Experts comment on International Quds Day

On the occasion of International Quds Day, we reached out to some experts, politicians, and religious figures to share their viewpoints with our readers on the important issue of Palestine.

The International Quds Day is an annual event during which demonstrators express their solidarity with the Palestinian people and opposition to the occupation of the Palestinian territories by the Zionist regime of Israel.

The day is seen as the legacy of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, who officially declared the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as International Quds Day back in 1979. The auspicious day is not merely meant for the declaration of support for an oppressed nation who have been driven out of their motherland and homes but has become the symbol of fighting Arrogance and global hegemons.

Every year people around the world pour into the streets to cast their support to the people of Palestine and express their indignation at the apartheid regime of Israel, which has occupied Palestinian territories since 1967. Quds Day is a unique form of a wide-aware campaign against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

International Quds Day is also held in several other countries, mainly in the Arab and Muslim world, with protests against Israel regime’s occupation of East Quds. Rallies are held in various cities by both Muslim and non-Muslim communities around the world.

To shed light on the issue, Mehr news conducted interviews with some experts. Following are the text of the interviews with them:

Some Arab countries are seeking to normalize ties with the Israeli regime and they have even started producing TV series on the issue to affect public opinion. Why do you think they pursue such normalization?

Lendman: Since Britain’s 1917 Balfour Declaration during WW I, historic Palestine was targeted for elimination by the West. US-dominated Western policy remains the same, one-sidedly favoring the Israel regime, dismissive of Palestinian rights.

Jack Kennedy was the sole exception. Wanting peace over war, rapprochement with Soviet Russia, nuclear disarmament, respect for Palestinian rights, and the CIA disbanded, along with opposition to Pax Americana, made him a marked man — CIA assassins eliminating him.

Endless conflict, occupation, dispossession, and repression, along with social and cultural fragmentation define conditions for beleaguered Palestinians – over 100 years of suffering, no end of it in prospect, the world community dismissive of their rights.

Most Arab states were co-opted by the US and West during and after WW I, especially post-WW II.

None threatened Israel regime after the October 1973 Yom Kippur war — a near half-century of letting the Jewish state terrorize Palestinians with no threat of Arab community retaliation.

Today most Arab states, notably the Saudis and other Persian Gulf states, have or are seeking normalized ties with Israel regime— treating the Jewish state as a member of the Western community of nations.

As long as the US and Europe want things this way, Arab states will go along to assure normal political and economic relations with the West.

It’s all about serving their interests. Normalized relations with the Israel regime works to their advantage. Defenseless Palestinians have no saying about it so they’re considered expendable.

Without regional aid in helping them achieve liberation from oppressive Israeli occupation, they’re largely on their own to resist, their only viable option.

Do you believe such measures will be fruitful at the end of the day for legitimizing the Israeli occupation?

Lendman: I believe nations at war with their own people and cross border against others like the US, other NATO states, Israel regime, the Saudis, and other despotic Arab nations are doomed to decline and fall over time.

It was the fate of all empires in history, the same fate for many repressive regimes. Over time, they became their own worst enemies. The US has been in decline for decades, especially post-9/11. Evidence one day may show that COVID-19 outbreaks and economic collapse affecting the world community were made in the USA for greater consolidation of wealth and power, along with other diabolical aims that include mass vaxxing with what’s hazardous to human health and welfare.

No nation in history caused more harm to more people over a longer duration than the US. Other NATO countries, Israel regime, and complicit Arab states operate as junior partners against peace, equity, justice, and the rule of law.

72 years have passed since the Israeli regime’s occupation of the Palestinian lands; where is the regime standing today in terms of identity as well as the political and social status?

Dovid Weiss: Before I answer the question I’d like to state our viewpoint as traditionally Orthodox Jews. We oppose Zionism because it is an anti-Jewish philosophy of building a sovereign homeland for Jews while in a divinely decreed exile, which is forbidden by the Jewish religion. Also, this homeland was established in Palestine by committing all kinds of crimes against its people, which is a violation of Jewish religious laws towards fellow human beings. We don’t support “two states for two peoples”; we support the return of the entire land to the Palestinian people. We believe that peaceful non-militant Jews will be able to live under a Palestinian state in peace.

During the 72 years of occupation, there have been different phases, from wars with neighboring countries to negotiations with Palestinians with the goal of a two-state solution (of course these negotiations were never meant to lead anywhere, and at the same time the Zionists built more and more settlements). With the future of two states completely undermined, we will be seeing more of a push for one democratic state, in which Jews will soon be a minority. The Israelis know this and that is why Netanyahu and his party have been passing laws to declare Israel the nation-state of the Jewish people. Of course, this is ridiculous because he can’t claim to represent Judaism or the Jewish people, whether they reside in or out of their state.

What do the current political crises and rifts among the Israeli authorities, as well as the regime’s undermined security, suggest?

Dovid Weiss: First let’s not forget what the Almighty states in the holy Torah: “Why do you transgress the word of the Almighty? It will not be successful!” (Numbers 14:41). Going against the Torah’s command by forming a Jewish state and/or oppressing others, will not succeed in the end.

Part of the rift in politics is over the drafting of religious Jews into the army. All the secular parties are determined to draft the religious; their dispute is over whether to do it by force or to “accustom” them to it slowly. The religious have always refused to serve in the army because they are opposed to the state and its wars. There have been constant protests over this subject, and we have appealed to the UN.

As I said earlier, the Torah view is opposed to all the Israeli political parties and to the state as a whole. Our communities living in the Holy Land refuse to take any part in the State of Israel and constantly protest its illegal existence and the crimes it commits. We promote that the illegal occupation should be speedily and peacefully dismantled in its entirety.

