Final Victory Belongs to Palestinian Nation: Iran’s Velayati
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ali Akbar Velayati, an international adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, said Palestinian people’s resistance against Israel could certainly secure them a final victory against the Zionist regime.
“The final victory definitely belongs to the Palestinian people and fighters,” Velayati said in a Saturday meeting with Deputy Head of Hamas' Political Bureau Saleh al-Arouri in Tehran.
He added that Palestine is still the most important issue in the Islamic world despite attempts at making concessions.
Heading a delegation, al-Arouri has traveled to the Iranian capital to sit down with senior Iranian officials and discuss the latest developments on the Palestinian arena, especially the reconciliation file, as well as bilateral relations.
The visit follows the current developments in the Palestinian occupied lands which resulted in a reconciliation agreement between the Gaza-based Hamas movement and Fatah movement in the West Bank.
Referring to the reconciliation agreement, the top Iranian official hailed Hamas officials’ stance on the issue of armed resistance against Tel Aviv in the occupied territories.
Hamas, on several occasions, has stressed that the issue of armed resistance is not up for discussion.
“The resistance’s weapons are legal,” spokesperson Hazem Qassem said during the talks. “They are here to protect Palestinians and free their lands (from Israeli occupation).”
Al-Arouri, for his part, thanked Iran for its continued support for the Palestinian cause, saying, “…we are certain that the issue of Palestine is still of paramount importance for the Islamic Republic".
Pointing to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statement about the reconciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas, he said no one could force Hamas to disarm or recognize Israel.
He added that the presence of a Hamas delegation in the Islamic Republic also rejects the idea that we want to sever our ties with Iran.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that Tel Aviv had decided not to hold talks with a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas unless the resistance movement meets a range of conditions.
Those conditions include a demand that Hamas recognize the Israeli regime, disarm, sever its ties with Iran, return the bodies of Israelis that are claimed to be held in Gaza, and that the Palestinian Authority assume full security control of the coastal sliver.
