Iran Holds Extraordinary Meeting on Palestine: Resistance Axis in Attendance

By: Hana Saada

The Fourth Extraordinary Meeting of Permanent Committee on Palestine at the (PUIC) started the activities of a seminar, in the Iranian Capital Tehran on Monday.

The meeting is held under the title “El Quds… A Symbol of Unity and Victory” with the participation of delegations from 15 Islamic countries, namely; Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Morocco, Qatar, Turkey, Palestine, Burkina Faso and Comoros.

The representative of the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” in Tehran, Khaled Qaddumi, and the representative of the Islamic Jihad, Nasser Abu Sharif, also were in attendance.

Regarding the meeting’s agenda, the Iranian Parliament’s Assistant Speaker for International Affairs, Amir Abdollahian, said that the aim of this meeting is to address means to use the Parliamentary capabilities to support the Palestinian cause and put an immediate end to the Zionist aggression and atrocities against the armless Palestinian people.

A range of issues, including solidarity for the oppressed Palestinian people, defense of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the crimes of the Zionist apartheid regime and its genocide against the Palestinian, setting up an international judicial system to prosecute the Zionist criminals, and the launch of a call for Islamic countries to reconstruct the Gaza Strip were on the agenda.

At the outset, and in his inaugural speech, Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) speaker congratulated the Palestinians, the Islamic Ummah and the oppressed people worldwide on the victory of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, condemning the crimes committed by the Zionist occupation.

To this end, he called upon Muslim countries to adopt policies with a view to ending the Zionist Entity’s apartheid policy and genocidal crimes committed against Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

 “I hope this important meeting will achieve all its lofty goals to support and defend the realization of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian nation … and come up with basic solutions to end oppression, crime, genocide, apartheid, racial cleansing of the Zionists against Palestinians,” he said.

He emphasized that “all those who believe in God and justice are duty-bound to support the resistance of the Palestinian people in their strong battle against the occupying aggressors and offer them any support in order to help them restore their absolute rights.”

“Beyond belonging to a specific religion, sect and ethnicity, the Palestinian issue is an international issue and support for the oppressed Palestinians in the face of aggression and crimes by the Zionist occupiers is a global responsibility,” the top Iranian parliamentarian said.

He added that “resistance of the Palestinian people once again proved that the Zionist regime only understands the language of force,” noting that the “indescribable” struggle of the Palestinian fighters has shattered Tel Aviv’s alleged invincibility.

“The Zionist regime’s weakness and expected annihilation have been more obvious than ever before,” he pointed out.

For his part, the Secretary-General of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) took the floor, stressing that the Islamic parliaments should take effective measures in full support of the Palestinian people which, in recent days, underwent a barbaric aggression on the part of the Zionist entity, mainly targeting the defenseless civilians, harming the sanctity and integrity of the holy place of El Quds and kicking the Palestinians out from their homes and lands in the Holy City.

The Algerian Council of the Nation (upper house of Parliament), for its part, reiterated through its delegation attending the extraordinary meeting Algeria’s firm and unswerving stand over the Palestinian cause, the Council said in a statement.

The president of the parliamentary group of the National Democratic Rally (RND) in the Council, Ali Djerba reaffirmed, in his address, at the meeting the “inalienable right of the Palestinian people” to establish their independent state with El Quds as its capital, adding that ” This is a position expressed by the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune before the 75th session of the UN General Assembly and on national and international occasions “.

“The unified position adopted by the State, the people, the parliament and the Algerian government is in perfect synergy and remains immutable in all circumstances”, he added.

Mr Djerba recalled that “Algeria condemns, energetically, the aggression and attacks carried out by the Zionist occupation against the occupied Palestinian people and their sacred places, denouncing, in the strongest terms, the flagrant violation of international legality”.

 In this vein, the Algerian official stressed that “the just Palestinian cause, like any cause of decolonization worldwide, is the only yardstick to measure the credibility of the international community and its noble endeavor to achieve the goals of sustainable development, consecrate peace, and strengthen security and support legality and justice”.

