Pezeshkian: Stopping Zionist regime must be most important priority

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the top priority for the countries of West Asia must be to stop the Israeli aggression in Gaza and attacks on Lebanon and Syria. 

“Today, we have gathered under circumstances where the West Asia region is experiencing a sensitive, complex, and unstable situation," he told a meeting on the situation in the Gaza Strip on the sidelines of the D-8 Developing summit in Cairo Thursday. 

"As we approach the final days of the fourteenth month of the Israeli regime’s war against Gaza, we are witnessing a series of atrocities that represent the epitome of all the tragedies and crimes in human history committed against the Palestinian people. Moreover, in recent months, the Zionist regime has been carrying out ruthless attacks in Lebanon and Syria,” he said.

Pezeshkian stressed that acts of aggression by the occupying regime in the past year have not only deprived the Palestinian people of their rights, such as the right to independence, self-determination, security, welfare, and education, but today it has also taken away their right to life, food and water, shelter, knowledge of the fate of family members, and a life free from the sound of explosions, particularly for children and women.

“The severity of the crimes committed by the Zionist regime in the Gaza Strip and the dire humanitarian and human rights situation are such that they have deeply wounded the conscience of all honorable human beings and have drawn the condemnation of all countries and international organizations,” he aid.

The Iranian president also stressed that there must be no delay whatsoever in confronting such crimes and widespread acts of aggression, urging that actions in this regard must be prioritized through cooperation and coordination.

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“The first step to stop these acts of aggression is to pressure this regime for a ceasefire in Gaza and to halt the attacks on Lebanon and Syria. This issue must be the most important human and ethical priority for the countries of the region and members of the D-8 organization,” Pezeshkian emphasized.

He also strongly called for the rapid withdrawal of the Zionist occupiers from the war-torn Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, stressing that the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza must be facilitated, mechanisms for the return of people to their homes in various areas of Gaza be organized.

The Iranian president further emphasized that the necessary arrangements for the reconstruction of war-ravaged areas must remain among the D-8’s top demands, as well as those of other international bodies.

“I would like to emphasize that the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes and supports any Palestinian-Palestinian agreement that is endorsed by the Palestinian people and has the consensus of all Palestinian groups. The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination must be respected, and their intellectual and political maturity in determining their own future and destiny must be honored,” Pezeshkian added.

The Iranian president also offered Iran’s proposals on the issue of Palestine for the consideration and decision-making of the members.

He called on the D-8 organization to create a support program for Palestine’s development and reconstruction, establishing a contact group to collaborate with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in halting the war on Gaza and providing humanitarian aid, and setting up a fund for rebuilding Gaza and Lebanon.

Pezeshkian also urged the organization to support the recognition of Israel as an apartheid entity and work to revive UN Resolution 3379, while forming a joint legal committee to support Palestine in international legal actions, including prosecuting Israeli officials for the deaths of over 17,000 Palestinian children.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian president stressed the urgent need to address the situation of refugees and the homeless, as well as the necessity for immediate international assistance to Lebanon, which suffered horribly by Israel’s aggression during the past few months.

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Regarding Israel’s devastating attacks against Syria’s infrastructure, particularly its military, he stressed that Iran strongly condemns the regime's attacks on the Arab country's infrastructure, property, and assets.

“We express complete dismay at the silence of international organizations and forums, particularly the United Nations, regarding the regime's aggressions and the occupation of Syrian territory. We call for the complete withdrawal of the occupiers and the restoration of stability and security to the country,” Pezeshkian stressed.

Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least 45,097 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 107,244 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

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