Based on the available data on the US and Britain’s arms and financial support to the Israelis, how do you see the role of Washington and London in the formation and realization of the Zionist regime?

Dovid Weiss: Unfortunately, the Zionists have succeeded in getting many countries to support them. They misused the Holocaust and the long history of anti-Jewish persecution to convince people that Jews need their own state. This is what gave them the ability to establish their state and keep it going with world support to this day while ignoring the position of authentic religious Jews in the Holy Land and around the world. We hope that this false narrative won’t be accepted much longer, but rather the world will see the truth and end the support for this unacceptable criminal State. This, with the help of the Almighty, will certainly help and accelerate the end of the occupation, speedily and peacefully.

The Israeli regime has been struggling to repel the Palestinians’ and Lebanese’ resistance movement in the past years; have the Zionists been successful in this regard? And will these efforts help Tel Aviv survive?

Dovid Weiss: They have been unfortunately partially successful militarily, so to say, inflicting terrible casualties and damage. But they will never be able to stop the liberation of the Palestinian people and enjoy a truly successful occupation. They will never reach true success in their rebellion against the Almighty, as mentioned above.

Let us look at the recent history of the Palestinian people. What other people have been exiled for so long and still maintains refugee status, and (on the whole) refuses to accept citizenship or a comfortable life anywhere else? From a religious Jewish point of view, seeing the hand of the Almighty in world events, the Palestinian’s steadfast resolve shows that the Almighty is not letting the Zionists succeed. This is because of the same verse in the Torah I quoted earlier (question 2): rebellion against the Almighty will not succeed.

The normalization process of Arab-Israeli ties has been accelerated in recent years, and they are not hiding it anymore; what are the main reasons behind such measures by the Israeli regime?

Dovid Weiss: We can’t comment, nor do we know, the Zionist political motives. But it is clear that one benefit to them is to make peace with one part of the Arab and Muslim world at a time so that they don’t have everyone against them at once.

The US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds in 2017; how much did this measure favor the legalization process of the Zionist regime?

Dovid Weiss: We feel that the moving of the embassy was a tragic move. It does give the Zionist regime a feeling of impunity that it can now proceed to annex more and more land and get the American rubber stamp. But many Americans are not happy with this and it can eventually be reversed if enough Americans become aware of the injustice.

Sameyah said the auspicious day is not merely meant for the declaration of support for an oppressed nation who have been driven out of their motherland and homes but has become the symbol of fighting arrogance and global hegemons.

In other words, he added, fighting the Zionist regime today is fighting the global Arrogance and the hegemonic order, and all freedom-seekers of the world have been living up Imam Khomeini’s ideals by participating in Quds Day rallies.

“This unity, which is shown in all world countries, increases the pressure on the occupying regime and will finally force them to stop their crimes against the Palestinians,” Sameyah said.

Noting that all true believers have been following this goal, he said, “The Iranian Jews have always considered themselves as part of the Islamic Republic, and will always stand by their oppressed brothers and sisters in Palestine.”

“The declaration of disgust by the Jewish community in Iran, as well as other countries, of the Israeli regime’s brutal actions, is a testament to this fact,” he added.

Every year people around the world pour into the streets to cast their support to the people of Palestine, however, this year, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, rallies will have a different shape and style.

Iranian Jews, Christians, and other religious minorities join the rallies to live up to Imam Khomeini’s true purpose on declaring the Quds Day and show unity and solidarity with their oppressed brothers and sisters in Palestine.

Referring to the Nakba Day, which was marked on May 15, on the anniversary of the establishment of the Israeli regime in 1948 and the forcible expulsion of about 700,000 Palestinians from their lands, Sameyah said such unity in backing Palestinians’ resistance has hampered the Zionist regime’s struggles to find a fixed global position in the past seven decades.

“The more time passes, the more the Israeli regime faces global isolation, contrary to its longstanding wish for a fixed position among the world countries,” Sameyah said.

He added, “During these years, not only has this regime committed massive massacres and oppression of the Palestinian people, but it has also created insecurity and fomented tensions and conflicts in the Middle East region.”

“Such disturbing measures have revealed the vicious nature of the regime to all freedom-seekers in the world, and have consequently added to the isolation of the Zionists,” he underlined.

He touched upon the internal and external crises the Zionist regime is grappling with, saying that the regime’s brutal crimes will not last long.

“We all hope to see the decline of this regime in the near future and to see the freedom of the oppressed people of Palestine and their attainment of their rights,” he said.

Some Arab countries are seeking to normalize ties with the Israeli regime and they have even started producing TV series on the issue to affect public opinion. Why do you think they pursue such a normalization?

E Michael Jones: Political entities always seek political solutions by pretending that moral considerations are extraneous or can be avoided by compromise. This is the fatal temptation of politicians who have a relatively short time in office and want to go down in history as having achieved something lasting. They can always be defeated by those who have the long view.

Do you believe such measures will be fruitful at the end of the day for legitimizing the Israeli occupation?

E Michael Jones: The only lasting solution to the Palestinian question is one that takes into account the rights of the Palestinian people. Those who claim, with Thrasymachus, that justice in the opinion of the powerful will only bring about more violence.

The world will mark the International Quds Day, on Friday. How do you assess the importance and role of this day in defending the right of Palestinians?

E Michael Jones: The fact that we are celebrating Al Quds day means that we have not lost sight of the transcendent principles which can provide the only lasting solution to the problems created by the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.

And as the last question, the regime in Tel Aviv suffers from internal disputes between parties as it has failed to form a government. What’s your take on these domestic struggles?

Those who abandon moral principles in their quest for power will have no way adjudicating disputes with each other.