Supreme Leader: Palestinians recent success gained by Jihad against Zionists

Tehran, Dec 13, IRNA

Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in a meeting with Head of Hamas Political Bureau Khalid Mash'al on Tuesday said that achievements of the Palestinian nation over recent years, particularly expulsion of the Zionists from Gaza Strip, are owing to their resistance and Jihad against Zionist regime.

At the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei added that the only way to guarantee the freedom and future of the Palestinian people is to continue resistance, keep unity and solidarity and comply with the basic principles of Islam.

Turning to the present cumbersome conditions encountered by the Palestinians residing in the occupied lands, the Supreme Leader said, "The 50-year experience proves that ignoring the Zionist occupiers and holding talks with them will be of no use and will only increase pressure. Therefore, victory and success can only be achieved in the light of resistance."

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that today the enemies of the Palestinian nation are involved in their numerous political and economic problems.

"First they withdrew from Lebanon. Then they realized that they had no option but to leave Gaza Strip. It is hoped that the Palestinian people and resistance groups will eventually make the occupiers leave Beit Ul-Moqaddas.

Stressing that Intifada (uprising) proved that the Palestinian people are more powerful than the Zionists and US, the Supreme Leader noted that even the US faced defeat in the Middle East despite pretending to be powerful and is now withdrawing.

"Given the present conditions, the Palestinian nation and resistance groups should maintain their vigilance and continue their Jihad," he added.

For his part, Mash'al highly appreciated the approach of the Supreme Leader and the Iranian government in supporting the Palestinians and said that such an attitude indeed reflects the inner feelings of Muslim and Arab nations.

He added that all Muslims take pride in such a brave approach and regretted that other Islamic governments lack the courage to express their similar attitude towards the issue.

Presenting a report on the latest position of the occupied lands and the difficult situation facing the Palestinian people, the Hamas official stressed, "Despite all the pressures, the Palestinians have become more determined to resist and the Hamas Resistance Movement will never give up its fundamental strategy, namely resistance.

"We will not be satisfied with anything less than the Zionists withdrawal from all of our occupied lands and according to the remarks of the late Imam Khomeini, we will never recognize Israel."

Supreme Leader: Islamic Ummah able to settle Palestine issue in favor of Palestinian people

Tehran, Dec 10, IRNA

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that issue of Palestinians over the past several decades has become more dynamic and ore outstanding in favor of the Palestinian people and against the international Zionism.

The Supreme Leader said that the current situation in Palestine indicates a real hope that the Muslim Ummah would be able to settle the issue in the interest of the Palestinian nation.

In a meeting with members of secretariat of International Conference to Support Islamic Revolution of Palestine, a Tehran-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), The Supreme Leader said the Zionists and their American allies surprisingly show sensitivity to any remarks on the Zionist regime which betray their weakness and embarrassment about attention of the Muslim nations to the plight of Palestinians.

Ayatollah Khamenei said that Muslim nations seriously advocate liberation of holy Qods thanks to sacrifice and devotion of the Palestinian people and despite every conspiracy of the Zionists, the struggle against occupiers of al-Aqsa Mosque has stepped up as a strong tree in the Islamic nations which can never be uprooted by the global arrogance.

The Supreme Leader said that Iran's proposal to hold a referendum in the occupied Palestine has been welcomed by the Muslim nations and the others in the international community, adding that Muslim Ummah will seriously follow up repatriation of Palestinian refugees and preventing destruction of the holy Qods.

He said that the Zionist regime has suffered setbacks in southern Lebanon and Gaza Strip and construction of barriers indicated failure of the Zionists to lay siege to Palestinians' uprising.

Prior to the Supreme Leader's remarks, Secretary of the International Conference to Support Islamic Revolution of Palestine, Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour said that the NGO would hold a conference in Tehran in March 2006.

He said that the Zionist regime has embarked on sabotaging al-Aqsa Mosque, attempting to strip the holy place of its Islamic features.

