May 02, 2022 Words of the Leader

AL-QUDS DAY 2022 (FULL TEXT)

In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master, Muhammad, and upon his pure Household, especially the remnant of Allah on the earth.

Salutations to the great Iranian nation who has created an epic in the literal sense of the word today. Salutations be upon our late magnanimous Imam [Khomeini] who was the architect of this auspicious foundation for eternity.

As far as I know and according to what I have witnessed today, the presence of the people throughout the country has been an epic turnout in the true sense of the word. It was magnificent. The people entered the arena with complete motivation. This great movement of the people is something big and is a blessing.

Your presence in the political and public areas of defending al-Quds is a true defense of al-Quds. This is a true defense. Those who are defending al-Quds and the al-Aqsa Mosque, the first Qibla of the Muslims, with their bodies and souls will be encouraged via your movement. They will gain energy and become more resistant, and with Allah’s grace, the Palestinian cause and the great Palestinian fight is close to its final conclusion, which will be a blessed conclusion, Insha Allah.

Today, I will speak about certain points about al-Quds and Palestine with our dear Palestinian brothers and I will say this part in Arabic. I have spoken at length about this matter with our own people many times. Today, I wish to address the Palestinian brothers and the entire world of Islam, in particular our Arab brothers.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon the Master of all of humanity and the most honorable human being, our Master, Muhammad al-Mustafa, the Seal of Messengers, and upon his immaculate Progeny, and upon his chosen companions, and upon those who follow them in good, until the Day of Judgment.

Salutations to all the Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the world! Salutations to the youth of the Islamic World! Salutations to the courageous, honorable youth of Palestine, and upon all the people of Palestine.

Once more, al-Quds Day has arrived. The honorable al-Quds calls upon all the Muslims of the world. The truth is that as long as the usurping, criminal Zionist regime is dominating over al-Quds, all days of the year must be considered to be al-Quds Day. The honorable al-Quds is the heart of Palestine, and the entire occupied country of Palestine, from the river to the sea, is a continuation of al-Quds. The Palestinian people are showing every day – more than in the previous one – that they have stood up and will continue to stand up against the oppressor with an exemplary courage. The Palestinian youth have acted as a defensive shield for Palestine with their self-sacrificing activities and they are bringers of glad tidings regarding a different [positive] future.

We are carrying out this year’s al-Quds Day while everything is signaling a new equation in Palestine’s present and future.

Today, the “invincible willpower” in Palestine and throughout West Asia has replaced the “invincible army” of the Zionists. Today, that criminal [Zionist] army has been forced to turn its aggressive formation into a defensive one. In the political arena today, the most important supporter of that usurping regime – meaning America – is itself suffering from defeats, one after the other.

It has been defeated in the war in Afghanistan, defeated in its maximum pressure policy against Islamic Iran, defeated in the face of Asian powers, defeated in trying to control the world’s economy, defeated in the internal management of its own country, and defeated in managing the phenomenon of the deep rift that has come about in its governmental establishment.

The usurping Zionist regime is wallowing in a convoluted network of problems in both the political and military arenas. The former butcher and criminal – who was at the top of that regime – was thrown into the dustbin of history following the epic at Saif al-Quds. And his current successors await the sharp blade of another epic at any hour. The movement in Jenin has enraged the Zionist regime to the point of madness. This is while 20 years ago, in response to the death of a few Zionists in Nahariya, the usurping regime killed 200 people in the Jenin refugee camp with the purpose of forever concluding the Jenin matter.

Polls show that almost 70% of the Palestinians in the 1948 and 1967 lands, and in the surrounding refugee camps encourage the Palestinian leaders to carry out military attacks on the Zionist regime. This is an important phenomenon because it signifies the complete readiness of the Palestinians to confront the usurping regime and it provides the Mujahid organizations with the freedom to take military action whenever they deem necessary.

