Khamenei: Any Palestinian Group That Strays from Resistance Is Straying from Us

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, on Tuesday, March 3, at a conference in Tehran in support of the "Palestinian Intifada," once again described Israel as a "cancerous tumor" and "fake," warning without naming any group that any group straying from the "path of resistance" in Palestine is straying from the Islamic Republic. He stated that "the depth of the Islamic Republic's relationship with resistance groups is only related to their adherence to the principle of resistance, and any group that remains steadfast on this path is with us, and any group that deviates from this path is distanced from us." In his speech, Khamenei again referred to Israel as a "cancerous tumor," a "fake entity," and a "dirty page of history" that, according to him, was formed by a "trans-regional conspiracy," but will be "cleansed" from the pages of history. In recent years, the U.S., the United Nations, and the European Union have strongly condemned the harsh verbal attacks of Iranian leaders against the existence of the state of Israel. Khamenei, at the opening ceremony of the "Sixth International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Intifada" in Tehran, organized by the Islamic Republic, said: "If a group lays down the flag of resistance, surely another group will emerge from the Palestinian nation and will take that flag." Khamenei did not mention any specific group in his remarks. According to the state news agency IRNA, notable foreign participants at this conference included Nabih Berri, the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Sheikh Naeem Qassem, the Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, members of "Palestinian jihadist groups," and the "Palestinian resistance movement." The leader of the Islamic Republic emphasized the need for "Palestinian resistance groups to avoid entering ethnic and religious disputes and internal conflicts of countries," adding, "All Islamic and national movements must serve the Palestinian cause." He identified the "goal of the seditions and imposed internal wars in the region as the dimming of support for the Palestinian issue and the sacred cause of the liberation of Al-Quds." Khamenei's reference could be to the internal wars in Syria and Yemen and conflicts in Iraq and Libya. In this context, some regional countries and Western nations accuse Iran of interfering in the affairs of Syria and Yemen. Meanwhile, Tehran, rejecting these accusations, accuses some Arab governments, including Saudi Arabia, of interfering in these countries' affairs. He also accused Israel's supporters of being "behind the existing seditions" and expressed regret over the "internal wars" imposed on the nations of the region by "the complex plots of the enemy" that have "pitted them against each other," stating that this has "diminished the efforts of the well-wishers of the Islamic Ummah." The leader of the Islamic Republic pointed to the "emergence of signs of the decline of the Zionist regime and the weakness prevailing over its main allies, especially the U.S.," adding: "It is observed that gradually, the global atmosphere is leaning towards confronting the hostile, illegal, and inhumane actions of the Zionist regime." Khamenei also accused the U.S. and some Western governments of supporting Israel's policies against Palestinians, including "the seizure of their lands and the construction of settlements on them." This accusation comes at a time when the U.S. and Western countries have consistently criticized Israel's settlement policy in the West Bank, and during this context, the Obama administration went so far as to not veto a resolution criticizing Israel, contrary to the long-standing policy of the United States. The leader of the Islamic Republic also criticized the "peace plans with the Zionist regime," stating: "The problem with the peace process is not only that it legitimizes the usurping regime by conceding the rights of a nation, which is a grave and unforgivable mistake, but the problem is that it fundamentally bears no relation to the current conditions of the Palestinian issue and does not take into account the expansionist, oppressive, and greedy characteristics of the Zionists." He spoke of "peace plans" at a time when the international community has always emphasized the need for dialogue between Israel and Palestinians and a two-state solution. The "Sixth International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Intifada" was held on Tuesday morning with the participation of the leader of the Islamic Republic, heads of the three branches of government, the Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the army, ministers, and representatives of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. The closing ceremony of this conference will be held on Wednesday, March 4, and on Thursday, March 5, Palestinian parliaments, parties, and groups will also hold a session, which "NGOs and popular institutions supporting Palestine" will also participate in this meeting. According to news agencies, this conference, chaired by Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Parliament, has 700 foreign guests from 80 countries in attendance. In this regard, according to Tasnim news agency, Kazem Jalali, the spokesperson for this conference, said on Saturday, February 18, that "delegations and groups aligned with and supportive of the Palestinian Intifada and the axis of resistance from all geographical areas around the world have been invited to this conference, and so far 80 delegations and countries have accepted our invitation, and their presence at this sixth conference is confirmed." He did not mention the names of the Palestinian groups participating in this conference. The previous five conferences on Palestine were held in the years 1980, 1990, 1985, 1987, and 1990 after the approval of the "Law in Support of the Islamic Revolution of the Palestinian People" on May 8, 1990, in Tehran.