Speech at the Meeting with Participants in the International Conference in Support of the Islamic Revolution of the Palestinian People

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

Thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings upon Muhammad and his pure family.

First, I extend a warm welcome to all the esteemed guests of this conference and hope that your gathering will lead to significant and decisive outcomes regarding the issue of Palestine.

The issue of Palestine is one of the great tragedies of contemporary human society. Anyone who has a sense of humanity and human rights and claims to support the oppressed must take a stance on this issue and consider it their own. It could be said that the issue and tragedy of Palestine is among the rare events in history. As far as we know and understand, such an event of this magnitude concerning a nation is rare in history.

Whatever human tragedies you can imagine are encompassed in the tragedy and issue of Palestine: the killing of innocent lives, the displacement and homelessness of people, torture, suffering, imprisonment, exile, and the like, the insult to human dignity, the destruction of the human capital of a group of people, oppression, and the denial of the right to act. All these tragedies, which if they occurred in any corner of the world to a group of people, would wound and grieve humanity, have happened in the case of Palestine over the past forty-five years.

Those who claim to support human rights, if they are truthful, must speak of the rights of the Palestinian people. Which nation do you know that in the past forty-five years has suffered as much as the Palestinian nation, has endured such tragedies, lost its loved ones, and had its rights ignored? How is it that if one of these tragedies occurs to a group of people somewhere in the world, some claim to be compassionate and concerned for human rights, they stand up, speak, and take action; yet they ignore all these tragedies that have befallen the Palestinian people?

The great conspiracy is that in the case of Palestine, the truth has been distorted. The one who acts for the issue of Palestine—meaning for their home, their human and national rights—is labeled a terrorist in the eyes of the global arrogance's media and the propaganda apparatuses affiliated with arrogance and Zionism! The great tragedy is that these calamities are brought upon a nation with the acceptance and approval of the so-called civilized world! The so-called civilized world, the so-called human rights advocates, stand with those who have ignored all these human, divine, and legitimate rights of a nation.

The Zionists came and usurped the homes of the Palestinians; they deprived them of their most basic rights; they established a state against them in their land; and today the so-called civilized world—America and the arrogant loudspeakers—stand with the apparatus that has committed these injustices over the past forty-five years instead of siding with the oppressed nation! Truly, what tragedy is greater than this? We know of no oppression of this magnitude. To oppress a nation with such vastness, and then if that nation out of necessity takes action, to crush that action as terrorism and violence! Today, the state of global arrogance's politics is such. Today, the apparatuses of wealth and power in the world have joined hands to violate the rights of the Palestinian nation; they try to completely ignore the human aspect of this issue; rather, they try to portray it in reverse.

Those who feel compassion for Palestine feel compassion for hundreds of thousands and millions of people deprived of human rights. Those who oppose the presence of the usurping Zionist state in Palestinian homeland feel compassion for humanity, for grieving mothers, and for faithful youth; they feel compassion for people whose demand is to return our home to us, do not take our homeland from us, do not oppress us so much in our own home. Is this demand unjust? Is this demand tyranny and violence? If someone in this world fights to revive their national rights, is that an unjust struggle? We ask those who today say they want to find a just solution to the issue of Palestine, what is this just solution? To whom does Palestine belong? Other than belonging to the Palestinians?

Can you deprive a nation of its most basic right—the right to have its own land—by changing its name? Can you create a false nationality called Israeli nationality through propaganda? Is such a thing acceptable? Is such a thing fair? Is such a thing just? The issue is beyond these; the issue is that the world of arrogance needs the land of Palestine as the heart of the Islamic world's geography to crush Islam, to put Islamic nations under pressure, and to prevent the Islamic movement.

The state of Israel in this location is the representative of the presence of arrogance to secure the interests of arrogance in this region; this is the issue. Are sound and unbiased people willing to be deceived by the false and malicious propaganda of arrogance regarding Palestine? Today, the camp of arrogance stands to violate the great right of the Palestinian nation and the Islamic nations. Do Islamic nations have the right to sit and watch the violation of the rights of a Muslim nation and their own rights?

