International conference on Palestine enters second day in Iranian capital Tehran

A general view of Tehran’s Islamic Summit Conference Hall hosting an international event in support of the Palestinian cause, February 21, 2017 (Photo by Mehr)

The Iranian capital, Tehran, is hosting the second day of an international forum in support of the Palestinian cause, with hundreds of foreign guests, including senior Palestinian leaders and officials of Muslim nations, in attendance.

The annual event, dubbed the 6th International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Intifada (Uprising), continued for a second and last day in Tehran on Monday morning with the motto of “Together Supporting Palestine.”

Around 700 foreign guests from dozens of countries and representatives of pro-Palestinian organizations are taking part in the conference.

The Monday round started with a speech by Iranian Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, who underlined the importance of resistance against Israeli occupation.

He said if Muslims and all those fighting the suppression “are looking towards the West, specifically the United States, to help the Palestinian cause, they are mistaken. It will never happen.”

The only way Palestinians will achieve liberation “is by putting their trust in God and continuing resistance,” the Judiciary chief added.

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri was the first foreign guest to give an address, during which he reaffirmed Baghdad’s support for the Palestinian cause of liberation from Israeli occupation and the rights of the Palestinian people.

He added that all Muslim countries should help Palestine “get up on its feet and become strong” as a state, condemning Israel for failing to abide by UN resolutions.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and senior international figures are scheduled to deliver speeches during the Monday session.

The Tehran conference opened on Tuesday with a brief address byIran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, who is the chairman, during which he referred to the Israeli regime’s increased activity to rally several regional states around itself and against Iran.

The summit was then officially inaugurated with an address by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Ayatollah Khamenei called the issue of Palestine the top priority of the Muslim world and all freedom seekers and urged all-out support for Palestinian resistance.

Intifada points to large-scale Palestinian protests against Israel’s 1967 occupation of their territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.

This handout photo provided by the official website of the Center for Preserving and Publishing the Works of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on February 21, 2017 shows delegations attending a conference on Palestine in Tehran. (Via AFP)

The first intifada took place between 1987 and 1993, and the second one in the 2000s. A total of 6,200 Palestinians died during the first two Palestinian uprisings.

The third such uprising has been underway since last August, when Israel imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinians into the al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound in East al-Quds. Israeli crackdown has so far claimed around 280 Palestinian lives.

The Leader said the third intifada, while being subject to more severe suppression by the Israeli regime than the previous two, will “begin a very important chapter” in the history of resistance.

Also addressing the first day’s proceedings were Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the head of the Palestinian resistance movement of Islamic Jihad, Ramadan Abdullah, as well as Omani and Malaysian top parliamentarians Khalid al-Mawali and Pandikar Amin Mulia.