And to add: “what is happening in occupied Palestine is a war crime, nevertheless neither a follow-up is ensured, nor any sanction imposed due to the dysfunction of the credibility barometer”, calling for “a comprehensive review of positions and policies and a serious reassessment of approaches, alliances and pressure mechanisms and an exploitation of available diplomatic mechanisms, considering that the Palestinian cause is a national interest for Algeria  that does not obey any calculation or consideration and will be constantly present in the activities of regional and international associations and parliamentary bodies “.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he reaffirmed, moreover, the importance of “overcoming the internal and multiple conflicts and contributing to the union of the Palestinian ranks”, citing, in this sense, “the experience of Algeria with colonialism and its glorious Revolution which triumphed thanks to the unity of ranks and sacrifices “.

A delegation from the Syrian People’s Assembly took part in this meeting, headed by the Assembly’s Deputy Speaker Mohammad Akram al-Ajlani and it included Maysa Saleh, Secretary of the Assembly, and Mohammad Yahya Sheikho, Public Relations Official at the Assembly. The meeting was attended by Syria’s Ambassador in Tehran Dr. Shafiq Dayoub.

Tunisian member of Parliament, for his turn, appreciated the initiative taken by the Iranian Parliament in holding the 4th Extraordinary Meeting of Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) Standing Committee on Palestine, while pointing out that people of Tunisia, like the noble nation of Iran, is sensitive to the issue of Palestine and emphasizes on the formation of a Palestinian government with the capital of holy Al-Quds.

Communiqué Adopted by the Fourth Extraordinary Meeting of the PUIC Palestine Committee

In the Name of God the Compassionate the Merciful

Al Qods: Symbol of Unity and Victory

In response to the kind invitation extended by H.E. Dr. Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Fourth Extraordinary Meeting of the PUIC Palestine Committee was held in the presence of a number of their Excellencies the Members of the Committee as well as a number of representatives of PUIC Member Parliaments, in Tehran, on Monday 12 Shawwal 1442H, corresponding to 24 May 2021, in order to discuss the outrageous Israeli aggressions on the Palestinian people in the various parts of the occupied Palestinian territories, and its recent military aggression:

Proceeding from the principles and objectives enshrined in the PUIC Statute and the OIC Charter,

Based on all the resolutions adopted by Islamic Summit Conferences and the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, as well as the resolutions of the PUIC Conferences on the cause of Palestine and the City of Al Quds,

Sensing the historic, moral and legal responsibility of the Islamic Ummah for the cause of Palestine and Al Quds Al Sharif,

Affirming the centrality of the Palestinian cause and Al Quds relative to the Islamic Ummah, Stressing the importance of the city of Al Quds considered as the eternal capital of the State of Palestine, cradle of Islam’s third holiest sanctuary, thus constituting a red line which cannot be transgressed,

Stressing also that resistance, in all its forms, is a legitimate right until the Palestinian people regain their inalienable rights, primarily the right to return, the right to establish the Palestinian State on the land of Palestine with Al Quds city as its capital, 

Having Reviewed the recent developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Al Quds Al Sharif, specifically the escalation of the aggressions launched by the occupation forces and the extremist Israeli settlers against Al Aqsa Mosque /the Noble sanctuary; the forced evictions of Palestinian families from their houses in the occupied Al Quds; the killing and wounding of civilians; the barbaric aggression on Gaza Strip by using all the means of lethal military aggression on the unarmed Palestinian civilian citizens leading to the death and injury of hundreds of people and the wide-scale destruction of civilian structures causing a lot of suffering, and constituting a direct threat to regional and international security and peace,

Congratulating   all the proud Palestinian People, on their victory over the aggression, and for teaching the Zionist entity a new lesson that renders a failure all its wrong calculations:

