Restoration of Relations between Iran and Palestinian Islamic Jihad

On Sunday, May 1, Ayatollah Khamenei met with Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, and his accompanying delegation. According to Asr Iran news website, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that the ongoing war in the region is a continuation of the war that began against the Islamic Republic thirty-seven years ago, stating: "In this confrontation, the Palestinian issue is the main and central issue, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to fulfill its duty of supporting Palestine as it has from the beginning." Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei on international affairs, also met with Ramadan Abdullah Shallah on Sunday. The Islamic Republic as a 'Factor of Peace and Stability' According to the information newspaper, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad stated in a meeting with Ali Akbar Velayati that unfortunately, there is a lack of sensitivity in the Arab world towards Palestine and its oppressed people, saying: "Arab countries have made every effort to portray Iran as the main enemy, even aligning with the enemies of Islam, which is regrettable, while the Islamic Republic is considered a factor of peace and stability in the region." He thanked the senior officials of the Islamic Republic and criticized the Arab countries' indifference to the Palestinians, praising Iran's role by stating: "If the Islamic Republic did not exist, it is unclear what would have happened to the Islamic and Palestinian countries." Ramadan Abdullah Shallah further described Israel as the only enemy of Islam, stating that this country seeks to erase the name of Palestine from memory and direct everyone towards enmity with Iran, but we are aware of this conspiracy and feel a duty to preserve and support Iran, ensuring that the path of struggle against the 'Zionist regime' is not diverted. In this meeting, Mohammad Javad Zarif called the Palestinian issue the foremost issue of the Islamic world, adding: "Any action that diminishes the primary issue of the Islamic world and the threat of the Zionist regime is unacceptable." Ali Akbar Velayati also emphasized the Islamic Republic's support for the 'oppressed Palestinian people and the oppressed nations of the region,' stating that Western efforts to fragment the Islamic world and the fall of Jerusalem will not succeed, and the Islamic Republic will resolutely fight against the enemies of Islam. Background of Islamic Jihad In the late 1970s, two Palestinian students in Egypt named Fathi Shiqaqi and Abdul Aziz Awda, who were members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, founded the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as an independent organization. Fathi Shiqaqi, significantly influenced by the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the thoughts of Ayatollah Khomeini, wrote a book titled 'Khomeini: An Islamic Solution and Alternative.' He was allegedly assassinated by Mossad agents in October 1995 in Malta, after which Ramadan Abdullah Shallah took over the leadership of Islamic Jihad. Ideology and Goals The Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a paramilitary organization whose goal is to eliminate Israel through armed struggle and establish a country named Palestine with an Islamic government. This movement is considered small and marginal compared to other Palestinian organizations and holds much more radical positions than Hamas, refusing to participate in the political process of Palestine, unlike Fatah and Hamas. Islamic Jihad views the Arab-Israeli conflict as ideological rather than territorial; it does not accept the Oslo Accords and rejects the peaceful coexistence of Palestine and Israel as neighboring states; in this regard, it not only does not recognize the Palestinian Authority but even calls for its dissolution. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority has accepted to establish a Palestinian state within the geographical boundaries post-1967, which constitutes 22% of historical Palestine, relinquishing the rest of the lands. Mahmoud Abbas, the head of this authority, accepts the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel and recently stated, according to the Palestine Today website, that 'recognizing Israel and normalizing relations with it is intended in the Arab Peace Initiative, and no one can deny it... We must strive for peace... and it is easy for Palestinians and Israelis to live peacefully and stably in two states side by side.' The Arab Peace Initiative, approved by the Arab League in 2002, offers Israel peace in exchange for returning to the pre-1967 borders. Militarily, Islamic Jihad's operations resemble guerrilla warfare, utilizing small strike groups and independent cells of five or six members for operations. Over the years, it has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including 30 suicide bombings. The military wing of Islamic Jihad is called the Al-Quds Brigades, which operates in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with an estimated 12,000 active members. The United States, European Union countries, Japan, Canada, and Israel consider Islamic Jihad a terrorist group. Islamic Jihad, which operated in Egypt until 1981, moved to Gaza after the assassination of Anwar Sadat, the then-President of Egypt, and was exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where it established close relations with Hezbollah, benefiting from logistical and training support from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In 1989, the organization's office was opened in the suburbs of Damascus, and small groups of its members continued their activities in southern Lebanon alongside Hezbollah. Causes of the Crisis in Relations and Efforts for Reconstruction The Islamic Republic is a traditional supporter and ally of Islamic Jihad, and Ramadan Abdullah Shallah's visit aims to coordinate and exchange views as well as receive financial assistance. The Secretary-General of Islamic Jihad, during a trip to Tehran in October 2014, following the 50-day battle between Israel and Gaza (Operation Protective Edge - the deadliest operation since the second Intifada), emphasized the continuation of the resistance front's struggle against Israel while appreciating the material and spiritual support of the Islamic Republic for the Palestinian people. However, after this visit, relations between the Islamic Republic and Palestinian Islamic Jihad cooled, leading to a halt in Tehran's financial assistance to the organization, forcing it to seek other financial sources and supporters in Arab countries, including Algeria. Although some analysts linked the cessation of Tehran's assistance to Islamic Jihad to financial problems stemming from international sanctions related to the nuclear issue and rising costs for Iran in the region, there were other reasons for this approach towards Islamic Jihad. The position of Islamic Jihad regarding the overall regional conflicts and its commitment to neutrality was one of the main reasons for the deterioration of this movement's relationship with the Islamic Republic. Regarding the Syrian civil war, Ramadan Abdullah Shallah stated, according to Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, that he has no connection to the ongoing conflicts in Syria and that Islamic Jihad remains neutral regarding the Syrian crisis, providing no assistance to either side against the other. Similarly, the Islamic Jihad organization refrained from issuing a statement in support of the Houthis and condemning Saudi Arabia's aggression against Yemen, which was requested by the Islamic Republic. Hamas also holds a similar position that contradicts the Islamic Republic's stance and regional policies. Therefore, the Islamic Republic has turned to forming new groups that are entirely dependent and aligned with its positions, such as the 'Saberin Movement' in Gaza. Nevertheless, Ramadan Abdullah Shallah's recent visit and his meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei indicate that the period of crisis in relations between the Islamic Republic and Palestinian Islamic Jihad has ended, and it is likely that relations will return to normal in the near future. Sources from Islamic Jihad are optimistic about the improvement of these relations, which have resulted from months of dialogue, and according to Western media reports, the Islamic Republic has begun to provide financial assistance to Islamic Jihad on a much smaller scale than before and with certain preconditions, and it is also attempting to mediate and resolve differences between Islamic Jihad and its splinter group, the Saberin Movement, to unify them under a single leadership. Islamic Jihad faces conflicting challenges. As a Sunni movement, it is dissatisfied with the Islamic Republic's policies in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, and while committed to neutrality regarding regional crises, it wishes to benefit from Iran's assistance and maintain a close relationship with it.