Political Desk - IRAN DAILY
Arab states seeking to curb Israeli crimes or improve the region’s situation through normalizing ties with it have failed to understand the true nature of the Zionist regime, said a former Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman.
Ramin Mehmanparast made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Iran Daily, commenting on International Quds Day and its importance, as well as the issue of Palestine.
International Quds Day is a legacy of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, in support of the oppressed Palestinian people.
Ever since the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and at Imam Khomeini’s order, the last Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan has been marked with rallies across Iran and the world to condemn Israeli crimes and voice support for the oppressed people of Palestine.
After two years of commemorating the day in a different format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring people marching in their cars on the streets, on Friday, Iranians marked the occasion in its normal form, while observing health protocols, by staging nationwide rallies on foot.
What follows is the full text of the interview with Mehmanparast, who has served as Iran’s ambassador to Poland, Kazakhstan and Thailand:
IRAN DAILY: To what extent has Imam Khomeini’s initiative helped keep the Palestinian cause and efforts to achieve it alive and provide support for the oppressed people of Palestine?
MEHMANPARAST: To answer this question, it is plausible to take a look at the Palestinian people’s situation before and after Imam Khomeini’s designation of the day. Imam Khomeini’s initiative has helped spark a huge wave of support in defense of the oppressed people of Palestine in different countries. Although the initiative failed to become a prevailing trend in some countries, it has raised global awareness of the situation of Palestinians. Under the present circumstances, in which communications are of great importance, shaping public opinion and giving direction to it can play a determining role in the adoption of policies by different countries.
International Quds Day has helped attract global attention to the Palestinian issue. The Islamic Republic has put forward its proposals for the resolution of the issue and, along with such efforts, has been the founder of International Quds Day.
In stark contrast to Iran’s initiative, some regional Arab countries have adopted the strategy of normalizing ties with the Zionist regime. Is such a policy capable of achieving any breakthrough for the Palestinian people, or the same states that are implementing it?
Some Arab states may think that through normalizing relations with Israel, they can control the regime’s crimes or change the region’s situation, and replace peace and security with conflict and tension. However, their main mistake is that they have failed to understand the Zionist regime’s true nature. The regime has an aggressive nature, due to which violating human rights and the massacre of Palestinians is natural and normal for it. Some Arab states’ moves to normalize ties with Israel have been out of lack of understanding of the regime’s nature. If such an approach had any achievement, it would be in Israel’s favor, not that of the Palestinians, or even the regional Arab countries. Israel feels that it has managed to defeat regional resistance against its excessive demands through signing the normalization deals and, thus, considers them a success in its bid to increase its influence in the region. Normalization of relations with the Zionists can lead to bad consequences in the future.
By adopting the approach, the Arab states’ rulers are obeying the conditions set for them by the Zionists instead of working out an effective and permanent solution capable of improving the Palestinians’ situation and ensuring real peace and security. These states will definitely have to grapple with the problems resulting from the wrong policy.
What is the message of the peoples’ participation in Friday’s International Quds Day rallies?
The main message is that the people of the world have not forgotten the oppressed Palestinian Muslims. The International Quds Day rallies are a prominent symbol that mobilizes people across the globe and echoes their protests against the violation of Palestinian people’s rights. Nevertheless, other programs with political, social and cultural dimensions must be designed and held throughout the year to further increase global awareness of the oppressed Palestinian people’s situation and help defend their trampled rights.
No comments:
Post a Comment