A virtual meeting on the consequences of the plan to annex the West Bank to the Occupied Territories by the Zionist regime was held attended by Dr. Hamid Reza Dehghani Poudeh, Assistant to the Foreign Minister and Director General for the Middle East Affairs at the Ministry; Dr. Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Special Adviser to the Majlis Speaker on International Affairs; Dr. Khalid al-Qudumi, Hamas representative and Dr. Nasser Abu Sharif, representative of the Islamic Jihad Movement and Dr. Mohammad Bagher Khorramshad, Secretary of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations.

Strategic Blunder of US, Israel, Saudi Arabia on Palestine

Speaking at the beginning of the meeting, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian talked about the reason for the attitude of the United States in relation to Palestine and said: “In the contemporary world, a triangle has been shaped in this regard. One side of the trio is the Zionist regime of Netanyahu, the other side goes back to Saudi Arabia and Al-Salman. These two sides relied on the first side, namely Trump and this is the strategic mistake of both of them.”

He added the condition of the position of Saudi Arabia in the region has changed. Therefore, Netanyahu’s big mistake is that he thinks if he takes these steps quickly, he will be stabilized and thus can continue his rule.

Objectives of the West Bank Annexation Plan

The Special Assistant to the Majlis Speaker on International Affairs continued: “Today, the Zionists are in a bad condition. Internal differences and failure in forming the cabinet are indicative of the multi-layered crises in the Zionist regime.”

The diplomat of our country further remarked that in the discussion of the Golan Heights, in future the Resistance will show that whether the position of the Zionist regime has been stabilized in this regard or not. It is possible that the Zionists on earth may not gain anything from annexation of the West Bank, but in return they will seek normalization. Another goal of the Zionists is to bring the Resistance into an end, the regime through the annexation of the Golan Heights, announcing Qods as capital, and other measures, seeks somehow to induce despair and say that the Resistance will take no action. Another goal is to say that they have gained legitimacy, but such attempts have no place in international regulations and those who know international rules and regulations well can help the Palestinian people to eliminate occupation.

Military Strength the Strong Point of Resistance against Israel

Concluding his remarks, Amir Abdollahian noted that last week, the Resistance forces fired more than 20 missiles. Therefore, if the United States and the Zionist regime make a mistake, the fingers of the Resistance is on their triggers. The Resistance is at a very high point of strength and will take measures which will make the Zionists regretful.

Change of Attitude of Arab States on Palestine

Nasser Abu Sharif, representative of the Islamic Jihad Movement, started his speech at the virtual meeting by saying that unfortunately, many countries of the region have been infected with relations with the Zionist regime. “You are witnessing that the United States has recently exerted utmost pressure on Palestine.”

Abu Sharif continued: “The United States first declared Jerusalem as the capital of the Zionist regime and then closed Palestine Liberation Office in Washington. The United States is changing its attitude from the phase of dialogue to the phase of pressure.”

He said that further to this issue, we are witnessing the change of attitude of some Arab countries with regard to Palestine and some Arab countries are secretly approving the Deal of the Century. The Saudis and the Emiratis are exerting pressure and paving the way for the realization of the Deal of the Century.

The representative of the Islamic Jihad added that the Trump administration imagines that it can achieve its goal by applying a policy of pressure. “We are witnessing this policy of pressure in the case of Palestine, Iran and China.”

Leadership Vacuum in Palestinian Resistance

The representative of the Islamic Jihad Movement stressed that the 1979 victory of the Islamic Revolution and the emergence of the Resistance in South Lebanon and Gaza were positive events which were faced with the hostility of the opponents. “We are witnessing opposition to Hamas in Gaza. We cannot continue the Resistance under the shadow of the Palestinian conflict.”

The representative of the Islamic Jihad further remarked that the project for annexation of territories of the West Bank have frustrated Fatah and will eventually separate them from Israel, and in the end Fatah will be led to the right direction. The Palestinian leaders who are the main problem in Palestine, brought us to Oslo and generated other problems.

Abu Sharif noted: “Leadership is like an engine that determines the direction, and we have the leadership problem in Palestine. Look at the Islamic Revolution. If the late Imam Khomeini had not led the revolution, perhaps the revolution would not become victorious. Polls show that many Arabs opposed the Oslo Accord, while others made Israeli acceptance conditional on the formation of a Palestinian state and government.”

