Ziad Nakhalah and Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran; The Islamic Republic's Efforts for Cohesion Among 'Jihadi' Groups

While Ziad Nakhalah, the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has been in Iran since last week, Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, arrived in Tehran on June 19 leading a delegation. After arriving in Tehran, Haniyeh met with Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic, who recently replaced Ali Shamkhani. In this meeting, Ahmadian referred to ongoing developments in the region, stating: 'The most effective strategy to end over 75 years of occupation is only resistance.' Haniyeh, expressing gratitude to the Islamic Republic for strengthening resistance groups, provided a report on his group's plans to maintain and enhance initiative against Israel. On the other hand, Ziad Nakhalah, who had met with Ali Khamenei in recent days, also met and discussed with Ibrahim Raisi on the evening of June 19. Raisi emphasized that normalizing relations between Israel and Islamic and Arab states would not yield results, stating: 'The Israelis seek to instill despair in Palestinian youth regarding the liberation of their lands through this normalization.' The President of the Islamic Republic added: 'Once, part of the Palestinians' hope for liberation from oppression and occupation was at negotiation tables, but today everyone, even supporters of negotiation, look to the fighters and resistance forces for hope, and this is the fulfillment of the divine promise that the order of creation is not compatible with oppression and falsehood.' Ziad Nakhalah, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also stated in this meeting that 'our nation' appreciates the continuous support of the Islamic Republic, saying: 'Your recent trip to Latin America showed that you have been able to completely defeat U.S. sanctions, and we take pride in these victories.' Nakhalah also gave an interview to the 'Al-Alam' television network, stating: 'In the presence of the commander of the Quds Force in Tehran, we held an important meeting with members of the Hamas movement, and I anticipate more joint meetings with other resistance groups with the presence of Iranian officials in the near future.' Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which are supported by the Islamic Republic, are listed as terrorist groups by the United States. Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians aimed at reducing violence were held in Jordan. A Wall Street Journal report indicated a meeting between the commander of the Quds Force and leaders of militia groups regarding attacks on Israel. The Iranian Foreign Minister met in Doha with Qatari officials and the leader of Hamas; discussions were held regarding the revival of the JCPOA. Both Israel and Hamas declared victory with the establishment of a ceasefire. Palestinian militants launched dozens of rockets towards Israel. A senior commander of Islamic Jihad was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.