Assessment of Khamenei's Latest Remarks on the Palestinian Issue

"Gamal Abdel Nasser used to shout that we will throw the Jews into the sea. But we have never said such things from the very beginning. We announced a plan from the start, stating that democracy is a modern method accepted by the whole world; we said to refer to the Palestinian people for determining the fate of historic Palestine. This plan has been registered at the United Nations as the opinion of the Islamic Republic." This is part of the remarks made by Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, regarding Israel during a meeting on Sunday evening, June 20, with professors and researchers from universities. Ayatollah Khamenei added in another part of his remarks: "We have always said that to determine the type of government in historic Palestine, we must refer to public opinion based on a method accepted by the whole world and consult all real Palestinians, whether Muslim, Jewish, or Christian, who have been in this land for at least 80 years—both inside and outside the occupied territories—through a referendum." In the beginning of a conversation with Saeed Barzin, a political analyst in London, I asked if there was anything new in the leader's latest remarks. He said this is not a new statement and cannot be very effective in the current circumstances. According to Saeed Barzin, what Iran can do to reduce tensions with Israel involves multiple actions, from simple steps like eliminating anti-Israeli slogans in Friday prayers to opening informal and unofficial dialogues with this country.