Salehi : Keeping Palestine Issue Alive Is A Sacred Job

Isfahan, Sept 6, IRNA - Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Wednesday that keeping the Palestine issue alive is considered a sacred job. Salehi made the remarks in a message sent to the 3th international festival on "Islamic Resistance" being held at Abbasi hotel in Isfahan. He also referred to resistance for the sake of unity as among values underlined by the Holy Quran. Fighting tyranny and supporting the oppressed Palestinians are based on Islamic values, Salehi said, adding that this is among the most important and pivotal aspects of the issue of Palestine. It is about six decades that some tyrannical forces have driven out the Muslim Palestinians from their mother land and occupied their homeland, Salehi said. Palestine is the first Qibla (direction in which Muslims say their prayers) for Muslims , he said. The Zionist regime by resorting to force and deception try to divert world public opinion in a bid to dominate Palestine in a step by step policy, he said. Referring to new illegal settlements on the Palestinian territories and change of their Islamic names, he said the Zionist regime was strongly continuing Judaization of holy Quds. If the voices of the oppressed Islamic Ummah is not heard, the issue of Palestine will be forgotten gradually, he said. Referring to designation of the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as Quds Day by late Imam Khomeini, he said the Islamic Republic of Iran has revived the issue of Palestine and this year with ratification of Quds Day by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, people's protest rallies were held in many Islamic states. The Islamic Republic of Iran with reliance on its committed and courageous people has demonstrated a new model of Islamic resistance to Islamic countries, he said. This helped world Muslims call for their legitimate rights, he said. Referring to Islamic Awakening in North Africa and Middle East region, he said the Islamic awakening led to toppling of many puppet regimes and this will help the Palestinian people in the future. "We are optimistic about the future of Islamic Ummah and the fate of people in the region and predict a very brilliant prospect for their move in the path of unity worldwide," he said. The 3th international festival on "Islamic Resistance" was held in Isfahan on Wednesday and will be concluded on Thursday. Representatives from 50 countries such as Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Tunisia, Bahrain, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Russia have attended the regional event./end