“Trump and his successors would fail to move their embassy to Jerusalem, just like their predecessors,” Salah Al-Zawawi said.
Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel early December, saying the US embassy will soon be moved to the city after over 20 years of foot-dragging by previous US presidents.
Trump’s decision was met with widespread condemnation from the international community, with protests taking place across the Middle East, as well as in Malaysia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Africa.
Much of the Europe also saw large protests, including the UK, Germany, Macedonia, Austria and France, as well as demonstration in major US cities.
The embassy is due to be moved in May and will temporarily be hosted in the Jerusalem Al-Quds’ Arnona neighborhood, recognized as occupied territory under international law, until another building is constructed.
Speaking to the Persian-language ICANA, Zawawi referred to famous remarks by the late founder of Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini that Israel is a “cancerous tumor” that must be wiped out, saying the “fake regime” will eventually collapse, despite strong backing for Israel by western states.
In August 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini declared the last Friday of Ramadan as the International Quds Day, calling on Muslims across the world to hold street rallies in protest to the long-standing occupation of the Palestine.
“The declaration shows this Muslim leader well understood the situation [of Palestine] about 4o years ago, when there were only 10 Zionist settlements [in the West Bank]”, he said.
From 1979 through 2016, the number of Israeli settlements established in the West Bank reached over 200.
