Iran Condemns Int’l Community’s Silence, Inaction on Israeli Crimes against Palestinians

In a Tuesday message to the UN Secretary General, the head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and foreign ministers of Islamic countries, Amirabdollahian said Israel’s crimes against Palestinians violate all norms of international law, calling for urgent global action to stop the regime’s criminal acts.

The top Iranian diplomat slammed  “the criminal actions of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian nation, including assassinations, killings, arresting people and destroying their property,” and added that Tehran considered them “as contrary to the principles and standards of international law and human rights, and emphasized that Iran condemns these violent and barbaric actions of the Israeli regime against the Palestinian nation and depriving them of their inherent rights, including the right to life, the right to self-determination, the right to livelihood, and the right to work.”

He noted that these “are clear examples of gross violations of human rights and racist policies.”

Amir-Abdollahian denounced the silence and inaction of the international community regarding Israeli violation of Palestinians’ rights. 

He called for immediate action against such violations and an end to the daily crimes of Israel against Palestinians.

The top diplomat stressed the need for immediate and effective action by the international community and Islamic governments “to support the oppressed people of Palestine, to stop the daily crimes of the Zionists, and also to urgently discuss the current situation in Palestine in the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other responsible international institutions.”

The foreign minister called for the return of Palestinian refugees and the determination of the future Palestinian political system through a referendum. The remarks were made ahead of International Quds Day on Friday.

International Quds Day was designated by Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic. It is marked annually across the world on the last Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. This year, the event falls on April 14.

Last week, heavily armed Israeli forces raided al-Aqsa Mosque twice, wounding dozens and arresting hundreds of Palestinians, who were praying at Islam’s third holiest site.

Images of the attacks showed detained Palestinian worshipers lying face down with their legs and arms bound behind their backs, and others with their hands tied being led into a vehicle.

The violence, which took place during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, was followed by Israeli airstrikes on Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip amid rocket fires by Palestinian resistance groups toward the occupied territories.