Statements at the Fifth International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Intifada

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

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

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

God, the Wise, has said: "Permission is granted to those who fight because they have been wronged, and indeed, God is capable of granting them victory. Those who have been expelled from their homes unjustly, except for saying, 'Our Lord is God.' And if God had not repelled some people by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, and mosques in which the name of God is mentioned abundantly. And indeed, God will support those who support Him. Indeed, God is Powerful and Exalted." (Quran 22:39-40)

I welcome the esteemed guests and all the honorable attendees. Among all the issues that religious and political elites from across the Islamic world should address, the issue of Palestine holds a special prominence. Palestine is the foremost issue among all common concerns of Islamic countries. There are unique characteristics in this matter:

First: A Muslim country has been usurped from its people and handed over to foreigners who have gathered from various countries, forming a fake and mosaic society.

Second: This unprecedented incident in history has been carried out with continuous killings, crimes, oppression, and insults.

Third: The first Qibla of Muslims and many revered religious centers located in this country are threatened with destruction, insult, and decline.

Fourth: This fake state and society have played the role of a military, security, and political base for the arrogant powers in the most sensitive point of the Islamic world, from the beginning until now, and the colonial West, for various reasons, has always used it as a dagger against the Islamic Ummah.

Fifth: Zionism, which poses a significant moral, political, and economic danger to humanity, has used this foothold as a means and a point of support for expanding its influence and domination in the world.

Other points can also be added: the heavy financial and human costs that Islamic countries have borne so far; the mental preoccupation of governments and Muslim nations; the suffering of millions of Palestinian refugees, many of whom still live in camps after six decades; the disconnection of history from an important civilizational center in the Islamic world, and so on...

Today, in addition to these reasons, another key and fundamental point has been added, and that is the Islamic Awakening movement that has swept across the region and opened a new and decisive chapter in the history of the Islamic Ummah. This great movement, which can undoubtedly lead to the establishment of a powerful, advanced, and cohesive Islamic entity in this sensitive point of the world, and with the divine assistance and the resolute determination of the leaders of this movement, can mark the end of the era of backwardness, weakness, and humiliation of Muslim nations, draws a significant part of its strength and epic from the Palestinian issue.

The increasing oppression and tyranny of the Zionist regime, along with the collaboration of some tyrannical, corrupt, and American mercenary rulers, on one hand, and the emergence of the brave Palestinian and Lebanese resistance and the miraculous victories of the faithful youth in the 33-day war in Lebanon and the 22-day war in Gaza, on the other hand, were among the important factors that stirred the seemingly calm ocean of the nations of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and other countries in the region.

It is a reality that the fully armed Zionist regime, claiming invincibility, suffered a severe and humiliating defeat in Lebanon in an unequal war against the clenched fists of the faithful and brave Mujahideen, and afterward, in the face of the resilient and steel-like resistance of Gaza, once again tested its dull sword and failed.

These factors must be seriously considered in analyzing the current situation in the region, and the correctness of any decision made should be measured against them.

Thus, it is a precise judgment that the Palestinian issue has gained increased importance and urgency today, and the Palestinian nation has the right to expect more from Muslim countries in the current regional situation.

Let us look at the past and present and draw a roadmap for the future. I will share some key points.

More than six decades have passed since the catastrophe of the usurpation of Palestine. The main factors behind this bloody catastrophe are all well-known, with the colonial government of England at the forefront, whose policies, weapons, military, security, economic, and cultural forces, along with other arrogant Western and Eastern governments, were mobilized in service of this great oppression. The defenseless Palestinian nation was massacred under the ruthless claws of the occupiers and driven from their homes and abodes. To this day, not even a hundredth of the humanitarian and civil catastrophe that occurred at the hands of those claiming civilization and morality has been depicted or received any benefit from media and visual arts. The major lords of visual arts, cinema, and Western film-making mafias have not wanted this and have not allowed it. A nation was silently massacred, displaced, and rendered homeless.