Commemoration ceremony held for plane crash martyrs

Tehran, Dec 10, IRNA

Senior Iranian officials, including heads of the three branches of power, took part in a commemoration ceremony held here Saturday morning on the initiative of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei for martyrs of the tragic plane crash that occurred Tuesday afternoon.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi and Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel were among the prominent figures who took part in the ceremony which was held at Shahid Motahhari Mosque.

During the ceremony, tributes were paid to the souls of dozens of Iranian media people and army officers who lost their lives in that fatal plane crash.

Some 108 people, mostly mediamen including two IRNA staff, were killed when a military C-130 plane, said to have technical problems, smashed into a densely populated 10-story high-rise residential building in Towhid township near Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport at 14:10 hours local time Tuesday afternoon. The plane crashed eight minutes after take-off, setting the building ablaze. The pilot of the plane, which was heading for the southeastern port city of Chabahar, had reportedly radioed for permission to make an emergency landing at the airport but failed. The journalists were to cover a naval exercise in the Gulf of Oman.

Supreme Leader: Hajj pilgrimage, sea of morality, supplication to God

Tehran, Dec 7, IRNA

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Hajj pilgrimage is sea of morality, worship and supplication to God. In a meeting with a number of executives in charge of organizing the Hajj ritual for Iranians, the Supreme Leader said that political aspect of the ritual is part of the morality and worship of Haj pilgrimage. "To the dismay of the world arrogance, the Muslim nations are awake and they use the auspicious occasion of Hajj to promote the Islamic goals," the Supreme Leader said.

At the beginning of his remarks, the Supreme Leader expressed deep regret over the bitter air crash on Tuesday and loss of the sincerest children of the nation and the Islamic Republic and prayed to God to bestow patience upon the bereaved families and their colleagues and peace of soul upon those who passed away.

The Supreme Leader said that the message of monotheism was the main mission of the prophets (Peace Be Upon Them) and the faithful guides and Hajj ritual call for solidarity of the Muslim nations and removal of obstacles in the way of Muslim unity. Muslim solidarity is the political impact of Hajj pilgrimage, he added. The Supreme Leader recalled late Imam Khomeini's emphasis on the political impact of Hajj ritual and said that since then, on the occasion of Hajj, Iranian Muslims have invited their fellow Muslim brothers from other countries to Muslim solidarity and they have appreciated invitation of Iranians.

The Supreme Leader pointed to the sufferings of the Muslim world especially the critical situation in Palestine and Iraq and said that the arrogant powers have explicitly stood against Islam and the Muslim nations. He said that certain Muslim nations have failed to voice their objection to arrogant powers.

Citing an example of the objectives of the arrogant powers, the Supreme Leader said that the US is working hard to appoint an American lackey as Iraqi leader to execute the US guidelines. He called for the Iraqi nation's solidarity to elect faithful people for administration of their own country.

Supreme Leader expresses condolence over death of mediamen

Tehran, Dec 7, IRNA

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei here Wednesday expressed his condolences over death of scores of mediamen and military personnel in a plane crash in southern Tehran which killed 108 people. An Iranian military C-130 transport plane with 97 people on board crashed into a 10-story building in a densely populated residential rea in southern Tehran Tuesday afternoon. The plane encountered a technical problem immediately after takeoff from Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport. They were heading for the southern port city of Bandar Abbas and then Chabahar port, where they were supposed to give coverage to a military exercise. After failing to make an emergency landing at Mehrabad, the plane went down in the Yaftabad district in the south of the sprawling city. "The heartfelt event of the plane crash which claimed lives of tens of dear and loyal members of media and military society made me as sad as the bereaved families of the victims and the Iranian nation."

The Valuable youth who lost their lives in this crash, left unforgettable memories of their services in the mind of their colleagues and families, he said.

Leader receives President Ahmadinejad ahead of Saudi visit

Tehran, Dec 6, IRNA

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei here Tuesday received President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just before he was to depart for Saudi Arabia. President Ahmadinejad is leaving for Saudi Arabia today to attend a two-day extraordinary summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) slated to open in the holy city of Mecca later in the day.

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