NOURNEWS-Former Iranian ambassador to France expressed that the collapse of Israel had gradually begun implying that If the enthusiasm of the Islamic nations is greater, this collapse will certainly take place sooner.
The last Friday of Ramadan every year coincides with the day that has been named as Quds Day on the historical initiative of Imam Khomeini and reminds the free people of the world of the Palestinian cause and the liberation of Holy Quds.
Many believe before the Islamic Revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran, that the issue of Palestine in the international arena and the Islamic world was practically marginalized, and it was the historic action of the late Imam that once again turned the occupation of Jerusalem by the Zionists into a factor for the unity of the Islamic world.
Of course, there are those who unknowingly and unintentionally take a stand on the positions of Iran on the issue of Palestine, however if you ask them about acting in the national interest, they have nothing to say.
Seyed Mohammad Sadegh Kharazi, a former Iranian ambassador to France, believes that Those who chanted the slogan "Neither Gaza, nor Lebanon, I will only sacrifice my life for Iran" did not take a step for Iran, and Coronavirus outbreak showed us that they are the same people who believe in the Revolutionary cause.
"Countries that have normalized relations with Israel still face the threat of this regime" He added.
Kharazi considers the martyred General Qassem Soleimani the son of Palestine and believes: "General Soleimani never ignored the truth and therefore God gave him victory."
The full text of the interview with Seyed Mohammad Sadegh Kharazi, former Iranian ambassador to France, is as follows:
Q: In your opinion, what is the effect of the victory of Islamic Revolution on the Palestinian issue?
First, we need to understand the Palestinian cause and then talk about its margins. The Palestinian cause is in the context of the Islamic Revolution. If we take the concept of the Palestinian cause from the Islamic Revolution, the revolution does not see a basis for its global actions. From the first day of the revolution, this movement had two dimensions. The first dimension of the Islamic Revolution was to be anti-authoritarian and the other one was to oppose the system of domination or the arrogant front. In the second dimension, when the revolution was against the hegemonic system of domination, the struggle against the Zionist regime had a unique color and smell.
One of the most dangerous steps taken was to try to separate Iran from the Palestinian cause, and in this way the domestic activists and some foreign elements unintentionally made a lot of efforts. The Palestinian cause is the bridge between Iran and the entire Islamic world, and if political movements in the Islamic world want to stand up and spread their message to the world, they will have to conform to the Palestinian cause. You bear witness that movements were formed in the Islamic world after the revolution; But because they got stuck in the back alleys of expediency, they didn't succeed.
The Palestinian cause was an integral part of the foundations of Islamic Revolution. Of course, we have priorities, and our main priority is the Holy Quds. When the Iranian revolution was victorious, the active forces of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered to serve Imam Khomeini, and he accepted. I have heard that the proposal to write the Quds Day, came in the first year of the revolution, it was made by Mr. Ebrahim Yazdi and Mr. Kamal Kharazi, and Imam Khomeini immediately accepted it, they came up with the idea and theorized it, and the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan was designated as Quds Day.
We see that every year, Quds Day is celebrated more glorious than in previous years, and its scope becomes wider. Contrary to our country that have become weaker on the subject, abroad, Quds Day is a basic day, and you can see that this rally is being held in Europe and even in the United States. It can be said that Quds Day has become a serious virtue for the Islamic World, and since the beginning of such a day and such a slogan in the last 40 years, great strategies have been created. Most importantly, in the face of the liberalism that dominated the Palestinian cause, some people were revived on the day of Al-Quds on the occasion of the Palestinian cause.
The purpose of holding the Oslo Summit and various political meetings was only one thing; To silence the awakening movement of Palestine; But they did not succeed.
Q: Many argue that supporting Palestine is merely an ideological issue for Iran, and that it is against national interests. On the other hand, some see the existence of the Israeli regime as a geopolitical threat to the Middle East and Iran itself, and believe that Zionist regime's attempt to become a superior power in the Middle East, is a threat to the country and the Middle East. What is your opinion on this matter?