Resistances emerged at the beginning that were suppressed with intensity and cruelty. From outside the borders of Palestine, mainly from Egypt, men motivated by Islamic ideals made efforts that did not receive the necessary support and could not make an impact on the scene.

Then came the time for formal and classical wars between several Arab countries and the Zionist army. Egypt, Syria, and Jordan sent their military forces into the scene, but the abundant and increasing military, logistical, and financial support from the U.S., England, and France to the usurping regime thwarted the Arab armies. They not only failed to help the Palestinian nation but also lost significant parts of their own territories in these wars.

With the revelation of the incapacity of the neighboring Arab governments to Palestine, organized resistance cells gradually formed in the form of armed Palestinian groups, and after a while, they came together to form the "Palestine Liberation Organization." This was a spark of hope that shone brightly but soon extinguished. This failure can be attributed to multiple causes, but the fundamental reason was their distance from the people and from their Islamic beliefs and convictions. Leftist ideology or merely nationalistic sentiments were not what the complex and difficult Palestinian issue needed. What could have brought a nation into the field of resistance and provided them with an invincible force was Islam, jihad, and martyrdom. They did not understand this correctly. In the early months of the great Islamic Revolution, when the leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization had a renewed spirit and frequently traveled to Tehran, I asked one of the pillars of that organization: Why do you not raise the flag of Islam in your rightful struggle? His response was that some among us are Christian. This person was later assassinated by the Zionists in an Arab country, and may God have mercy on him, but his reasoning was incomplete and inadequate. In my opinion, a believing Christian fighter alongside a group of devoted Mujahideen who sincerely fight with faith in God and the Day of Judgment, hoping for divine assistance, and supported materially and spiritually by their people, would have more motivation to fight than alongside a group of faithless individuals relying on unstable sentiments and lacking loyal support from the people.

The absence of firm religious faith and disconnection from the people gradually rendered them neutralized and ineffective. Of course, among them were noble, motivated, and zealous men, but the collective and organization took a different path. Their deviation harmed the Palestinian issue and continues to do so. They, like some treacherous Arab governments, turned their backs on the ideal of resistance, which has been and remains the only way to save Palestine, and of course, not only to Palestine but also inflicted a severe blow upon themselves. As the Arab Christian poet said:

"If you lose Palestine, your life will be filled with hardships and pains."

Thus, thirty-two years of misery passed in this way... But suddenly, the hand of God's power turned the tide. The victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 (1357 in the Iranian calendar) turned the situation in this region upside down and opened a new page. Among the profound global impacts of this revolution and the severe and deep blows it dealt to the policies of global arrogance, the most rapid and evident blow was to the Zionist regime. The statements of the leaders of that regime during those days are worth reading and reflect their dark and anxious state. In the first weeks of the victory, the embassy of the fake Israeli government in Tehran was closed, and its staff were expelled, and the location was officially given to the Palestine Liberation Organization, which remains there to this day. Our great Imam announced that one of the goals of this revolution was the liberation of Palestine and the elimination of the cancerous tumor of Israel. The powerful waves of this revolution, which at that time engulfed the entire world, carried the message that: Palestine must be freed. The repeated and significant difficulties that the enemies of the Islamic Revolution imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran, one of which was the eight-year war instigated by America and England and supported by reactionary Arab regimes, could not diminish the motivation to defend Palestine from the Islamic Republic.

Thus, fresh blood was infused into the veins of Palestine. Muslim Palestinian Mujahideen emerged. The Lebanese resistance opened a strong and new front against the enemy and its supporters. Palestine, instead of relying on Arab governments and without reaching out to global organizations such as the United Nations—which were accomplices in the crimes of the arrogant governments—relied on itself, on its youth, on its deep Islamic faith, and on its devoted men and women.

This is the key to all victories and successes.

