Iran Calls on World’s Muslims to Attend Quds Day Rallies

What follows is the full text of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s statement released on Thursday:

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

The International Quds Day symbolizes the oppression against the besieged and displaced Palestinian people and their call to be emancipated from 70 years of tyranny and aggression and crimes by the usurper Zionist regime which, during the dark history of its existence, has committed different kinds of massacres, genocides and crimes against humanity in occupied holy territories of Muslims, and which, during its evil and wicked existence, has produced no other result than the displacement of millions of people, inhumane incarceration and torture of thousands of innocent people, making thousands of Palestinian children orphans, and triggering insecurity and instability in the region.

The Zionist regime has a list of crimes and anti-human rights moves in its track record, including the organized occupation of the Palestinian territory, making systematic efforts to fully Judaize Quds, destruction of the historical and civilizational identity of holy Quds, expansion of [Jewish] settlements in the West Bank, forced emigration of non-Jewish residents of Quds, depriving Palestinians of access to holy sites in the city of Quds, illegal confiscation of their landed property, destruction of their land, imposition of intense anti-human pressure on people in Gaza Strip, and denying them access to basic food, medicinal and hygienic items.

The current situation in Palestine and the region makes it all the more necessary for Muslim nations and governments to pay due regard to maintaining their unity and solidarity against the Zionist regime. While remaining extremely vigilant against this common enemy, Muslims should stand up to the conspiracies of this regime and its supporters which are aimed at creating divisions within the Islamic community and consigning the issue of Palestine as the most pressing issue of the Muslim world into oblivion. They should also prevent Israel and its backers from putting their compromise-based political machinations into force, including the so-called “Deal of the Century” initiative and holding a meeting of deception and deceit in Bahrain [where the initiative is to be unveiled] and if that happens, it will definitely be an eternal blow to Palestine and a major achievement for the usurpers of this land.

The Islamic Republic of Iran underlines the importance of Palestine as a pivotal issue in the Muslim world and the necessity of countering the Zionist regime’s occupation. Iran also believes lasting tranquility and peace will not take hold unless the oppressed Palestinian nation’s rights are fully restored by having all Palestinian refugees return and by holding a referendum in the occupied Palestinian territories with the participation of all main owners of this land.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran praises Palestinian people’s struggles aimed at liberating Palestine and calls on resistant Iranian people from all walks of life as well as all Muslims and freedom-seeking nations around the world to actively participate, like previous years, in rallies marking International Quds Day.