronger than ever. The blood of great martyrs like "Sheikh Ahmed Yassin," "Fathi Shaqaqi," "Rantisi," and your martyr-seeking youth and other oppressed martyrs has thus far prevailed over the enemy's sword and will, with God's help, prevail even more in the future. We in the Islamic Republic of Iran and certainly the multitude of Muslims and freedom-seekers around the world share in your grief and suffering. Your martyrs are our martyrs; your pain and sorrow are our pain and sorrow; and your victory is our victory. The great Islamic Ummah cannot remain indifferent and silent in the face of the oppression that befalls you, like the deceitful West, nor extend a hand of friendship to your enemy. Whoever does so has acted against you, and certainly, the Muslim nations are absolved of this great sin. The Islamic Ummah is obliged to assist you in every possible way and support you in continuing this blessed path. Trust in God's promise; write down your agonizing pains and the unjustly shed blood and the daily hardships inflicted upon you as a matter of God, and like the master of the martyrs of the world, Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him), at the moment when his infant child was martyred in his arms by a poisoned arrow, say: "Indeed, the reproach is easy for me, for it is in the sight of God." And know that God has guaranteed the ultimate victory of the believers and patient Mujahideen. "And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and justice; there is no changing His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing." Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.