In the past three decades, this trend has progressed and increased day by day. The humiliating defeat of the Zionist regime in Lebanon in 2006 (1385 in the Iranian calendar), its disgraceful failure in Gaza in 2008 (1387 in the Iranian calendar), the retreat from southern Lebanon and withdrawal from Gaza, the establishment of a resistance government in Gaza, and in summary, the transformation of the Palestinian nation from a collection of desperate and hopeless individuals into a hopeful, resilient, and self-confident nation are the prominent characteristics of the last thirty years.

This overall and brief picture will be complete when the treacherous and conciliatory movements aimed at silencing the resistance and extracting confessions from Palestinian groups and Arab governments regarding the legitimacy of Israel are also properly observed.

These movements, which began with the treacherous successor of the unfaithful Gamal Abdel Nasser in the disgraceful Camp David Accords, have always sought to play a role in undermining the steel resolve of the resistance. In the Camp David Accords, for the first time, an Arab government officially recognized the Zionist nature of the Islamic land of Palestine and signed a document that recognized "Israel as the national home of the Jews."

Since then, until the Oslo Accords in 1993 (1372 in the Iranian calendar) and afterward in the supplementary plans that were repeatedly imposed on the weak and uncommitted conciliatory Palestinian groups under the leadership of America and in collaboration with European colonialist countries, the enemy's entire effort has been to divert the Palestinian nation and groups from the option of resistance with empty and deceptive promises and to engage them in clumsy political games. The invalidity of all these treaties became apparent very quickly, and the Zionists and their supporters repeatedly demonstrated that they regard what is written as worthless scraps of paper. The aim of these plans was to create doubt among the Palestinians and to tempt their faithless and worldly individuals and to immobilize the Islamic resistance movement.

The antidote to all these treacherous games has so far been the spirit of resistance in Islamic groups and the Palestinian nation. They stood firm against the enemy with God's permission, and as God has promised: "And indeed, God will support those who support Him. Indeed, God is Powerful and Exalted," they have received divine assistance. The steadfastness of Gaza, despite the complete siege, was divine support; the fall of the treacherous and corrupt regime of Hosni Mubarak was divine support; the emergence of the powerful wave of Islamic awakening in the region is divine support; the exposure of the hypocrisy and deceit of America, England, and France and the increasing aversion of the nations of the region towards them is divine support; the repeated and countless troubles of the Zionist regime, from its internal political, economic, and social problems to its global isolation and public disgust—even in European universities—are all manifestations of divine support.

Today, the Zionist regime is more despised, weaker, and isolated than ever, and its main supporter, America, is more entangled and confused than ever.

Now, the overall and brief picture of Palestine over the past sixty-some years is before us. The future must be shaped by looking at it and learning from it.

Two points must be clarified in advance:

First: Our claim is the liberation of Palestine, not the liberation of part of Palestine. Any plan that seeks to divide Palestine is entirely rejected. The two-state plan, which has been cloaked in the guise of "accepting the Palestinian state as a member of the United Nations," is nothing but yielding to the demands of the Zionists, namely, "accepting the Zionist state in the land of Palestine." This means trampling on the rights of the Palestinian nation, ignoring the historical rights of Palestinian refugees, and even threatening the rights of Palestinians residing in the territories of 1948. It means the continued existence of a cancerous tumor and a permanent threat to the body of the Islamic Ummah, especially the nations of the region. It means repeating the sufferings of decades and trampling on the blood of martyrs.

Any operational plan must be based on the principle: "All of Palestine belongs to all the people of Palestine." Palestine is the Palestine "from the river to the sea," not even an inch less. Of course, this point should not be overlooked that the Palestinian nation, just as they have acted in Gaza, will manage the affairs of any part of Palestinian soil they can liberate through their chosen government, but they will never forget the ultimate goal.

