Mr. Velayati said in an exclusive note to Mehr News Agency.
After years of efforts and intrigues, the United States and Israel have thrown Syria, one of the most important anti-Zionist strongholds, into chaos.
Syria was one of the major countries opposed to Zionism during the time that Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad ruled the country. Anwar Sadat committed his first betrayal of the Palestinian cause by signing the Camp David Accords.
The Palestinian issue marks the resurgence of crusades after 690 AH. The Crusades began in 1095 AD with the edict of Pope Urban II, which led Catholics to attack al-Quds. Saadi Shirazi referred to Muslim resistance to the Crusades in his works.
In modern times, new crusades were planned by radical Christians and Zionists. Theodor Herzl introduced the concept of Zionism at a conference held in Basel, Switzerland in 1897. The Sykes-Picot Agreement between France and Great Britain in 1916 divided the territory of the Ottoman Empire.
In 1917, British Foreign Secretary Balfour declared Palestine the future homeland of the Jewish people.
Between 1918 and 1939, hundreds of thousands of Jews immigrated to Palestine from Eastern and sometimes Western Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Hollywood produced a movie, Exodus, depicting Jews as victims returning to Palestine. Prominent Iranian scholars such as Imam Khomeini and Taleghani took strong stances in the fight against Israel.
Western powers, including Britain in the Dutch East Indies in Southeast Asia, established trading companies and eventually took control of the region. The goal of the Anglo-Saxons was world domination. Unable to directly confront the Ottoman Empire, Britain failed to achieve its objectives there.
During the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid, one of the weakest rulers of the Ottoman Empire, a group of Jews approached him with an offer to buy Palestine. Sultan Abdul Hamid gave a historic response, saying that we have never seen a living human being dissected. In the face of rejection, they pursued two strategies. One was to stop the persecution of Jews by the Germans, and the other was to release horrific images of Jewish prisoners of war.
From 1918 until the outbreak of World War II, the foundations of Zionist ambitions were laid by Britain with American support.
The purpose of establishing a Jewish homeland in the heart of the Islamic world was to prevent the unification of Muslims and Islamic states.
Prominent Iranian scholars such as Imam Khomeini and Taleghani took a firm stance against Israel. Additionally, Seyyed Mojtaba Navab Safavi gave anti-Israel speeches at Egyptian universities and played a role in the creation of the Fatah movement.
After the establishment of the State of Israel, countries adopted various strategies to counter it. In Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, a dignified Muslim, worked tirelessly for Arab unification and the liberation of Palestine, establishing the Arab League in Cairo. In contrast, the Organization of the Islamic Conference has strengthened its opposition to direct confrontation with Israel. King Hussein of Jordan declared war on Israel, ostensibly to counter Israeli aggression, but in reality used Palestinians as a fighting force.
The sudden death of Gamal Abdel Nasser highlighted the intense pressure and inaction of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Michel Akhlaq, a Syrian Christian, founded the Baath Party in Syria and Iraq with the mission of de-Islamization. Hafez al-Assad seized power in Syria, while Saddam Hussein became the dominant figure in Iraq. Saddam’s attack on Iran marked the first significant negative impact of Akhlaq’s influence in Iraq.
The US presence in Iraq led to the formation of terrorist groups like ISIL. However, although the Iraqi people were successful in defeating ISIL with support from Iran, the United States still maintains a presence in the country. Lebanon resisted Israel with support from Iran and Hezbollah, while Yemen, energized by the Houthis, took a firm stand against Saudi Arabia and the Wahhabis. Turkey played a key role in enabling American military operations in the region and supported terrorist groups in Idlib.
After the attack on Israel by Hamas and its allies and the subsequent Israeli attack on Gaza, only Hezbollah extended support to the Palestinians. The Axis of Resistance, made up of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, also supported the Palestinians. Conversely, Turkey cooperated with the United States and Israel to support terrorist groups in Syria, and Israel occupied parts of Syrian territory, an act supported by Western countries. Allies in the region have been warned that contributions that incite conflict will quickly backfire. They are asked to align themselves with Muslims and resist trusting foreign powers.
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