All to come together for Palestine in Jeddah
Successful example of diplomacy by Raisi’s government
Saeed Reza Delshakib
International affairs expert
The forces and fighters in the Palestinian arena are not only the instruments but also the most important avenue of hope for the Palestinian people to escape the oppression of the occupying regime of Jerusalem and to secure their rights. Therefore, the Palestinian people always preserve and protect their fighters as the most precious gems, sacrificing their wealth and lives for their well-being. Over the past 75 years, the Palestinian people have experienced numerous events similar to the Al-Aqsa Storm, and every time they have faced pressure to leave their land, they have not only been unwilling to abandon their fighters but have also never allowed the tragedy of Youm al-Nakba, which led to the displacement of more than 800,000 Palestinians in 1948, to be repeated in the 21st century.
The developments of 2008, during the 22-day war and the total siege of Gaza with the aim of forced displacement or incitement of public opinion in Gaza, are a clear example of this claim. However, neither at that time nor even after 16 years and the imposition of four more wars, the people are still not willing to withdraw their support for their fighters. While the Palestinian people hold their fighters in high regard, it is the duty of Islamic governments to simultaneously protect the field and the fighters and the people from the occupation regime of Jerusalem.
Iran’s regional diplomacy in support of
Palestinian people, fighters
As a result of the earthquake caused by the Al-Aqsa Storm against the foundations of the Zionist regime and the massacre of the people of Gaza by this regime, regional and multi-faceted diplomacy by the Islamic Republic of Iran began with a periodic visit to Iraq last Friday by Hossein Amirabdollahian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, following his presence in Lebanon, Syria, Lebanon again, and Qatar.
In this four-day visit, more than 70 hours of meetings, bilateral talks, press conferences, and media interviews with more than 10 political, security, and military officials of the mentioned countries took place, along with prominent figures of the Arab world and resistance media. The most significant figures in terms of their influence on this process were meetings with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, and Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas.
Prior to the commencement of the trip, opposition media outlets, with the aim of preventing the potential effects of this diplomacy or reducing its impact on public opinion, spread false news about the return of the plane carrying the Iranian Foreign Minister from the Syrian sky. However, the first stop of Amirabdollahian’s trip was not Syria but Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. While in the fabricated news, the plane carrying the Minister, it was stated that it was a Mahan Airlines plane, the Minister had just conducted interviews with reporters minutes before boarding the Mahan Airlines plane. Accurate and timely reporting by domestic media of this event demonstrated that the time, place, and subject of the trip had been well chosen.
Nevertheless, the trip began with the warm welcome of Qasim al-Araji, the National Security Advisor of Iraq, to the Iranian Foreign Minister and continued with intensive meetings with him in Iraq. It then continued with a meeting with Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani, the Prime Minister, and discussions with Fuad Hussein, the Foreign Minister. The trip concluded with paying respects to the shrines of the victorious martyrs (Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis).
All options on the table for
resistance leaders
he activation of Iranian regional diplomacy in favor of the Palestinian people and its fighters, which had begun with the negotiations of the President and the Foreign Minister’s trip, influenced the regional environment. It particularly impacted the minds of the people in the region, especially the Iraqi people, due to the bloody events in Gaza and the crimes of the Zionist regime. The organization of a massive gathering of Iraqis in support of Palestinian resistance portrayed a unique scene of solidarity between the Iraqi people and the Palestinian people, as reported by the media.
The positioning of Iraqi resistance elements and the warning to the Zionist regime were among the other consequences of mobilizing public support for Operation Al-Aqsa in this country, igniting hope in the hearts of Palestinian resistance and the people of Gaza.
The next stop of the Foreign Minister’s trip was Lebanon. At Rafic Hariri Airport, several Palestinian leaders, along with high-ranking officials of the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, welcomed him. Amirabdollahian’s first meeting in Lebanon was with Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah in Lebanon. In a press conference after the meeting with Najib Mikati, the Prime Minister, and Abdallah Bou Habib, the Foreign Minister of Lebanon, AmirAbdollahian mentioned a point that turned into a headline in both Lebanese and non-Lebanese media. He stated, ‘In the meeting with Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, I realized that the spirit of the fighters is very high, and all possibilities are on the table. He warned that we should use this political opportunity to stop the crimes of the Zionist regime, or else it might be too late.’