The second point: To achieve this lofty goal, work is necessary, not words; seriousness is necessary, not performative actions; patience and prudence are necessary, not impatient and capricious behaviors. We must look towards distant horizons and step by step, with determination, reliance, and hope, move forward. Muslim governments and nations, resistance groups in Palestine, Lebanon, and other countries can each recognize their role and share in this collective struggle, and with God's permission, fill the table of resistance.

The Islamic Republic's plan for resolving the Palestinian issue and healing this old wound is a clear, logical plan that aligns with the accepted political knowledge of global public opinion, which has been previously detailed. We do not propose a classic war of the armies of Islamic countries, nor do we suggest drowning Jewish immigrants, nor of course, the arbitration of the United Nations and other international organizations. We propose a referendum for the Palestinian nation. The Palestinian nation, like any other nation, has the right to determine its own destiny and choose the governing system of its country. All the original people of Palestine, Muslims, Christians, and Jews—not foreign immigrants—wherever they are; inside Palestine, in camps, and in any other place, should participate in a general and organized referendum to determine the future system of Palestine. That system and government that emerges from it will, after its establishment, determine the fate of non-Palestinian immigrants who have migrated to this country in recent years. This is a fair and logical plan that global public opinion rightly understands and can gain the support of independent nations and governments. Of course, we do not expect the usurping Zionists to easily accept it, and this is where the role of governments, nations, and resistance organizations takes shape and finds meaning. The most important pillar of support for the Palestinian nation is to cut off support for the usurping enemy, and this is the great duty of Islamic governments. Now, after the emergence of nations and their powerful slogans against the Zionist regime, with what logic do Muslim governments continue their relations with the usurping regime? The document of the sincerity of Muslim governments in their support for the Palestinian nation is the severance of open and hidden political and economic relations with that regime. Governments that host embassies or economic offices of the Zionists cannot claim to defend Palestine, and no anti-Zionist slogan from them will be regarded as serious and genuine.

The Islamic resistance organizations that have borne the heavy burden of jihad in recent years are still faced with the same great duty. Their organized resistance is an active arm that can lead the Palestinian nation towards this ultimate goal. The brave resistance of a people whose homes and country have been occupied is recognized and praised in all international covenants. The accusation of terrorism by the political and media networks affiliated with Zionism is a hollow and worthless claim. The clear terrorists are the Zionist regime and its Western supporters; and the Palestinian resistance is a movement against the terrorists and a human and sacred movement.

In this context, Western countries should also view the scene with a realistic perspective. The West today stands at a crossroads. They must either cease their long-standing bullying and recognize the rights of the Palestinian nation and no longer follow the plans of the bullying and inhumane Zionists, or they should expect harder blows in the not-so-distant future. These paralyzing blows are not only the successive fall of governments that obey them in the Islamic region but also the day when the nations of Europe and America realize that their greatest economic, social, and moral troubles stem from the octopus-like domination of international Zionism over their governments, and that their statesmen, for personal and party interests, have submitted and surrendered to the bullying of the parasitic Zionist companies in America and Europe, will create such a hell for them that no escape from it is conceivable.

The President of the United States says that the security of Israel is his red line. What factor has drawn this red line? The interests of the American nation or Obama's personal need for money and support from Zionist companies to secure a second term in the presidency? How long will you be able to deceive your own nation? What will happen when the American nation rightly realizes that you have submitted to humiliation and subservience to the Zionist moneylenders for a few more days in power and sacrificed the interests of a great nation at their feet?

Dear attendees, brothers, and sisters, know that this red line of Obama and his ilk will be broken by the awakened Muslim nations. What threatens the Zionist regime is not Iran's missiles or resistance groups, so that they erect missile shields here and there; the true and incurable threat is the resolute determination of men, women, and youth in Islamic countries who no longer want America and Europe and their puppet agents to govern and dominate them and humiliate them. Of course, those missiles will also fulfill their duty whenever a threat arises from the enemy.

So be patient, for the promise of God is true, and let not those who have no certainty deceive you.

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