Need to Adopt a Unified Regional Stance against Zionist Regime

Nasser Abu Sharif pointed out that America’s goal is to put pressure on Muslim nations in order to change the position of the people, and what we see in Iran today is in the same vein. Influential countries such as Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Pakistan and other countries should take a unified stand against the Zionist regime and the Deal of the Century.

Permanent US Support for Zionist Regime

Hamas representative, Khalid al-Qudumi, speaking at the meeting said the world after the Second World War was witness to a new world order that became a law that was in favor of powerful countries in order to use it. These regulations are to the detriment of the weak. The weak person might be a Palestinian or George Floyd in the United States.

Qudumi continued by saying that the United States has not been neutral on the issue of Palestine even for a single day and so far has used its veto power 45 times in favor of the Zionist regime.

“The United States is using the Israeli model in the region for the soft war’, he said, adding that the current law is based on the logic of force. They founded Israel and today they do not let talk about why it was formed in the Palestinian territories. They built a 700-kilometer wall and separated large parts of the Palestinian territory.

Step-by-Step Policy of Zionist Regime to Annex West Bank

The Hamas representative further noted that under the present circumstances, 45% of the West Bank territories have been ceded to Israel. These are insults from Netanyahu towards some world, regional and international leaders.

“Leaders of Arab countries are brought to the Occupied Territories to meet with Netanyahu,” al-Qudumi said. “In fact, you see domination of the Zionist regime over the West Bank. Netanyahu is waiting for the current media environment to subside in order to do what he wishes.”

Resistance; the Only Way to Achieve Victory over Zionist Regime

“Israeli policy is evil,” Khaled al-Qudumi said, noting that they have trampled upon all international regulations and are using force. We must stand up to Israel with strength. “The one who wants to achieve his right must pay for it.”

The representative of Hamas stated: “Resistance is the feature and characteristic of Muslims in Quran. Believers are the followers of Resistance.”

Al-Qudumi further said that Resistance stands against force. “You see Trump’s attitude towards America’s domestic customs and regulations and you saw how he threatened people with the use of the army. This is the extreme right-wing behavior. Netanyahu has decided and wants to annex the West Bank to the Occupied Territories and is trying to eliminate anyone who stands in his way.”

Need for Fatah-Hamas Unity against Zionist Regime

The representative of Hamas Movement said: “The Palestinian peace initiative was held in the presence of Fatah on our initiative. It was after this meeting that 50 Palestinian prisoners were released after 17 years and the people wanted to welcome them; but the Zionists arrested them.”

He added: “We have told our brothers in Fatah that we are ready to cooperate; but if Fatah wants to go to the United States and Israel again, it will not help us. The problem is that our enemy is united but we are not.”

“The Israelis say that Qods is not the issue of dispute and is our eternal capital,” al-Qudumi said, adding that this is the violation of the law. Israelis are not afraid of using the word annexation. Annexation means to invade, occupy a place, and finally take that occupied part for yourself.

He further remarked that Trump and Netanyahu do not respect the law and are bullies who do not accept justice. “In Iran, people have been under siege for 40 years because they believe they must resist. We have been resisting and fighting for a long time.”

The Hamas representative said: “We are in a minefield and we must be vigilant. If we are united, we will face the divine victory.”

Zionist Regime’s War Crimes in Occupied Territories

Hamid Reza Dehghani Poudeh, Assistant to the Minister and Director General of the Middle East Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaking at the virtual panel on consequences of the plan to annex the West Bank to the territories under the occupation of the Zionist regime said: “First, we consider Palestine and the West Bank ‘an occupied territory’ and according to the rules of the International Law, the occupied territories enjoy special rights and domination of the occupier, inherently, entails responsibilities.”

Dehghani Poudeh continued by saying that according to international law, the occupier has no right to build settlements in the occupied lands, expel people and destroy their houses and property and take a population there. The Zionist regime has done all these things during its evil life, and this is a war crime.

He said when the Zionist regime with the help of the US administration regime came and dismantled groups that had gained international legitimacy over the years, such as the Palestinian Refugee Institutions, it showed that it was seeking to upset the balance. The issue of Qods is also an issue that the Zionists, in their opinion, resolved with the support of the United States.

The Director General of the Middle East of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted: “The issue of Palestinian refugees and the city of Qods was an issue that the Palestinians, since the time of Yasser Arafat, would never ignore as it was a matter of honor for the Palestinians; but the United States upset the balance by exerting pressure. By officially recognizing Qods as the capital of the Israeli regime by the United States, the Knesset ratified that the Occupied Territories are the land of the Jewish state and this is apartheid and Netanyahu is seeking to implement it.”

