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| The supreme leader of Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged
the Palestinians to “continue the resistance” on the ground. (File
Photo: Reuters) |
The supreme leader of Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
urged the Palestinians to “continue the resistance” on the ground and
“breakaway from the consequences of the Oslo Accords.” He also
encouraged Palestinians to manage what he described as “internal
differences,” before they turn into domestic conflict and confrontation,
in a statement that echoed a threat.
Khamenei’s
assertion came during a conference organized by Tehran under the slogan
‘Supporting the Palestinian Intifada,’ which was attended by the
representatives of a number of Palestinian groups, and in the absence of
a delegate of the Palestinian Authority, the legitimate representative
of the Palestinian people.
In contrast,
the newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat quoted an official source in the
Palestinian Authority who warned against the use of Palestinians as “a
fuel for other wars”, in response to the calling of the Secretary
General of the ‘Islamic Jihad Movement’ in the Tehran conference on
Tuesday to “unite fronts against Israel in Gaza and Lebanon.”
It
seems that Iran is trying to re-use the Palestinian card to book a
place in the area and draw away from the eyes of the world, especially
in terms of its interventions in many countries in the region and its
direct role in destabilizing these countries, specifically Syria, Iraq
and Yemen.
Observers are wondering about
the motives and the role of Iran in the region. The reactions in the
press today about the words of the Khamenei during the ‘Supporting the
Palestinian Intifada’ conference carried many questions, especially
about the timing, because every once in a while Iran tries to escape the
regional pressure by advocating the Palestinian cause.
Among
the most prominent points referred to by Khamenei, is when he noted
that “any group that leaves the banner of resistance, will certainly
pave the way for another group from the Palestinian people to carry the
flag.”
Khamenei also stressed that “any
group that maintains its presence in the path of resistance is an ally
to Iran, and anybody that distances itself from the struggle is
consequently moving away from Iran.”
In
reference to what was described as Iran’s exploitation of the
Palestinian cause, Khamenei sharply argued that the numerous crises in
the region are behind the decline of support for the Palestinian cause
and the liberation of Jerusalem.
It is
important to mention that in recent years, Iran’s relations with the
Palestinian resistance groups have suffered, because of Iran’s role in
Syria, Iraq, Yemen and in many other places in the region.
source: Al arabiya
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