1.  Affirms that Al Quds Al Sharif and the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque, , Islam’s First Qibla and third Holiest sanctuary, is a red line for the Islamic Ummah and that there would be no security or stability unless it is totally liberated from occupation, and returned to the cradle of its Palestinian people and the Islamic Ummah.  Calls on the States of Member Parliaments to enhance collective and individual efforts and rally to the defence of Al Quds, and its sanctities; and to stand up to Israel’s crimes; and provide support to the Palestinian people; as well as to provide the necessities for steadfastness in the face of the savage Israeli aggressions. Requests them to to excute the OIC and PUIC resolutions on the Palestinian cause, considering it the central cause of the Islamic Ummah.
2. Hails the steadfastness of the sons of the Palestinian people on their land, and for their historic stand in the face of aggression and occupation as well as their epic defence of their legitimate rights, and their resistance of attempts to cancel, eliminate and disperse them by the Israeli racist colonialist regime.
3. Expresses intense rage and vehement indignation of the Islamic Ummah vis-à-vis the barbaric aggression on the steadfast Palestinian people. Condemns in the strongest terms the savage aggressions waged by Israel, the occupying power, on the Palestinian people, their land and sanctities.
4. Affirms that Israel’s actions in Palestine such as demolishing houses, confiscating lands and the willful murdering of women, children and the elderly, as well as targeting health, social and cultural facilities are considered as criminal actions and a manifestation of State Terrorism.
5. Expresses its concern in a special way about the acceleration of the tempo of the Israeli colonialist policy of the Palestinian territories, specifically the threat to forcefully and illegally evacuate hundreds of Palestinian families from their houses in the occupied  Al Quds Al Sharif by force, including families in Sheikh Jarrah and Salwan Neighborhoods which are facing imminent eviction by organized groups of extremist colonizers supported and assisted by the Israeli occupation authorities in collaboration with the racist courts. Affirms the necessity of the immediate halting of all these illegal policies and practices which contradict the commitments of the occupation according to the UN Charter, the 4^th Geneva Convention and the International Law of Human rights, and the relevant UN resolutions. Calls for confronting these illegal measures at all levels, and taking fast and effective regional and international measures to face them.
6.   Warns especially of the serious effects resulting from Israel’s repeated and deliberate inflaming of religious sensitivities and provocation of the sentiments of the Palestinian people and the entire Islamic Ummah, through the escalation of its attacks on the worshippers, specifically those which commenced as of the beginning of the past blessed Month of Ramadan, and obstructing access of worshippers  to the holy sites to perform their religious rites, including access of Muslims to Al Aqsa Mosque, and access of Christians to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during the celebrations of Easter, and the violent storming of Al Aqsa Mosque /the Noble Sanctuary by the forces of occupation, as well as terrorizing and attacking peaceful worshippers, considered as a blatant violation of the principles of the Humanitarian International Law.   
7. Demands putting an end to all the violations committed by Israel, the occupying power, including its disrespect for Islamic and Christian sanctities, specifically the inviolability of Al Aqsa Mosque /the Noble Sanctuary.  Demands also not to harm its historical and legal status, and stresses that Israel is an occupying force and has no legitimate rights whatsoever in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the City of Al Quds, Al Aqsa Mosque /the Noble Sanctuary, and that all measures which harm their status are nil and void and without any legal effect.
8. Holds  Israel, the occupying force, fully responsible, for the deterioration of the situation due to its systematic crimes against the Palestinian people in all the occupied Palestinian territories, specifically the wide-ranging barbaric aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip, where the recent aggression alone saw the fall of tens of martyrs and the wounding of hundreds, large scale destruction of properties, of the basic infrastructure due to the barbaric military offensives by the occupation authority. Stresses the necessity of providing international protection for the Palestinian people according to the international criteria of the Humanitarian Law.
9. Reiterates its rejectionand condemnation of the continuing Israeli settlement colonization of the occupied Palestinian territories. Affirms that all these settlement actions constitute grave violations of the International Law, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, for which the occupation must be held accountable as well as boycotting its colonization system on which sanctions must be imposed.   
10. Affirms that the occupation forces are acting to establish a racist regime that practices ethnic cleansing and all kinds of racial segregation, and requests the PUIC Member Parliaments to enact legislations that classify the Zionist entity regime as a racist regime pursuant to its treatment of the Palestinian people, therefore the international community must treat it as it had treated the eliminated segregated system in South Africa.
