Ayatollah Khamenei: We Are Not Anti-Semitic; We Want Abolition of The Zionist Regime

In an address to a gathering of Iranian authorities and the participants in an international Islamic unity conference in Tehran on Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei underlined that elimination of Israel is tantamount to the elimination of the “fake Zionist regime” and the election of a government by the Palestinian people from all faiths.

Denouncing the hostile attempts to distort the meaning of late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini’s emphasis on the elimination of Israel, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “We favor Palestine, its independence and its salvation, and the elimination of Israel does not translate into the elimination of Jewish people, because we do not mean any harm to them, as a group of Jewish people are also living in full safety in our country.”

The elimination of Israel means the elimination of the Zionist regime that has been imposed on Palestine, the Leader noted, adding, “People of Palestine, either Muslims or Christians or Jews, who are the real owners of that territory, must be able to elect their government by themselves, throw out the aliens and thugs like Netanyahu, and govern their own country, and this will happen, of course.”

Highlighting the necessity for Muslim unity, Ayatollah Khamenei said the Islamic unity is not a mere political or a tactical movement, but a faith in the hearts of Muslims that existed even before the formation of the Islamic Republic.

The Leader then warned that the enemies of Islam, most notably the US, are opposed to the nature of Islam and to all Muslim countries, saying the main weapons of the adversaries are infiltration into the sensitive and decision-making centers, creating division within the nations, and promoting the wrong notion that surrender to the US would be the only way to solve the problems.

The existing problems in the Islamic world, including the issue of Palestine, the bloody wars in Yemen, West Asia and North Africa, result from neglecting the principle of avoiding friction and remaining united against the common enemy, Ayatollah Khamenei underscored, adding, “Today, the Islamic world’s biggest calamity is the issue of Palestine, in which a nation has been displaced from its home and motherland.”

The Leader then reaffirmed the Islamic Republic’s commitment to supporting Palestine and its people without any consideration, describing such support as a duty of the entire Muslim world.

The 33rd Islamic Unity Conference that kicked off in Tehran this week marks the birth anniversary of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Themed “Ummah unity in defending the al-Aqsa Mosque,” the event will run until November 16, with 350 personalities from 93 countries in attendance.

It is held annually in an effort to lay the ground for stronger unity and solidarity among Muslims and provide solutions for their problems.

In relevant remarks in July, Ayatollah Khamenei had expressed confidence that the oppressed people of Palestine will emerge victorious in the face of Israeli occupiers and said the Islamic Republic has no hesitation when it comes to supporting Palestine.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran does not stand on ceremony with any country in the world when it comes to Palestine,” the Leader said in a meeting with a high-ranking delegation from Hamas, adding, “We have always expressed our views on Palestine clearly and transparently.”

“Even in the international arena, our friendly countries, with whom we have differences of opinion in this regard, know that the Islamic Republic is completely serious on the Palestinian issue,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

“One of the major causes of hostility toward the Islamic Republic of Iran is the issue of Palestine but these hostilities and pressures will not make Iran retreat from its stance on the issue because support for Palestine is a religious issue,” the Leader underscored.