Address by the President of Iran in Support of The Palestinian Intifadah

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Speech

The Address by the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
To the International Conference in Support of
The Palestinian Intifadah
Tehran, April 24, 2001

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Venerable Speakers of Parliaments,
Respectable Members of Legislative Assemblies,
Distinguished Scholars and Researchers,
Cherished Freedom Fighters and Revolutionaries,
Honorable Guests,

At the onset, I would like to cordially welcome you to this country in the name of our ancient devoted nation and express my deepest gratitude for the convention of this conference in dispensation of our obligation, yet in appearance very limited, towards the immortal, heroic, and oppressed nation of Palestine.

Palestine should not be regarded as the mere name of a country, but as the quintessence of the history, civilization and culture. Quds has been the cradle of social interaction, and the exchange of dialogues between different cultures and religions throughout history. Al Aqsa, has not only been the first Quiblah of the Ummah and the Ascension precincts for the Almighty's elect servant to the heavens, but it has also been the sanctuary for monotheism:

Glory to Allah who did take His servant for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque (Al Aqsa) whose precincts we did bless - in order that we might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who hearth and seeth (all things). (Holy Quran)

Thanks to Him for having bestowed this land and our determined nation with the blessing of profound love and true discernment for every freedom-loving individual nations and peoples. Palestine evokes to our mind the notions of "man's emancipation and his hope". Wherever there arises the talk of great suffering and .hardship, the blood-stained banner of Palestine heralds the unswerving resistance and final victory, testifying the blessedness of this freedom-loving culture and nation in the world today.

The call of Al Quds resounds through times and history as the fount of empathy and co-existence among the earliest religions and cultures. One should wholeheartedly answer to this call against the whimsical policies of racism and violence that have turned this sacred land, the first Quiblah, into thc bloodletting arena.

Honorable Guests,

Polities is an instrument for the realization of the nights and the attainment of the truth. Therefore, allow me to draw your attention to the ways and means of reinstating the long neglected and trampled rights of the Palestinian nation.

Which surreptitious hand(s) have turned this cradle of civility and serenity into the hell of weapons of mass destruction, insecurity, and violence? How has this old traditional everlasting seat of peaceful coexistence among Jews, Christians, and Muslims plunged into the mire of national chauvinism and racism as practiced by the Zionist regime? And how has this regime changed into an oppressive usurper both out-rightly threatening regional peace and critically endangering the human rights and respect?

What lies at the root of these debilitating military moves and political conflicts in the region is the ominous phenomenon of Zionism. Zionism is not an ideology. It is, in fact. a systematic method of pursuing self-interest and imposing discriminatory measures upon the world and man in the world politics and community. Definitely, Zionism is not based on the spirit of the blessed teachings of the holy Prophet Moses (PBUH) and of the freedom-loving Jews; surely it is far from the norms of world politics, diplomatic relations, and human rights.

As a parasite, Zionism is founded on the fallacious concepts of superiority, transgressing human rights. These concepts have not only given rise to a state that recognizes no bounds in the practice of violence and brutality against other people but also totally trespassed all human rights. Israel is actually the expression of Zionist pugnacity and beastliness. It is the Pandora Box of disrespect for all truth and human rights and dignity.

We believe that no man, wherever he may be. should be deprived of his rights, tortured or suppressed. Nor should a nation be trampled under the jackboot of oppression. It is this divine principle that bestows meaning to human life. It is this motivating force that invokes everyone to stand in defense against the usurped rights of the Palestinian people. The oppressed people of Palestine, whether those who dwell in that blood-stained holy land or those who continue to bear the burden of hardship of displacement worldwide, are, all in all, the victims of Zionist discrimination and aggression. Such a struggle for the restoration of the rights of Palestinians is truly justified and certainly deserves an all-out support and assistance.

To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged - and verily. Allah is Most Powerful for their aid. (holy Quran)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The world is in dire need of peace and tranquility. Surly no peace, in any form it may be, can be sustained without meeting people's demand, respecting and advocating justice, and observing human dignity. Therefore, it stands to no doubt that no peace can be materialized in the Middle East unless the legitimate rights of the Palestinians are duly restored. The restoration of a sustainable regional peace entails the right of displaced Palestinians to return to their homeland; the right of self--determination; the right of liberating all the occupied territories; the right to establish an independent free state; the right of enjoying a tranquil secure life; and the right of the Muslims to peaceful co-existence with all Palestinian Christians and Jews.

We should all realize that the cause of the current insecurity and inviable peace in the region is due to the racist nature of the regime persistently denying the recognition of the basic individual and social rights of the Palestinian people.

Today all Muslims as well as the other .societies in the world community have no other options but to stand in defense for the rights of the Palestinians, should they desire to attain a sustainable global peace, security, and civility for the mankind. The fact that for five decades these rights have been continually suspended and intentionally compromised and ignored by certain colluding parties, does by no means imply that we should either overlook or compromise them. One cannot be oblivion of the rights of the Palestinians and acquiesce in the violation of their rights as a diplomatic norm and practice in the international arena.

