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Today, the world is counting one by one every victim of the coronavirus across the globe, but nobody has asked who is responsible for the hundreds of thousands of martyrdoms, imprisonments and disappearances in countries where America and Europe have waged wars. Who is responsible for all the unlawful bloodshed in Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Syria and other countries? Who is responsible for all these crimes and for the occupation, destruction and oppression in Palestine? Why didn’t anyone count the millions of oppressed children, women and men in the world of Islam? Why doesn’t anyone extend their condolences for the mass murder of Muslims? Why should millions of Palestinians spend 70 years away from their homes and in exile? And why should Holy Quds, the first Qiblah of Muslims, be desecrated? The so-called United Nations is not fulfilling its function and the so-called human rights organizations are dead. The slogan of defending the rights of women and children excludes Yemeni and Palestinian women and children.
This is the current condition of the oppressive Western powers and dependent global organizations. The disgrace of certain regional governments that follow them is beyond words.
Therefore, a proud and pious Muslim society must rely on itself and its internal forces. It must raise its powerful hand and remove obstacles by relying on and trusting in God.
4- The important point that must not be ignored by the political and military elites of the Islamic world is that the policy of America and the Zionists is to transfer conflicts to behind the frontlines of the front of resistance. Starting civil wars in Syria, the military siege and constant killings in Yemen, the assassinations, the destruction, the creation of the Daesh in Iraq and other similar things in some other countries in the region are all machinations to divert the attention of the resistance front and to provide opportunities for the Zionist regime. Some Muslim politicians knowingly, and some others unknowingly, have contributed to these machinations of the enemy. The main way to prevent these machinations is for the proud youth throughout the world of Islam to seriously make this demand. Young people in all Islamic countries, particularly in Arab countries, must pay attention to this advice from Imam Khomeini, “Vent all your shouts on America” and of course, on the Zionist enemy.
5- The policy of normalizing the presence of the Zionist regime in the region is one of the main policies of the United States of America. Certain Arab governments in the region, which act as America’s minions, have been preparing the ground for this normalization by establishing economic ties and other such things. These efforts are completely vain and futile. The Zionist regime is a deadly, cancerous growth and a detriment to this region. It will undoubtedly be uprooted and destroyed. Then, the shame will fall on those who put their facilities at the service of this policy of the arrogant powers. To justify this disgraceful behavior, some people argue that the Zionist regime is a reality that the region must come to terms with. They forget that it is necessary to fight and destroy fatal and harmful realities. Today the coronavirus is a reality and yet all wise people agree that it is necessary to fight it. Undoubtedly, the long-lasting virus of Zionism will not last much longer, and it will be uprooted thanks to the determination, faith and pride of the youth.
6- My main advice is to continue this struggle and to better organize the organizations for Jihad work, their cooperation and to expand the areas of Jihad inside Palestinian territories. Everyone must assist the Palestinian nation in this holy struggle. Everyone must contribute to the Palestinian fighters and stand behind them. We will proudly do everything in our power on this path. One day we came to the conclusion that the Palestinian fighters had piety, pride and courage and their only problem was that they had no weapons in their hands. With divine guidance and assistance, we planned and the result was that the balance of power was transformed in Palestine, and today Gaza can stand against the aggression of the Zionist enemy and defeat it.
This change in the equation in the occupied lands will bring the issue of Palestine closer to the final steps. The Palestinian Authority has a great responsibility in this regard. One cannot communicate with a savage enemy except through force and from a position of power. Thankfully, the ground has been prepared for the brave and resistant people of Palestine to gain this power. Today, the Palestinian youth are yearning to defend their dignity.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been a proof for everyone. The world has not forgotten and will not forget the day when the Zionist army broke through the Lebanese borders and marched till Beirut or the day when a criminal murderer by the name of Ariel Sharon caused a bloodbath in Sabra and Shatila. It has not forgotten and will not forget the day when the same army pounded by Hezbollah had no choice but to retreat from the borders of Lebanon and beg for a truce after sustaining heavy casualties and admitting defeat. This is what full hands and a position of power means. Now let that European government, which should be eternally ashamed for selling chemical agents to the regime of Saddam Hussein, designate the devoted Hezbollah as illegal. Illegal is a regime like America that creates Daesh and a regime like that European government whose chemical agents caused the death of thousands in the city of Baneh in Iran and the city of Halabja in Iraq.
7- My final word is that Palestine belongs to the Palestinians; therefore, it should be run as they wish. The referendum – with the participation of all Palestinian religions and ethnicities, this is what we have been suggesting for almost two decades – is the only solution for the challenges which Palestine is facing at the present time and in the future. This plan shows that the Western accusations of anti-Semitism which have been repeated time and time again are completely unfounded. On the basis of this plan, Jewish, Christian and Muslim Palestinians will determine together the political system of their country by participating in a referendum. That which should definitely go is the Zionist regime, since Zionism is a bizarre innovation which has been planted in Judaism and is totally alien to that religion.
I would like to close this speech by remembering the martyrs of Quds, including Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, Fathi Shaqaqi, Sayyid Abbas al-Musawi, Martyr Soleimani, the great Muslim commander and the unforgettable face of resistance, and also the great Iraqi Mujahid Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. I extend my greetings to the soul of the great Imam Khomeini who opened the path of dignity and Jihad for us. I also ask Allah the Exalted to bestow His mercy on our late brother, Hussein Sheikh al-Islam who for years worked diligently on this path.
May Allah’s greetings and mercy be upon you.