11. Affirms the support of the resistance of the Palestinian people against the Zionist entity, in all its forms, especially the resistance of the steadfast Palestinian people in the face of Zionist aggression, considered as a legitimate right until the national rights of the Palestinian people are realized; affirms also that the action of the Palestinians is an exercise of their legitimate right in defending themselves, properties and homeland.
12. Reaffirms the importance of the historical Hashemite custodianship of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Al-Quds and its role in preserving them and the existing legal and historical status there, as well as in preserving the Arab, Islamic and Christian identity of the sanctuaries; and affirms that the Hashemite management of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque waqfs is the only body authorized to manage all affairs of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Al-Quds Haram Al-Shareef;
13. Appreciates the role played by the Chair of the Al-Quds Committee in protecting the sanctuaries in Al-Quds Al-Shareef and standing up to the measures taken by the Israeli occupation authorities to Judaize the holy city;
14. Calls on the Islamic countries to renounce differences, close ranks and enhance the bonds of Islamic brotherhood in order to confront the savage attack launched by the enemies of the Islamic Ummah, especially the Zionist entity which is counting on the current regional situation, and using it to ignite the fire of sedition and disturbance to distract the attention of the states of the region away from the serious violations of the rights of the Palestinian people, especially those relating to the city of Al Quds. Affirms the necessity of mobilizing all the capabilities of the Islamic World in order for the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate rights. Demands rejection of the policy of normalization with the Zionist enemy. And Calls on all freedom-loving people to use all their efforts in support of the Palestinian people.
15. Strongly supports the Palestinian factions and their endeavor to achieve reconciliation among themselves, for the enhancement of national unity which leads to strengthen the efforts of the Islamic Ummah in the face of the regional and international circumstances surrounding the Palestinian cause at the present time.  
16. Calls for an international legal move to compel Israel, to pay the necessary material and moral reparations for the damage of the Palestinian infrastructures as well as public and private properties, and  supports the Palestinian decision on submitting the crimes committed by the Israeli Zionist entity against children and women in the Gaza Strip to the International Criminal Court (ICC), and calls for prosecuting the Zionist leaders for their crimes according to the International Law, and considers that the victims have a right to follow up the crimes of these Zionists in independent courts.
17. Invites the international community to exercise pressure on the Zionist entity, the occupying power, in order to end the illegal air, sea and land blockade imposed on Gaza Strip as a kind of collective punishment, and to open all border crossings, and ensure the free movement of people, materials and goods to and from Gaza Strip and the rest of the Palestinian territories.  
18. Calls on the states of the Member Parliaments, in collaboration with the international community, to seek the rebuilding of Gaza city which has been destroyed by the Zionist war machine, and Calls for backing the existing financial funds dedicated to supporting the steadfast Palestinian people.
19. Demands the PUIC Member Parliaments to enact laws for supporting the Palestinian people in the face of the aggressions of the Zionist entity.
20. Calls on activating the Islamic boycott of the Israeli occupation, and abiding by all the OIC resolutions thereon as well as backing the World Boycott Movement, headed by B.D.S as a way of confronting the racist policy of the occupation
21. Welcomes the proposal of the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey H.E Mustafa ŞENTOP to hold a meeting of the PUIC Standing Committee on Palestine on the level of Speakers in Istanbul based on the fact that the Palestinian cause embodies the core meaning of the PUIC and needs to be elaborated with determination at the highest levels and requires serious follow-up.
22. Charges the PUIC Secretary General with taking the necessary measures to follow up the implementation of the contents of this Communique and inform the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), the United Nations and all regional organizations about its text.
23. Offers thanks and gratitude to the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leaders, people and parliament, for their kind initiative to host this important meeting, and for the warm reception and generous hospitality.

It is worth recalling that the Zionist Entity sustained a heavy defeat in its latest confrontation with resistance groups in the Gaza Strip, as the entity declared a ceasefire early on Friday after 12 days of heavy bombardment of Gaza, to which the Palestinian resistance responded bravely with firing thousands of rockets into the Zionist-Occupied Territories.