Araqchi: We must say three big global "no" to the Zionist regime

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA)-International Service: Part of Mr. Araqchi's note states: International Quds Day, the lasting memorial of the founder of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), as a symbol of resistance to oppression and occupation, has become more important today than ever before. In a situation where the crimes of the Zionist regime against the oppressed people of Palestine continue, the international community can take practical steps to end this situation by emphasizing the three big global "no"s: no to occupation, no to apartheid, and no to forced displacement.

The full text of the Iranian Foreign Minister’s note in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar on the occasion of International Quds Day is as follows:

International Quds Day is the unique legacy of Imam Khomeini (RA) for the liberation of the holy Quds; a legacy that stems from the deep understanding of the great founder of the Islamic Revolution of the soft and meaningful power of the manifest religion on the one hand and the prudence and courage of action by a great international leader on the other. In different societies or different political systems, there are many and diverse ideals and ideas, all of which are desirable and desirable; but ideas that, first, do not gain general acceptance and, second, do not become an agenda or action; remain merely beautiful and do not benefit societies; Without a doubt, Quds Day is one of the most unique examples of recognizing an idea in its various aspects and transforming it into an agenda or action for Islamic and even non-Islamic societies at the international level. 

Imam Khomeini’s (RA) art of recognizing an idea and transforming it into a liberating political action; A kind of exploitation of soft power or semantic power to move, to rise and to take action. This idea is, firstly, global and international in scale because it emphasizes a fundamental and absolute human value, namely the fight against occupation and oppression; secondly, it is permanent and enduring over time because as long as occupation and oppression exist, resistance to it and the fight against it will continue; and thirdly, it is effective in that the passage of time has made its necessity and tendency towards it more and more evident. 

That is why we observe that in recent years, and especially in the past two years, even in the streets of many Western countries, weekends have become numerous and frequent Quds Days of these days of the world; this is in fact the same ideal and idea of ​​the Imam that has become a plan for action on a global level.

Therefore, the necessity of today's world is no longer simply an attempt to rally in protest or sympathize with the Palestinian people, which we have passed through this stage with the initiative of the Imam (may Allah have mercy on him), but inspired by the international reception of the idea of ​​​​International Quds Day, it is time for governments around the world to organize legal, economic and international measures against the crimes of the occupying regime. Fortunately, in December 2023, with the timely action of South Africa in filing the case of the genocide of the Palestinians by the occupying regime at the International Court of Justice, numerous countries around the world, even non-Muslim countries, supported it; such measures need to be stronger, more effective and continue continuously until the end of the occupation. 

Therefore, on this year's International Quds Day, we continue to emphasize our unwavering commitment to the implementation of justice, the continuation of dignity and the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people. The oppressed Palestinian people have endured brutal occupation, apartheid policies of the Zionist regime, forced displacement and systematic attempts at colonial ethnic cleansing carried out by the Israeli regime for decades.

On this great day when we celebrate global solidarity with the Palestinian people, we must clearly emphasize three “no”s on a global scale against the policies of the Zionist regime: no to occupation, no to apartheid, and no to the annihilation of Palestine. The three big nos that have a solid legal and international backing are as follows:

First: No to occupation

Historical Palestine has been under the occupation of the Zionist regime for more than eight decades now, and every day a part of it is annexed to the territory of the occupier. So that today only 7 percent of historical Palestine remains. This cruel occupation is not only contrary to numerous international conventions, but has also been condemned by numerous resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations. Resolutions 338, 476, and 2334 are among the resolutions that have been adopted by the United Nations Security Council against the occupation of the Zionist regime; dozens of other non-binding resolutions have also been adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in opposition to this occupation. The settlements of the occupying regime in the Palestinian territory are clearly contrary to the Geneva Convention; the construction of the separation walls has also been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice. 

What the international community needs to do today in this regard is a big, comprehensive no to an occupation that the international community itself has expressed over the years by participating in resolutions against the occupation of the Palestinian territories. The legal foundations are ready and today, instead of gestures of freedom, decisive action is needed. 

