In first, Iran's President addresses Palestinians in Gaza, vows full support for resistance

Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi delivered a novel speech to an annual pro-Palestine rally in the Gaza Strip. This was one-of-its-kind recognition from Iran of the importance of the Hamas militant group that controls the territory. Raisi delivered the speech virtually to a gathering of hundreds of supporters of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group gathered at a soccer field in Gaza City.

Raisi’s speech appeared to mend a rift between Hamas and its long-time patron, Iran, over the devastating civil war in Syria. For years, Iran has been following the path of quiet diplomacy in Palestine’s internal politics, but on Friday the Iranian President praised the “Palestinian fighters”.

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Raisi dismissed Hamas’ domestic political rival, the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, which has long sought to win Palestine statehood through negotiations with Israel. The Palestinian Authority administers autonomous enclaves in West Bank.

In his speech on “Jerusalem Day” or al-Quds Day, Raisi struck a hard line against the Palestinian Authority’s recent regional meetings with Israel in Aqaba, Jordan, and Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

A spike in violence in Israel and the West Bank, part of it in response to an Israeli police raid on the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem last week, has undermined the summits, which aimed to de-escalate mounting Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

Violence in Jerusalem last week

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam, which is located in Jerusalem. The mosque is built on top of a walled esplanade, which was the site of biblical Jewish temples and is considered the holiest site in Judaism.

The complex has been a hotspot in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Last week, Israeli police evicted Palestinian worshippers who had locked themselves inside the mosque with stones and firecrackers in order to seek the right to pray there overnight.

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Following the raid, in which hundreds of Palestinians were detained and many were injured, Palestinian militants fired rockets towards Israel from Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.

The Hamas leader in Gaza, Yehiyeh Sinwar, praised the rocket fire during Friday’s rally. “The response came like a simple electric shock,” Sinwar said.

Al-Quds Day marches have been drawing thousands to the streets of the Middle East for the past four decades. The event is most noteworthy in Iran, where crowds burn Israeli flags and chant “Death to Israel and America”.

What Raisi said in his address

“The initiative to self-determination is today in the hands of the Palestinian fighters,” Raisi said, dismissing the PA that nominally rules parts of the West Bank.

“Let everyone know that we have no hesitation in supporting the resistance,” he added.

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Despite being a Sunni Muslim organisation, Hamas has a terrorist component that has long maintained close links with Iran, a source of finance and a Shiite powerhouse. The shared hatred of Israel binds Hamas and Iran together. While Iran has not revealed the specifics of its assistance, Hamas has publicly hailed the Islamic Republic.

Experts claim Iran's assistance is both financial and political, with the terrorist organisation now receiving blueprint technology, engineering know-how, and training to enable it to build its own handmade arsenal of powerful rockets capable of striking all of Israel's land.

(With inputs from agencies)

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