Only Palestinians Can Decide Palestine’s Fate - Tehran

By Staff, Agencies

In the run-up to the International Quds Day events, Iranian Foreign Ministry reminded the world community that Palestine’s fate is only to be decided by Palestinians, no matter what religion they practice.

“For seven decades, the international community failed to solve the question of Palestine since the plans proposed never corresponded with its [Palestine’s] historical facts and roots,” the Ministry wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.

“The Islamic Republic believes that only Palestinians, whether Muslim, Christian or Jew, with a national referendum can and should decide for Palestine,” it added.

Every year, millions of Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide to underscore the plight of Palestinians, heeding a call by the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, who designated the last Friday of every Ramadan as the International Quds Day.

This year’s Quds Day, however, will see no such street marches amid a deadly coronavirus pandemic. The occasion is instead set to be commemorated mainly via online events.

The occasion underlines the Palestinians’ right to return to their homeland after decades of displacement by the Zionist regime, which began alleging existence in 1948 after overrunning their lands during a Western-backed war. Still using Western patronage, the regime occupied more Palestinian and other territories in 1967 during a second war, and has ever since been propping up illegal settlements across the usurped areas.