 

A passenger plane belonging to state-run Pakistan International Airlines crashed near the southern port city of Karachi on Friday, killing all 107 passengers and crew, the city›s mayor said.
The aircraft crashed into a crowded neighborhood on the edge of the airport. Mayor Wasim Akhtar said at least five or six houses were destroyed in the crash, AP reported.
The aircraft arriving from the eastern city of Lahore was carrying 99 passengers and eight crew members, said Abdul Sattar Kokhar, spokesman for the country›s civil aviation authority.
The civil aviation authority said the pilot called in a mayday saying that he had lost an engine. He was attempting to land when the plane crashed.
Witnesses said the Airbus A320 appeared to attempt to land two or three times before crashing in a residential area near Jinnah International Airport. The residential area on the edge of the airport known as Model Colony is a poor area and heavily congested.
A resident of the area, Abdul Rahman, said he saw the aircraft circle at least three times, appearing to try to land before it crashed into several houses.
Police and military cordoned off the area.
Pakistan›s Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted: “Shocked & saddened by the PIA crash. . . Immediate inquiry will be instituted. Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased.»
Local television reports showed smoke coming from the direction of the airport and video emerging of the aircraft flying low over a residential area seemed showed apparent flames shooting from one of the engines. Ambulances were on their way to the airport and there were reports of some injuries among residents on the ground.
Airbus did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the crash. The flight typically takes an hour and a half from the northeastern city of Lahore, the capital of Pakistan›s most populous province, Punjab, to Karachi.
 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned Israel’s continued violence and crimes against the Palestinian people, describing the regime as “a human killing machine by nature”.
“The Zionist Israeli regime is a human killing machine by nature taking the lives of #Palestinians indiscriminately. 20-year-old Rouzan al-Najjar was a Gazan volunteer first aid responder who was shot & killed in 2018. The merciless Israeli forces shot her deliberately,” the ministry said in a tweet on Friday on the occasion of International Quds Day, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Al-Najjar, a volunteer with the Gaza Health Ministry, was fatally shot in the chest in 2018 while treating injured Gaza protesters in a medical staff uniform.

Western propaganda

Also on Thursday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif downplayed a recent spate of propaganda by Western media about a poster that appeared on the website of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, proposing a “referendum” as the best way to end Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and the final solution to the issue of Palestine, Press TV reported.
Since the publication of the said poster on Ayatollah Khamenei’s website on Wednesday, some Zionist-sponsored international media have been trying to draw an analogy between the term “the final solution” on that poster and the Nazi idea of extermination of Jews during World War II.
Some Western and Zionist officials also moved fast to come up with such baseless charges, most prominent among them being US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who went as far as threatening Iran with destruction.
Taking to his official Twitter account on Thursday, Zarif reacted to those unfounded accusations by describing them as “disgusting,” and adding that the final solution pointed to by Ayatollah Khamenei was a fair referendum to be taken by all original peoples of Palestine regardless of their ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“Disgusting that those whose civilization found a ‘Final Solution’ in gas chambers attack those who seek a real solution at the ballot box, through a REFERENDUM,” Zarif said, re-sharing the poster.
He further asked, “Why are US and West so afraid of democracy?” asserting, “Palestinians should not have to pay for your crimes, or for your guilt.”
The top diplomat was apparently referring to attempts by the West to make up for the alleged war crimes against Jews by trying to prop up and keep the Israeli regime on the map of the world at the expense of Palestinians’ rights.

