In the midst of an uptick in violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, thousands of people rallied in support of the Palestinian cause on Friday in Iran and many other Arab nations in honor of Jerusalem Day.
In recent weeks, there have been violent assaults and skirmishes throughout Israel, in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, as well as across international borders between Israeli troops and terrorists in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Syria.
The protests in Iran take place on the final Friday of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, and have done so every year since the Islamic revolution of 1979.
Demonstrators in Tehran screamed, “Death to Israel and to America,” while carrying Palestinian, Iranian, and Hezbollah banners, as well as US and Israeli flags that were burned.
Similar protests were held in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, in Beirut, the city of Baalbek, and Palestinian refugee camps in Syria and Lebanon, according to journalists.
Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, spoke to the organization’s tens of thousands of adherents there.
The statement made by Sinwar was, “I say to the leaders of Arab and Islamic countries that condemnations are no longer sufficient.”
The normalization process must halt, the embassies must be shut, and assistance for the Palestinian people’s resistance must be provided.
‘Supporting the Resistance’
Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran, talked to Gaza through video hookup.
Let everyone know that we will continue to back the opposition without any hesitation, he stated.
Large numbers attended Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, with the Jordanian Waqf Islamic Affairs Council reporting attendance of 250,000 and the Israeli police reporting 130,000, respectively.
An AFP photographer reported that afterward, masked youths waved the flags of Hamas and its armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. Israeli police said they had arrested eight people.
Rallies were held in significant Iranian urban areas including Tabriz, Hamedan, Yazd, Bandar Abbas and Abadan, pictures broadcast on state TV showed.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stated, “The Palestinians are actively confronting Israeli aggression from Gaza to the heart of Tel Aviv.”
He added, “Palestinians were fighting with stones yesterday, and now they hit Israel with rockets.”
The death in custody in September of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was arrested for allegedly violating strict dress codes, sparked months of unrest in Iran. The pro-Palestinian rallies are the latest manifestation of this unrest.
Tehran has blamed unfamiliar enemies including Israel for instigating the fights.
“We have seen tricks by adversaries lately,” Ghalibaf told the group in Tehran. ” They would have had their dreams if not for God’s grace and our nation’s intelligence.”
He went on to say, “It shows we must act now with greater focus and attempt to eliminate our weak points,” specifically referring to Iran‘s economy, which has been harmed by years of sanctions.
“Today, the main battle of all authorities is against significant expenses, since it is a flimsy spot took advantage of by the foe,” Ghalibaf said.
– ‘We Are Coming’ –
In Baghdad, where favorable to Tehran parties are in power, two or three hundred individuals walked.
One sign said, “God willing, the end of Israel will be in the years to come.”
Palestinian fighters waved Iranian, Palestinian, and Syrian flags as they passed through the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk in Syria.
“Jerusalem, we are coming,” they recited.
Palestinian groups paraded through the Hezbollah stronghold of the Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp in Lebanon.
“Palestine, the Palestinian people, and the holy sites in Palestine will not be abandoned by us.” In a statement that was broadcast on television, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah stated, “This is our faith and our commitment.”