Incidentally, one of the mistakes of this current of thought is that they do not pay attention to the history or the realities of the region. If we are not in the Mediterranean, our negotiations for concessions must be on our borders. But when we are in the Mediterranean, our negotiations will be on the edge of the Mediterranean, so we can get a point for every step. Part of securing Iran's national interests is the Palestinian cause. We are not fooling around in this matter, our goal is clear, we are moving forward and there are no formalities on this path.
The framework of this issue has been determined by the Supreme Leader of the Revolution and there is no affiliation. In this way, we can reach a common ground with the world for the Palestinian cause. The Israelis want to be always involved and take advantage of the West for themselves. The Zionists have counted on the futility of the nations. We have the same experience with the Fatah organization. They also went to Hamas and we have the experience. The big question that needs to be answered is whether the countries that pursued the policy of normalization in their relations with Zionist Regime do not pose a threat to them? Or the threat from Israel has increased.
Egyptians and Jordanians had normalized much earlier with the Zionist regime, now do you think that the situation is better in Jordan or Syria? In the case of the compromise movement (if we call it a movement), the United States gives the Israelis from the land of others. This was Donald Trump's statement, which was not welcomed by the international community. They made a statement and they have read it; But they didn't even hear it themselves, and it didn't resonate anywhere in the world, and many countries condemned it and called it a useless statement.
In the case of the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem, did any country recognize it and imitate the work of the United States? Some political activists say things to capture the minds of the younger generation. Which of the people who chanted the slogan "Neither Gaza, nor Lebanon, I will only sacrifice my life for Iran" has given a drop of blood to Iran that they are talking about Iran like this? In the case of Corona, those who chanted such slogans did not take a single step for the people, and you saw that there were people in this who believed in the originality of the revolution. These slogans are not born in the Iranian atmosphere and they are not permanent.
Q: You mentioned the slogan of "Neither Gaza, nor Lebanon, I will only sacrifice my life for Iran", Why couldn't we explain the logic of supporting Palestine to the people?
We have a lot of cultural problems. We have not yet been able to properly explain the culture of saga and Holy Defense to the people. The struggles that took place during the time of the Holy Defense did not occur in any period of Iran's history and are not comparable at all. Ferdowsi wrote a book called "Shahnameh" about the conflicts between Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni and his half-defeated army, in which history is epic and mythical. For eight years we fought with all the world's powers and created epics that are in no way repetitive. Legends emerged during this war that appear only once in history, such as General Soleimani.
We have not yet been able to properly explain the epic of the Holy defense. The reason is government culture. We would not have faced this situation if we had removed culture and art from the abstract state and given them to educated people spontaneously. I have a broad cultural critism and I don't think it's always possible to praise. The result of praise is that we have not been able to incorporate and understand our social culture as we did little in our cultural identity.
Unfortunately, we have a weakness in this area and we have to accept it and we will not get anywhere until we identify our weaknesses. Therefore, the critique of our cultural identity and cultural performance is a fact, and the result we see today is that those in charge are responsible for not being able to discern and therefore cannot do anything.
Q: What has been the impact of Iran's position on the issue of resistance and the issue of Palestine? You mentioned the impact of the revolution on the issue of Palestine, I would like you to explain how the Iran has affected this issue.
The resistance is separate from the Palestinian issue. The resistance began with Hezbollah, anti-arrogance, anti-tyranny and anti-Israel; But its scope became very wide. Today, there is no resistance in Islamic movements. In Latin America, leftist movements are an element of resistance. In South Asia, social movements are part of the resistance. The concept of resistance is non-submission to foreign powers, endurance against the system of domination, self-awareness, self-construction and public readiness of nations against any imposition of power. The concept of global resistance has found its way.
Resistance has played a key role in all parts of the Islamic world, from Iraq and Syria to Pakistan. Today, Iran plays a role as much as any other influential country in the resistance movement. Another depiction of resistance has become literature. It is true that the leadership of this movement has been with Iran; But if Iran withdraws today, rest assured that the resistance will not diminish. Because a self-founded and spontaneous intellect affects the scene of resistance. Resistance is like an arrow that is released from a bow and is moving.