Honorable Delegates,
Distinguished Guests,

It is in this light that Intifadah, the revolutionary movement of the heroic people of Palestine, must be recognized and supported. What we are witnessing in the historical holy land of Palestine today is the manifestation of the political consciousness and the great determination of a people who are resolved to regain their basic unquestionable human rights, though certain great world powers, including the United States, seriously oppose it.

The Palestinian people have opted for the revolutionary path of Intifadah, having become despondent of tyrannical treatment and the ever-compromising peace process initiated by some of their leaders.

It is in this new perspective that the oppressed nation of Palestine and especially the youth and the teens have resorted to the stories of the holy-land for their defense. The epic movement of Intifadah epitomizes hope mid true belief in the final triumph of the Palestinian warriors against the dominance of suppression and violence. Intifadah is a yardstick for the assessment of one's belief and claims. Whoever cherishes liberty, has faith in upholding social justice and believes in defending, human rights and dignity will certainly support Intifadah. The occupation of the Palestinian territory, the suppression of the Palestinian people and the heroic resistance of the Palestinian men and women have always been one of the profound concerns of the Muslims and the freedom-loving nations of our world today.

The question of Palestine is not confined to the support of the world governments. In fact, it also encompasses the ordinary people, the popular institutions. thinkers. and academia of all the Muslims and freedom-loving nations of the world.

One of the ideals of the Muslims is the realization of justice and freedom in Palestine as a means of nourishing the pillars of their own unity and solidarity. Based on this ideal the Organization of the Islamic Conference assumed its shape and the Islamic world gained its potential power. We must try to recognize and fully exploit these the potentials.

From the wee days of the Islamic Revolution of Iran to the time of its victory and post-victory era and to this date. our nation has been highly concerned with the fate of Palestine and Palestinian people. The cherished motto "Iran Today. Palestine Tomorrow" was the rallying cry of the extolled martyrs of Iran and one of the greatest mottoes inscribed in the banner of the Islamic Revolution led by the Late Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Revolution and father of Islamic Republic of Iran. This motto manifests the lofty place that the question of Palestine and the ideal of restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people have always occupied the minds of our people.

Allow me once again to draw your attention to the basic solution to the crisis of the Middle East and the way of throwing our full support behind Intifadah and the people of Palestine for the restoration of peace and tranquility in the region. The great leader of the Islamic Revolution is especially concerned with the fate of Palestine and the epic resistance of the Lebanese against the aggression of the Zionist regime. And I as the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran once again would also like to reiterate what I stated as the solution to the crisis at the Doha Summit Conference of OIC. The major points that I would like to touch on are as follows:

1. The return of all the displaced Palestinians to their ancestral homeland in the occupied Palestine;

2. Referendum on the issue of the future political system of the country among the people of Palestine whether Muslims, Christians. or Jews.

3. Establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with its seat of government at the holy city of Quds, according to the wishes of the people of that country.

4. The independent state of Palestine will have full authority to decide on the current status of its inhabitants.

Distinguished Delegations,
Venerable Guests,

The epic of the resistance of the southern Lebanon put an end to the myth of invincibility of the Zionist regime. It opened up a new perspective for the struggle and victory of the Palestinian people. It is a duty for all of us now to fulfill our obligation towards this heroic nation at this juncture of their movement. That is why I have placed my hope on the common endeavors of all the governments, parliaments, non-government organizations in the Islamic countries and I wish to ask them to combine their efforts for the attainment of the following objectives:

1. Outright condemnation of the organized crime of the Zionist regime against Palestinians as an open contradiction of all Islamic principles, human norms, and international law and those of the covenants of human rights based on the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention.

2. The enforcement of an all-round economic sanction against Israel by Islamic countries.

3. Creation of a comprehensive mechanism for the support of Intifadah in Palestine as the legitimate resistance against occupation and suppression.

4. Endeavors towards the establishment of a war tribunal for the occupied Palestine entity at the United Nations.

5. Diplomatic coordination of all the Islamic countries for the formation of an impartial fact-finding commission for the investigation of the tragedy of the ongoing onslaught in the occupied Palestine.

6. Prevention of any form of economic blockade of the Palestinian People.

7.Initiation of the establishment of the state of Palestine with its capital at the holy city of Quds as a preliminary measure towards the creation of national sovereignty for the Palestinians in their homeland.

Certainly an y step taken in this direction is also an essential measure towards the establishment of peace, freedom and justice in the world and contribution towards the development and the prosperity of Palestinian people and the proud land of Palestine. I pray to Almighty Allah for the success in your endeavors in this regard.

Thank you.

[End]

Imam Khamenei's message to the pilgrims