In a meeting with Hamas Political Bureau Chief Khaled Mashaal and his accompanying delegation, Ayatollah Khamenei noted that the Palestinian nation’s recent success in ousting Zionist troops from Gaza was a result of their struggles and jihad against the occupier Israeli regime.
“The only way to guarantee the freedom and future of Palestine is to continue with the resistance while maintaining strength and unity and observing the main principles of Islam.”
Referring to the difficult circumstances in occupied Palestine, the Supreme Leader noted, “The experience of the past fifty years has proven that condoning the Zionist occupiers or holding talks with them is of no use and only increases the pressure.
“Today, the enemies of the Palestinian nation are engrossed in their numerous political and economic problems. Yesterday they withdrew from Lebanon, today they have been forced to leave Gaza, and, God willing, tomorrow the Palestinian people and groups will oust them from Beit-ul-Moqaddas.”
He stated that the Intifada has proven that the Palestinian nation is more powerful than the Zionist regime and the United States.
“Despite its apparent power, the U.S. has faced defeat in the Middle East and is now withdrawing,” he said, adding that the Palestinian people and resistance groups should use the current opportunity to continue on their jihadi path with vigilance.
For his part, Mashaal expressed his great appreciation of the approach of the Supreme Leader and the Iranian government in supporting the Palestinians and said that such an attitude reflects the inner feelings of Muslim and Arab nations.
He added that all Muslims take pride in such a brave approach and regretted that other Islamic governments lack the courage to adopt a similar attitude toward the issue.
The Hamas official presented a report on the situation in the occupied territories and the straitened circumstances of the Palestinian people and said, "Despite all the pressure, the Palestinians have become more determined in their struggles, and Hamas will never give up its fundamental strategy, which is resistance.
"We will not be satisfied with anything less than the Zionists’ withdrawal from all of the occupied territories and, as the late Imam Khomeini said, Israel is a deadly tumor which we will never recognize as a state."
Palestinian nation is proud of Iran’s stance against Israel: Mashaal
In a separate meeting with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on Monday night, Mashaal said the Palestinian nation is proud of Iran’s stances against the occupier Israeli regime.
He noted that the continuous resistance against the aggressive moves of the occupiers has led to the liberation of some parts of Palestine.
"U.S. policies have proven to be a failure in dealing with regional problems, most obviously in Iraq, and today regional nations are witnessing a wave of objections and opposition toward U.S. policies in the Middle East and Europe."
He added, "Hamas is committed to restore the natural rights of the Palestinian nation and to liberate all of the occupied territories, including occupied Holy Qods.
"We do not recognize the legitimacy of Israel and are committed to continue with the resistance movement aimed at ending occupation and repatriating all of the refugees."
Ahmadinejad noted that the Palestinian issue is related to the entire Islamic Ummah (community), adding, "We are all obliged to heed our religious and divine responsibilities in offering services to the Palestinian movement.
"The Palestinian movement is not a movement restricted to a particular geographic region but a movement of the entire Islamic Ummah that defines the future fate of Islam, and that is precisely why the enemies of Islam show so much sensitivity toward the Palestine issue."
The president pointed out, "Resistance is the secret for embracing victory, and the main ideal of the Islamic world is the liberation of the entire land of Palestine, the repatriation of all Palestinian refugees to their motherland, and the establishment of a popular political system in Palestine.
"The honor of Islam needs to be upheld, and we should all keep in mind that it is God that grants victory. Therefore, we all need to have full trust in God, and remain pious, since piety is the secret of our victory against our enemies."
He emphasized the need to maintain unity and called on all Palestinian resistance groups to boost their solidarity and to serve the Palestinian cause more effectively.
Larijani: Hamas to restore Palestinians’ rights via democracy
Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani here on Tuesday referred to Hamas as an active group determined to restore the rights of the Palestinian nation through democratic means.
According to Hamas, Palestine belongs to the Palestinian nation, he told IRNA after a meeting with Mashaal.
He stressed that the hegemonic approach of certain countries, in particular the Zionist regime, should be condemned.
Turning to the growing pressure exerted by the Zionists on the Palestinians, he noted, "The Palestinians' continuous resistance can ensure the restoration of their rights."
He said he hoped that moves to uphold the rights of the Palestinian nation would pave the way for further action.
Expressing satisfaction over Mashaal’s visit to Tehran, Larijani said that the latest regional developments as well as issues pertaining to Palestine were high on the agenda of his meeting with the Hamas official.
In response to a question about Zionist officials’ threats against Iran, he said that given that the threats are mostly political propaganda, they should not be taken seriously.
Mashaal told IRNA, "In addition to resistance operations, the Hamas movement is also interested in taking diplomatic measures to restore the rights of the Palestinian nation.
“Such efforts have been successful to some extent.”
On Ahmadinejad’s remarks about the Zionist regime, he said that despite the fact that Western countries have rejected the Iranian president's stance, Muslim states approve of it and take pride in it.
HL/HG
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MNA
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