The solution to the issue of Palestine is a clear solution. Those who are deceived by the idea of negotiating with the enemy—meaning with the usurper—are deceiving themselves. They want to deceive the nations; but the nations are not deceived. The solution to the issue of Palestine is not to sit and talk with the usurping Israel of Palestine. Those who want peace in this region, if they return the homes of the Palestinians to them, peace will be established. Why have you gathered people with various nationalities—Russian, British, American, African, Asian, from India and other parts of the world here—to expel people from their homes? If you want peace, peace is for those who belong to other countries to return to their homes and give Palestine to the Palestinians.

Palestine belongs to the Palestinians. If the people of the land of Palestine form a government within Palestine—in all of Palestine, without division—peace will be established. If you are truthful, and if you do not have a conspiracy against the Palestinian nation and the Islamic nations and against Islam, this is the solution. But if you do not want to implement this solution, the camp of arrogance should know that with these meetings and decisions they arrange, the issue of Palestine will not be resolved; the Palestinian struggles will not be silenced, and should not be.

Israel has proven that it understands nothing but the language of force. It cannot be addressed except with the power of a nation and the power of an Islamic community worldwide. You are the representatives of Islamic nations. You are the representatives of the Palestinian people, the representatives of parliaments, and the representatives of nations gathered here; decide for Palestine. The decision must be the rescue of Palestine, and nothing else; and this has only one path, and that path is the one recognized and pursued by the elements of the sacred Intifada of Palestine; the path of struggle within the Palestinian territories; this is the remedy and nothing else.

You are one-fourth of the world's population. Muslims have the greatest tools of power at their disposal. Today the world needs your oil. Today the world needs your vital and life-giving region. Why should America be able to impose anything on you? Do not tolerate it, do not accept it. These are not slogans; these are realities that if we strive and sincerely confront this great divine and human duty, they are achievable and practicable.

Today, a group of Muslims, self-sacrificing, the chosen ones of the Palestinian nation, from old and young, men and women, are fighting in the sacred lands of Palestine; help them; this is the way. Helping Palestine means helping those who are fighting. Helping Palestine does not mean helping the compromising elements who do not care for Palestine but care for their personal interests. The organization that is acceptable and the true representative of the Palestinian people is the one that fights for the Palestinian cause; not the organization that goes and sells the Palestinian cause to the enemy and makes deals over it!

Muslim nations must move and feel their duty. What I think should be said today and what we must do, I have stated in the statement; I am also saying now: Islamic nations must, in any way they can, deliver their various aids to those people who are fighting inside Palestine; this is a religious, divine, and human duty.

If you Muslims retreat today, know that the enemy will advance one step—a never-ending enemy—Israel will advance one step; America, which is the enemy of the Islamic world, will advance one step. If you retreat, they will advance. The enmity between them and you, the Islamic community, will not end. The arrogant demands of arrogance are endless.

You must make a decisive move and a definite decision here. This gathering in Tehran can be a blessed gathering. The matter is in your hands; make decisions. Parliaments should sit and decide on the fate of Palestine and demand it from the governments. Intellectuals and writers should write and awaken public opinion. Students and youth should be ready to loudly announce the demands of the nations.

The Iranian nation is ready. We are ready to the extent of our ability and power to fulfill this duty; we also endure the enmity of arrogance. Do not threaten us for supporting Palestine and the Palestinian Intifada and the uprising of the Palestinian people; this support is our duty; we will do it and we fear no threat. Since the revolution, we have been immediately exposed to the threats of arrogance; and by the grace of God and by the divine power, arrogance has not been able to do anything. We will continue to fulfill our duty.

I ask you, esteemed gentlemen and dear brothers, to take this gathering very seriously and strive to reach a decision in your meetings. Mere gathering, mere sitting and talking, is not enough; you must decide, return with a decision, and implement that decision; then you will see that what seems like a deadlock will be opened. In the face of the will of Muslim nations, there is no deadlock.

I ask Almighty God for your dear brothers' success. I sincerely thank the Islamic Consultative Assembly for organizing this great work and creating this gathering. I ask all officials and the entire Iranian nation to express their support for this assembly, this movement, and the uprising of the Palestinian people in any way they can.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings