Iran press/Middle East: Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), addressing a conference held in the Gaza Strip via a video link said on Thursday: “The deal of century will be defeated at the hands of the resisting people of Palestine.”
Shamkhani said the plan aims at “complete elimination of Palestine”. The event, which was held in Gaza City in the coastal enclave on Thursday night, was attended by the leadership of Palestinian resistance groups. Attending the conference were Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of Hamas resistance movement, Yahya Sinwar, the Palestinian resistance movement’s leader in Gaza, and Ziyad al-Nakhaleh, the leader of the Islamic Jihad resistance group. Other senior leaders of Palestinian resistance groups also attended.
In further remarks, Ali Shamkhani said: "Using the so-called Deal of the Century Washington is trying to abuse the ignorance, laxity, and the treacherous nature of some of its vassal states to permanently do away with the issues of the Palestinian refugees’ return [to their homeland] and formation of an independent Palestinian state.”
The conference was held on Thursday in the run-up to World Quds Day.
The late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini ((RA)), designated the last Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadhan as Intarnational Quds Day in honour of the Palestinian cause. Every year, the occasion witnesses million-strong pro-Palestinian rallies in cities and towns across the world by those who heed the call.
The day was so named, Shamkhani said, as a token of support for anti-Israeli resistance until the ultimate liberation of the entirety of the occupied Palestinian territories.
Iran stands with all oppressed nations
Shamkhani added: "Iran stands with all the nations that resist oppressors. The late Imam Khomeini (RA) said: As long as there is oppression in the world, there is struggle too. And as long as there is struggle, we stand up too."
He added: "In line with the viewpoint of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, we once again in the Islamic Republic insist on supporting the resistance, especially in occupied Palestine, and will not cease this support despite all the hardships, political pressures and economic sanctions, as the Islamic Republic considers supporting the resistance fighters a religious obligation."
The Iranian official then highlighted how the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979 was followed by creation of resistance movements that defeated Israel in all their confrontations with the regime, liberating Gaza and southern Lebanon. He saluted the Islamic resistance fighters.
Resistance will continue until occupation ends
Also at the conference, the leader of Hamas Movement in the Gaza Strip, Yehya al-Sinwar, said the US-devised "deal of the century" will not go ahead.
He also asserted that the Palestinian resistance front will not abandon the Palestinian cause, including liberation of all Israeli-occupied territories, most notably the holy city of al-Quds, the first Qibla (or direction of prayer) of Muslims.
“We will not sell out al-Quds …We believe liberation of al-Quds will come soon,” al-Sinwar noted.
Yehya al-Sinwar urged all Muslims to participate in International Quds Day rallies on Friday, and thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for its support for the Palestinians.
The leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziyad Al-Nakhaleh, also addressed the conference, warning the Israeli regime against resorting to renewed military aggression against the enclave.
He said the resistance will be targeting Tel Aviv if the regime attacks the Gaza Strip, adding: “We will target Israel with more missiles if a new war erupts. In every battle, we will impose a new equation on enemy.”
Nakhaleh asserted the Palestinians’ rejection of all US plots targeting the Palestinian cause, adding that Palestinians are all united in the cause of thwarting American conspiracies.
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