‘Stunning captivity’

In reaction to the unfounded accusations, also the Foreign Ministry spokesman on Friday lashed out at Europe for its “stunning captivity” to the Israeli lobby groups and its failure to stop Tel Aviv from violating international law.
“Stunning is Europe’s captivity by the Zionist lobby,” Seyyed Abbas Mousavi tweeted on Friday.
The spokesman said Europe has historically failed to stop the Zionist regime’s violation of international law including its suppression of Palestinians and its annexation of lands, committed in the name of ensuring Israel’s security.
“Why afraid of a ‘referendum’ in Palestine as a lasting solution?” he asked.

Against ‘disaster’ of Zionism

The representative of the Jewish community in the Iranian Parliament has called on the world’s Jews to rise up against and denounce a disaster named “Zionism,” just as Muslim people rise up against figures such as Osama bin Laden, who take advantage of religion.
“The Zionist regime seeks to take advantage of the Jewish religion, and is not committed to any of its principles,” Siamak Moreh Sedgh noted.
“Therefore, it is both a humanitarian and a religious duty for all Jewish people across the world to stand up to this regime,” the lawmaker added.
Millions of people are participating in worldwide events marking International Quds Day, which this year revolves around the online #COVID1948 campaign to raise awareness about the plight of the Palestinian people at a time when public opinion stands preoccupied with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Since a historical decree by the founder of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan activists have expressed their solidarity with the people of Palestine. This year, however, annual demonstrations were called off due to the coronavirus.


 

A number of US Senate Democrats led by Senator Chris Murphy, Tim Kaine and Chris Van Hollen expressed grave concern regarding unilateral annexation of Palestinian territory potentially as early as July, saying they would not support such a move which would critically endanger prospects for a negotiated and lasting peace.
In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday, 18 Senate Democrats warned that such a move would mark a dramatic reversal of decades of shared understandings between the United States, Israel, the Palestinians and the international community, and would impact Israel’s future, placing its security and democracy at risk, murphy.senate.gov reported. 
A deep commitment to Israel’s security and a shared set of democratic values are foundational elements of the close relationship between the US and Israel, they wrote.
“We are therefore concerned that unilateral annexation puts both Israel’s security and democracy at risk. Annexation would betray our shared democratic values by denying Palestinians’ right to self-determination in a viable, sovereign, independent and contiguous state. It could bring an end to Palestinian security cooperation with Israel, directly threatening the security of the Israeli people, and endanger Israel’s crucial peace agreement with Jordan,” the senators wrote.
The senators concluded: “As friends and supporters of Israel, we caution you against taking unilateral steps that would fray our unique bonds, imperil Israel’s future and place out of reach the prospect of a lasting peace. If you move forward with unilateral annexation, we would not support that action. This is consistent with long-standing American policy opposing unilateral actions by either party to the conflict. Pursuit of a viable, negotiated two-state solution is essential to ensuring our shared democratic values and lasting bipartisan support for Israel in Congress.”
Joining Murphy, Kaine and Van Hollen were Senators Brian Schatz, Patrick Leahy, Dick Durbin, Sherrod Brown, Tammy Baldwin, Tom Udall, Jeff Merkley, Ed Markey, Martin Heinrich, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jeanne Shaheen, Tammy Duckworth, Tom Carper, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.
In a speech late Tuesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared an end to security cooperation with Israel and the United States, citing the imminent threat of Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank.
Abbas said the annexation plans showed Israel was no longer abiding by peace accords between the two.
A genuine end to security coordination could jeopardize the relative calm in the West Bank, where 2.7 million Palestinians and more than 400,000 Israeli settlers live.
Israel controls all access to the territory where Abbas’s government is based.
The declaration came as international opposition to the Israeli plans of annexations in the occupied West Bank grows.
US Democratic presumed presidential nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday became the latest high-profile figure to oppose Netanyahu’s plan to apply Israeli sovereignty to settlements and the strategic Jordan Valley, which makes up around 30 percent of the West Bank.