Dehghani Poudeh said that according to this law of the Jewish state, the Palestinians must either leave the land or remain in prison. This is a war crime and a crime against humanity. It is clear that these events are against humanitarian and international standards.

Collaboration of West-Arab Front with Zionist Regime in Occupation of Palestine

The Director General of the Middle East Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated: “The first responsible side for this phenomenon is the Zionist regime itself and the second responsible party is the United States. Along with them, the Westerners accompanied this movement from the first day. By the Westerners we also mean some Arab states. It was not just some Palestinians who sought compromise, but also some Arab governments and leaders led the Palestinians to a compromise.”

“The recently released documents show that the leaders of some Arab countries have been sympathetic to the Zionists from the very beginning.”

Global Significance of Palestinian Issue

Dehghani Poudeh continued by saying that Imam Khomeini always relied on the nations and the naming of the Qods Day is also indicative of the reliance on the nation. Unity among Muslim Ummah and the Palestinians is important. The Imam would always say that monotheism and unity of expression are the most important points as they deny any oppression.

He said: “We must return to unity, reliance on the people and reliance on our own inherent forces. It is a mistake to think that the issue of Palestine concerns only the Palestinians or the Arabs. Rather, it is a global issue and all freedom seekers must pursue the Palestinian cause.”

The Director General of the Middle East Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs further remarked that as the late Imam said: “We are not anti-Semitic, rather we are against Zionism.” How was Moses associated with oppression? There is no other way but to rely on the nations.

IRI’s Permanent Support for the Palestinian Resistance

Dehghani Poudeh stated: “We in Iran have always defended and supported the unity and resistance of the Palestinians and we follow it.”

When the first Intifada took place, the issue of Oslo came up and silenced down the Intifada, and at the same time we witnessed Saddam’s cases of occupation, he said, adding: “That’s why we reached Oslo. Finally, the Al-Aqsa Intifada took place. Wherever the Palestinians were together, they became victorious.”

Intensification of Opposition of World Public Opinion to Zionist Regime

The Director General of the Middle East Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the dynamics of the boycott of the Zionist-made goods is non-governmental. There are people in Europe and America who have decided not to buy goods made by the occupier. The image of the Zionist regime is becoming clear. Attempts of the Zionists have made their nature clear.

Dehghani Poudeh continued: “We are asking the Europeans whether their attitude in the issue of annexation of Crimea to Russia is the same as annexation of the Golan Heights and the West Bank to the Israeli regime. It is a shame that some Islamic countries are accompanying the West Bank annexation plan.

“Victory comes when we are nearing the end. Neglect also occurs close to victory. We should not let fatigue get in the way and this path will continue. The future generation will see victory.”

The Director General of the Middle East Affairs at the Foreign Ministry  noted that the brutal oppression imposed on Palestinians by the United States and the Zionists will not last long, and the victory of the Palestinian people is imminent.

Resistance Has No Alternative But to Win

In conclusion, Dr. Khorramshad, Secretary of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, said: “If the issue of Palestine has two sides, one side is the Zionists and the other side is the Palestinian people. If some people possibly feel that the Palestinians are tired, we should not forget that the other side is more tired and this opportunity should be used; as in the Iraqi imposed war, our military forces inflicted heavy blows on the enemy when Saddam thought our forces were exhausted. The difference of the current situation is in that the Resistance is the front of righteousness and the divine victory is with them. This is a point to be trusted.”

He added: “In the case of Palestine, at the beginning of the Intifada the people stood against the Israeli tanks with stones, but today they have missiles and if they were alone in those days, today a Resistance front has been formed which encompasses Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Malaysia to Algeria, etc. It is true that some Arab leaders are not in the Resistance front, but they are the ones who did not support the Palestinian people before and only showed their support in appearance. Instead, today there are groups of believers in Palestine who must have faith in themselves and in this front of Resistance. The happening in Syria, or choosing the Iraqi government to strike, is because the Zionist regime is behind them and such a trend took shape in order to secure this regime. Therefore, they tried to disarm the Muslim world through Muslims themselves and the extremist groups and destroy it from within.”

Dr. Khorramshad said: “If the Palestinian people and groups stand at the tip of the arrow of the Resistance Front, it seems that the Resistance Front is more prepared than ever. The Zionist regime has felt this danger and therefore has been involved in a number of fronts in the north and the south with the Resistance Front. Under the status quo, the situation is as such that the Resistance is faced with a hard test and has no other alternative but to come out victorious.”