The Jihadi moves of the people of Palestine in the two northern and southern parts of the 1948 lands, and at the same time, the massive rallies in Jordan and Eastern al-Quds, the brave defense of the al-Aqsa Mosque by Palestinian youth, and the military maneuvers in Gaza indicate that all of Palestine has turned into an arena of resistance. At the present time, the people of Palestine are unanimous about continuing this Jihad [on the path of Allah].

These incidents and what has occurred in Palestine in recent years, is a seal of annulment on all the schemes for compromise with the Zionist enemy. This is because no scheme or plan about Palestine is implementable in the absence of or against the consent of its owners, the Palestinians. This means that all former agreements such as the Oslo Accords, the Arabian two-state solution, the Deal of the Century, and the recent humiliating attempts for the normalization of relations [with Arab states] have [all] been nullified.

Even though the Zionist regime is out of breath, it continues to commit crimes and kill innocent people with its weapons. It murders women, children, the elderly, and the youth, who are [all] unarmed. It imprisons and tortures them, it destroys houses, and demolishes farms and property. Yet, the liars in Europe and America who make extravagant claims about human rights and who created such a commotion on the issue of Ukraine, have kept totally silent in the face of all these crimes in Palestine. Not only do they not defend the innocent people, they also help that bloodthirsty wolf.

This is a great lesson; regarding the issues of the Islamic World – at the top of which stands the issue of Palestine – we cannot and must not rely on these racist and hostile powers. Only with the power that comes from resistance – which originates in the teachings of the honorable Qur’an and which arises from the religious rulings of dear Islam – can one resolve the issues of the Islamic World and the issue of Palestine, which stands at the top of all Islamic issues.

The formation of the Resistance in West Asia has been the most blessed phenomenon in this region in recent decades. It was the magnificence of the Resistance that was able to cleanse the occupied territories of Lebanon of the pollution of the Zionists, pull Iraq out from the clutches of America, save Iraq from the maliciousness of the DAESH, and assist Syrian defenders in the face of America’s schemes.

The Resistance – with its magnificence – fights against international terrorism, helps the resistant people of Yemen in the war that has been imposed upon them, wrestles with the Zionist usurpers in Palestine, and will bring them to their knees with Allah’s grace. It also highlights with a relentless effort, the issue of al-Quds and Palestine more and more for the people of the world to see on a daily basis.

You people of Palestine, you self-sacrificing youth in the West Bank and in the 1948 lands, you who are fighting in the Jenin refugee camp, and you the residents in the Palestinian refugee camps outside of Palestine are [all] important, sensitive parts and pioneers of the magnificence of the Resistance. And know that,

“Verily Allah will defend those who believe” [Holy Qur’an, 22:38],

“But if you are patient, it will certainly be best for those who are patient” [16:126],

“But if you persevere patiently and guard against evil, that will be a determining factor in all affairs” [3:186], and

“Peace unto you for that you persevered in patience. Now how excellent is the final abode” [13:24].

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a supporter of and advocate of the camp of Resistance. It is a supporter and advocate of the Palestinian Resistance. We have always said this, we have always acted on this, and we have always stood by it. We condemn the treacherous move to normalize relations [with the Zionist regime]. We condemn the policy of a normalization of relations.

As regards to some Arab governments that have asked America to accelerate the matter of solving the Palestinian issue. If they mean that before America leaves the region it should remove any obstacle standing in the way of the Zionist regime, then first of all, they have behaved treacherously and have brought disgrace to the Arab world. Secondly, they have been naïve since this is a case of the blind leading the blind.

At the end of my statements, I send my salutations upon the souls of the Palestinian martyrs. I send my respect and regards to their patient families. I send my salutations to the Palestinians who have been taken captive and prisoner, but who resist with a firm determination. I squeeze the hands of our resistant Palestinian groups who have undertaken to carry out an important part of this great responsibility.

And I call on the entire Islamic World – in particular the youth – to participate in this field that brings dignity and honor.

And our concluding call will be: “All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.” [Holy Qur’an, 10:10]

Sayyid Ali Khamenei

April 29, 2022