Cultural sphere and the sphere of influence of intellect, as well as the spirit of the people, have caused the cultural borders of Iran today to be much wider than its geographical borders. Iran has been the founder and the creator of the resistance movement, and that is why millions of people are committed to it. Many in the power system say that resistance is a movement like the twentieth century in which the movements and leftist movements of the time became events that turned the world into two poles. They believe that the resistance is forming a bipolarity called nations on the one hand and governments on the other.
The philosophy of resistance is becoming more and more in people's minds and hearts. The same story of the martyrdom of General Soleimani that testifies to how widespread the resistance is among the people. Personally, I had a good and very close relationship with him, I did not imagine that he had become a process and literature of global resistance. In India, 800 cities mourned. There was no place in the Islamic world that did not mourn for Martyr General Soleimani. In Caracas, a ceremony was held in honor of him, and one of the European diplomats told me that I had never seen such a ceremony in my life, for a foreign general to hold such a decorum.
If you know, the most photographed and sold photo in the world is the photo of Ernesto Che Guevara. Che Guevara's photo is still the most popular in the world, and many people design his photo on their clothes. No one in the world, from artists to celebrities and the powerful, has yet to reach the position of Che Guevara. Che Guevara has been and continues to be the Latin American people's struggle against the system of domination. There are people who have not seen Che Guevara; But they have a picture of him on their chest. Now, the photo of General Soleimani and Che Guevara together has been engraved on the chests of many people.
Gen Qasim's photo is sold on T-shirts in different parts of the world. The world of force and irrational hegemons and the world of deep-seated and freedom-loving elites are facing each other and gradually becoming the world of resistance. Failures and inadequacies in our country return to the issue of bad governance, and the lack of proper management has caused us to face all of these problems. If we had someone like Mahathir Mohamad or Putin in the executive management, would our country be like this and would there be illegal seizures in the economy? But China has a political commitment to reach. Today, China is doing the most to fight the US domination system.
Q: You mentioned the subject of General Soleimani. When it comes to Palestine, the extents of this issue and the role of General Soleimani's martyrdom cannot be ignored. We witnessed in General Soleimani's funeral even Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau delivered a speech. Tell us more about General Soleimani's role in the Palestinian issue.
General Soleimani was one of the sons of the Revolution and the Imam and one of the influential figures of the contemporary Palestinian movement, and along with the likes of Musa Sadr, Martyr Chamran and many other great fighters throughout the Islamic world, he fought for the liberation of Holy Quds. General Soleimani was one of the sons of this movement and his blood was mixed with this process. He is a phenomenon for everyone to witness and an opportunity for everyone to win.
Q: During their historic Friday prayers, the Supreme Leader of the Revolution raised the issue of Soleimani's School. With his position on the issue of Palestine and the resistance, can we say that the Suleimani's school is a continuation of the path that was initiated by Imam Khomeini on the occasion of naming Quds Day?
Soleimani's School is a school of resistance. From this school, we can extract Soleimani's resistance and managerial thinking. He had managerial thinking and command. the General did not say go, but always said come. Soleimani told us to go together. The Soleimani's School is a school of forgotten virtues and values. Soleimani created a literature that there was a resistance. I read the literature of resistance and the role of Soleimani in Kerman about five years ago and it was published. Soleimani, as a commander, was a school. He was an idea that was the resistance. He was also a school in the face of incompatibility with the system of domination. General Soleimani was also a school of thought that preferred morality to power.
Soleimani never ignored the truth and considered the virtue of the people's struggles to be the truth and followed it with faith, and that is why God supported him.
Q: Palestine has a special place in the eyes of the late Imam and the leader of the revolution. Labik's call for the oppressed is also enshrined in the constitution. In the meantime, some people wonder why is Iran not involved in defending the oppressed muslims in China, India or Myanmar?
It should be noted that Jerusalem is the first qibla of Muslims and has been a sacred valley. Therefore, we cannot put the issue of Palestine next to others. Of course, it should also be taken into account that Iran is entering other places and giving consultations. We prioritize. Iran's foreign policy is based on national interests; But Palestine is inseparable. Palestine is in our sustainable strategy. We have talked to many countries about the conditions of muslims in the region. If our national resources allow, these talks will be clearer and would be taken care of peacefully.