Second: No to Apartheid

Apartheid (organized racial segregation) according to the laws Apartheid is considered a crime against humanity by the international community: The International Convention on the Suppression of the Crime of Apartheid (1973) recognizes apartheid as an international crime and condemns acts of racial oppression. The Statute of the International Criminal Court (Article 7) classifies apartheid as a crime against humanity and makes it subject to criminal prosecution. The UN Charter (Articles 1 and 55) emphasizes equality and human rights. UN General Assembly Resolution 1761 (1962): Condemns apartheid in South Africa and requires member states to impose sanctions on that country. In this regard, in 2022, the UN Commission of Inquiry established by the Human Rights Council reported that the policies of the Israeli occupation regime towards the Palestinians have created a system of apartheid. In addition, Amnesty International also identified the occupation regime as an apartheid entity in a report in the same year. Human Rights Watch also proved such a situation in the case of the Zionist regime in 2021 and introduced that regime as an apartheid system. 

Today, there is no doubt about the inhuman nature of the Israeli apartheid regime, and although the confirmation of the Zionist regime as apartheid has been proven based on credible international research and reports; it seems that the international supporters of this regime are still challenging this theory. 

Third: No to forced displacement and the annihilation of Palestine

Deportation or Forced Transfer is considered a war crime and a crime against humanity: the Fourth Geneva Convention (Article 49) prohibits the expulsion of the population in occupied territories. The Statute of the International Criminal Court (Articles 7 and 8) has included forced displacement among war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Convention on the Suppression of Genocide (1948) also explicitly states that forced displacement constitutes genocide if it is intended to destroy an ethnic, racial or religious group, as such. UN resolutions (such as 47/1993 on Bosnia) condemn forced displacement as ethnic cleansing. In addition to at least four UN Security Council resolutions opposing the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland, the annual resolution “The Situation of Palestine” adopted by the General Assembly every year emphasizes the right of the Palestinians to self-determination, the cessation of settlement construction, and the prohibition of forced displacement. In addition, the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (2004) as well as the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2016) are concerned with opposing the forced displacement of the Palestinian people and the right of return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland. Also, Resolution 31/36 (2016) of the United Nations Human Rights Council and Resolution 45/29 (2020) emphasize the prohibition of population transfers to the occupied Palestinian territories. 

Therefore, as was made clear in detail in the three aforementioned paragraphs, all three major international “no”s to the occupying regime have such a strong legal basis and global consensus that they have been lost in the midst of political disputes; therefore, it is essential that these three nos, given the continuation of the Zionist regime’s crimes against humanity, these unique legal bases be given more attention by the international community; and based on each of these three nos, it is possible to enter the field of planning and action and take action precisely based on what governments have stated their support for in international organizations to confront the occupying regime.

The Arab countries of the region should note that the resistance is an obstacle and deterrent against the unfinished demands of the West and the Zionist regime, not only around Lebanon and Palestine, but also the entire Arab world, and the realities on the ground have shown that if the resistance is weakened, not only the occupied territories but also other territories of the Arab world are at risk of aggression and aggression by the Zionist regime. 

In this regard, the Arab world and the international community can and must take concrete steps to oppose the policies of the Zionist regime and support the Palestinian people:

 

1- Supporting the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and freedom from occupation and apartheid

 

2- Trying to end the ongoing genocide in Gaza and effectively opposing the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from their land

 

3- Ending direct and indirect cooperation in Israeli crimes - including stopping arms sales, economic participation and diplomatic support that make occupation and apartheid possible.

4- Continuously prosecute and effectively punish the leaders of the Israeli occupation regime in accordance with international law through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The freedom of Palestine is not a distant dream, no apartheid system, no military occupation, and no colonial project can last forever. The voices of millions of people marching for Palestine around the world are proof that the struggle for justice is alive and unstoppable, and that awakened consciences will not give up until this lofty human and moral goal is achieved.