Forum in Tehran Discusses Status of Palestinian People’s Resistance

The meeting, titled “Presenting the Report on the Latest Status of the Glorious Resistance of the Palestinian People”, kicked off at the Permanent Secretariat of the International Conference on Supporting Palestine Intifada, with the participation of prominent Palestinian figures, including Khalil al-Hayya, a distinguished leader of the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement Hamas, and a group of senior Palestinian analysts and activists.

The guests also included Osama Hamdan, the former representative of the Hamas movement in Lebanon, and Khaled Qudumi, the representative of the Hamas movement in Tehran.

During the opening remarks, Hossein Rooyvaran, an expert on Palestinian affairs, said, “We need to know where we are and where we want to go. Today, we need all Islamic groups to take a unified stance and action. Imam Khomeini (RA) raised this issue from the very beginning as a strategy for the liberation of Palestine.

He added, “What has happened today is that Islamic school of thought has prevailed over others in Palestine and the situation is completely different. In contrast, the Zionist enemy has failed in its attempt to create a homogeneous society, a society that is on the verge of collapse and severe fragmentation.

Rooyvaran added, “I think the most important success of Imam Khomeini (RA) was his new revolutionary method that enabled the mobilization of a multitude of nations in defending Islam and Palestine." Professor Al-Hayat is an Islamic example and model who has dedicated 25 martyrs to Islam. We welcome His Excellency in Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Resistance.

Resistance Shall Prevail and Other Projects Shall Fail

Khalil al-Hayya said in his address, “Praise be to Almighty God for putting us on the path of resistance. You know that the Zionist regime is the cause of the Zionism global project. The Zionists took advantage of the weakness of the Ummah and embarked upon wiping away the Palestinian cause. It got to the point where the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) recognized the rule of this illegitimate regime over two-thirds of Palestine. Three decades have passed since the PLO stated the negotiations, but no conclusion has been reached up until now. On this political path, the goal was to kill the spirit of resistance of the Palestinians through sabotage.”

“Today they became allies of the Zionists and threw us into the prisons of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA),” he said.

Al-Hayya added, “We entered the 2006 elections to protect the resistance and the rights of the Palestinian people but we and the Palestinians ended up being trapped in a siege.”

He added, “The project they were looking forward to failed. PNA has no structure, no legitimacy, and no laws, but only one person governs everything in this structure. Rampant corruption has spread through this entity and people hate PNA. Its supporters are the ones who profit off of it. In the latest news, the Zionist regime has announced that it will not allow PNA to be overthrown.”

Al-Hayya also added, “The majority of our people have come to the conclusion that PNA and Mahmoud Abbas are the obstacles in their way to democracy and their freedom. Last year, we were supposed to hold general elections, but 20 days before the elections, they canceled it. However, the Resistance provided a platform for the Palestinian people to achieve their rights. The strategy of the Resistance was resisting with everything they got. We are witnessing a growth in people’s dynamism. I am giving you the good news that a platform has been prepared so that the Palestinian people can easily stand against the Zionists. The majority of people have come to the conclusion that we have no option but resistance. We hereby announce that the resistance has begun its new path, which we shall continue. The Zionists’ attempt to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque and the recent Acts of usurpation are among the factors intensifying the resistance.”

“There are also two domestic factors contributing to the intensification of resistance. The first is the weakness of PNA in suppressing people and the second is their absence in Areas B and C. today, In 1948 territories, the Palestinians have become a time bomb as a result of their national affiliation and the repressive actions of the enemy, but Gaza succeeded in providing a model for the establishment of social cohesion in the first place. In the second phase, Gaza, through direct resistance, has been able to expand its capabilities without security cooperation and has been engaging with the enemy on a daily basis. The Resistance has been able to establish a close relationship with all Palestinians through a joint operation room” he added.

“The enemy had made attempts to describe Gaza as a separate region, but we solidified the sentiment that all of Palestine is united and this is our Red line. This faith-based Resistance relies on Almighty God and it has supporters who are led by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Our enemy is well aware that we are ready and we are the decision makers. We managed to create deterrence. Our ultimate goal is the liberation of all of Palestine. We believe that the Resistance shall prevail and other projects shall fail. I seize this opportunity to cherish the memory of the person who established and sponsored the idea of resistance in the each and every part of the Middle East” Al-Hayya added.

Following Dr. Al-Hayya’s address, eight of the participants expressed their views and questions pertaining to the Resistance in Palestine and its strengths and challenges, and Mr. Al-Hayya and Mr. Osama Hamdan provided answers. Then, the Secretary General of the International Conference on Supporting Palestine Intifada, Mr. Abtahi, summarized the results of the meeting and provided a roadmap for the continuation of field contact between the Iranian people and NGOs and Palestinian NGOs.

Khalil al-Hayya entered the Palestinian parliamentary elections on Hamas’ list in 2006, became a member of the Legislative Council, and headed the Movement’s Caucus inside the Council.

As representative of Hamas, he played a key role in establishing a ceasefire agreement with the Zionist occupying forces mediated by Egypt in the 2012 and 2014 wars.

As a payback for his fight against oppression, he was imprisoned for over three years in the early 1990s and lost seven of his family members during the Zionist Regime–Palestine war in 2007.

The International Quds Day is an annual event during which demonstrators express their solidarity with the Palestinian people and opposition to the occupation of the Palestinian territories by the Zionist regime of Israel.

The day is seen as the legacy of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, who officially declared the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as International Quds Day back in 1979.

It falls on Friday, April 29, this year.