We talked and collaborated in the Balkans. In Russia and Chechnya, we talked and worked together to solve people's problems. In China, too, we have given advice and negotiations; But we will never violate our national interests. Those who happen to criticize why Iran's foreign policy is not in the national interest are the ones who say in the case of China and Russia why Iran is silent. Incidentally, we take into account the national interests of the country, and in any case, we are in accordance with the conditions and interests.
Q: Your name is associated with the State Department because your positions as former Iranian ambassador to France. Can you describe the actions taken by the diplomatic apparatus of Iran in the last 42 years on the issue of Palestine?
Of course, I was not responsible for the Palestinian issue in the diplomatic apparatus; But the State Department has done a lot. We have several departments in the State Department that deal with the Palestinian issue. In the international section, we have a section that follows the issue of Palestine in the international arena and the United Nations. In the bilateral section, the General Directorate of the Middle East of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is following this issue with special attention. The minister himself has a special assistant for Palestinian affairs and the issue of Holy Quds. In many ways, the State Department is involved in the Palestinian issue.
However, it should be noted that the State Department should not take much action. Most of the work of the diplomatic apparatus is classified, and therefore many of these measures are not reflected. As a person who has been in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has experience in diplomacy in the ranks and headquarters of diplomacy, I would like to say that this institution has made great efforts on the issue of Palestine and many people have been and are involved in this issue. The late Hussein Sheikh al-Islam was known for his views on Palestine and Hezbollah. In the alleys and back alleys of Syria and Lebanon, the people have known Sheikh al-Islam very well. These issues are the current reality in the diplomatic apparatus; But many of these measures are not mentioned.
It will be several years since the Supreme Leader ordered the fall of Israel, almost 25 yearsto be exact, and we are witnessing the regime's growing crisis. These include four elections in one year, numerous allegations of corruption against the prime minister, and the discussion of the deal of the century and the international community's opposition to it. In your opinion, what is the current situation of the Zionist regime and I wanted to know if the collapse of this regime is really happening?
The collapse of Israel has gradually begun, the exact time of which, of course, I do not know. This is related to the enthusiasm of the nations, and if the enthusiasm of the Islamic nations can increase its power, this collapse will certainly take place sooner. This is a historic gospel. If you had been told 50 years ago that the Soviet Union would be falling apart, no one would have believed it. Or if they had said 25 years ago that America's global hegemony was being targeted, no one would have believed it; But you see, that's what happened. These things are the glad tidings from God, and some people understand these things, while we ordinary people are unable to understand them.
We hope for the fulfillment of this promise, and having hope is part of our Iranian social culture.
Q: We are facing a coronavirus crisis this year, and this has prevented the Quds Day Rally from taking place. Will this cause the issue of Palestine and the ideal of Jerusalem to be marginalized or forgotten?
Next year, you will see that Quds Day will be more glorious than ever. This is a political ploy by the government not to hold a rally. You can be sure that if the officials of the regime had known that Coronavirus had entered the country on the 20th of Bahman, they would have canceled the 22nd Bahman's rally and the elections. The hallmark of government decision-making is this rational action. Israel may be happy this year that Coronavirus has won; But what can they do next year? How does Israel respond to the people's resistance? You can be sure that next year people will participate in the Quds Day ceremony twice.
Q: This year, Quds Day will be the first time that the Supreme Leader of the Revolution will speak live with the Muslim Community, apart from the fact that it will be different from other years due to the lack of a rally. As a politician with experience in diplomacy, what do you think about leader's orders on Quds Day?
The idea is that Leader wants to address the pain and suffering of the Islamic world, while at the same time explaining the reason for the wave of Islamic movements in their own words, which are creating waves. The words of laeder are making waves in the Islamic world, and I think he will use this opportunity to talk directly to the Islamic community. This year, all the people who took to the streets to march on Quds Day will sit at home and listen to the his speeches as one of the most significant speeches the Supreme Leader of the Revolution.
Mehr News Agency