During the last Friday of the Holy Month of Ramadhan, Muslims around the world marked World Quds Day.
The day was commemorated amid one of history’s largest genocides and humanitarian catastrophes in Palestine, particularly Gaza. It reflects a violation of international law and the rights of the oppressed but steadfast Palestinians.
Today, not only the inculpable Palestinian women and men, as well as homeless and innocent children, are being killed, but also hospitals, medical and relief centers, mosques, and churches are not spared by the occupying troops.
The violence violates the fundamentals of human rights, manifesting in crimes against humanity, genocide, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing.
The continued genocide, the mass murder of over 33,000 Palestinians, and the prevention of the delivery of humanitarian aid, food, and medicine to Gaza residents, have set the alarm bells ringing for the most unprecedented human catastrophe of the century.
Iran has conducted extensive consultations in international forums to emphasise the necessity of the cessation of hostility and the delivery of food and medicine. However, due to the full alignment of the White House and some other Western governments with the Israeli regime, such humanitarian efforts have not yielded results so far.
It is a great regret that despite the passage of about six months from the brutal attacks in Gaza, we are witnessing persistent inaction by the international community.
The US is “evidently to blame for the continuation of war and obstruction of efforts to cease it.” The Islamic Cooperation Organisation was expected to mobilise its various political and economic capacities to play its deterrent role in stopping the war, but, has failed to play an effective role.
The world is grieving the situation in Palestine and the painful conditions its people are experiencing, which mirror all the hardships of humanity and the world’s free humans.
We are confident that all freedom-loving and peace-loving people demand preparation of the necessary grounds by the international community, especially the United Nations and Islamic countries, to take practical steps towards lasting peace in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
We hope Muslim states and the global community swiftly send urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza. Additionally, may this holy month foster stronger regional, Muslim, and international unity to support the oppressed Palestinian nation effectively. Let us take deterrent measures to end the brutality inflicted against Palestinians.
The Islamic Republic of Iran believes in fundamentally solving this chronic historical crisis. World Quds Day, as the initiative of Imam Khomeini (PBUH), the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, provides a significant opportunity for unified and global solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine.
As long as the main root of the crisis is not given serious attention and responsible action is not taken to treat it, lasting peace and security will not be formed in the region and the world. The World Quds Day provides an opportunity for seeking a viable, responsible, and real solution.
Emphasizing the natural and inherent right of the Palestinian nation to legitimately resist oppression and occupation, Iran has presented a democratic initiative for the Palestinian issue, which has been registered in the United Nations.
Iran believes that the oldest and most painful crisis of the present century can be resolved through a referendum with the help of the United Nations among the original inhabitants of Palestine, including Christians, Muslims, and Jews."
-The writer is Foreign Affairs Minister of Iran