A special meeting with the leaders of Palestinian groups, including Ziyad al-Nakhalah, the Secretary-General of Islamic Jihad, and Saleh Al-Arouri, the second-in-command of Hamas, was the most important meeting of Amirabdollahian after the meeting with Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah. In this meeting, he was informed about the latest developments related to Operation Al-Aqsa and declared Iran’s strong support for Palestinian resistance.
Simultaneous with the Foreign Minister’s trip to Lebanon and his meetings and discussions with political, security, and military officials, as well as resistance groups, Tor Wennesland, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, also came to the Iranian Embassy and met with the Iranian Foreign Minister to discuss the developments in Gaza.
The presence of Iran’s Foreign Minister and the activation of Iran’s regional diplomacy to expose Israel’s crimes, in addition to Lebanese officials, engaged the people of this country, especially Shiites and Christians. It led to a massive gathering at the Assembly of Imam Hasan Mojtaba (peace be upon him) in the southern suburbs of Beirut in support of the Palestinians. In that gathering, Sheikh Naim Qassem, the Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, delivered a speech and declared that the Lebanese people would never remain silent in the face of Israel’s crimes and were not afraid of American warships.
Syria, another link in the resistance chain, which had faced attacks by Israeli fighter jets on its two airports before the start of Amirabdollahian’s trip, was the next destination. Despite all the obstacles, the Foreign Minister was insistent on this trip. In this trip, conducted by land, two warm meetings were held with Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, and Faisal Mekdad, the Foreign Minister of Syria, in an intimate atmosphere, where both sides emphasized their readiness to support the people of Palestine. The trip concluded with a visit to the holy shrine of the three-year-old daughter of the Chief of Martyrs, Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), in Damascus.
Amirabdollahian, in a press conference with his Syrian counterpart, announced intensive negotiations to finalize decisions for holding an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). After Syria, the next destination was Doha, Qatar, where the main headquarters of the leaders of the Hamas movement is located. The trip to Doha on Saturday evening was done by passing through the skies of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. An immediate meeting between the Iranian Foreign Minister and the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar was held at the residence of the Qatari Prime Minister, where intensive negotiations on how to support the people of Gaza against Israel’s crimes and the possibility of prosecuting Israeli criminals in international courts took place. The reception of the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar of Iran’s initiative in organizing an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was one of the prominent positions of the Qatari Prime Minister.
OIC foreign ministers meeting
Possibly the most significant part of AmirAbdollahian’s trip to Qatar before meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was the meeting and conversation with Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, at his residence in Doha. This part of the trip is considered crucial in the flawless execution of Operation Al-Aqsa and the work of its affiliated movement, an operation that the Supreme Leader described as an earthquake that shook the foundations of the Zionist regime. While the details of this meeting were not reported by the media, Khalil al-Hayya, a senior member of Hamas’ political office who attended the meeting, described it as very important and stated, ‘We informed the Iranian Foreign Minister of more details about Operation Al-Aqsa and the scenarios ahead for the resistance against Israel. We expressed our heartfelt gratitude for Iran’s support for the Palestinian people.’
The periodic trip of Iran’s Foreign Minister to four countries, aimed at mobilizing all political capacities to stop Israel’s crimes in Gaza, ultimately concluded on Sunday afternoon with a meeting between him and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar. Both sides emphasized the importance of activating diplomacy to halt Israel’s crimes.
In conclusion of this trip, the Foreign Minister of the Thirteenth Government, before departing for Tehran, addressed the reporters and summed up his journey. He stated: ‘For the pursuit of the violation of Palestinian rights and the cessation of the aggressions by the occupying regime in Jerusalem, a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states is scheduled to be held this Wednesday in Jeddah. If the Zionist regime does not halt its crimes, there is a will among Islamic governments to convene a summit.’
Amirabdollahian’s periodic trip took place as the President of Iran engaged in multiple discussions with leaders of Islamic countries and resistance leaders. He had a 45-minute conversation with Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, among others. President Ebrahim Raisi also became the first Iranian President to contact Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, and expressed his condolences and solidarity regarding the martyrs of Gaza.
In this way, with the holding of the OIC foreign ministers’ meeting scheduled for this Wednesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which has been confirmed thanks to the diplomatic efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the process of Iran’s active and revolutionary diplomacy has paved the way for action. Inshallah, it will continue until the end of the crimes of the Zionist regime against the people of Gaza. This initiative demonstrated that by timely connecting diplomacy with the field, one can make the most of the capacities of both.