Iranian President Raisi: ”Muslim countries must arm Palestinians”

On Saturday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi urged Muslim-majority nations to provide weaponry to Palestinians engaged in combat against the Israeli occupation forces.

“Muslim countries should arm the Palestinian people. Resistance is the only answer to Israeli violence. Countries around the world, including Muslim ones, should ensure the protection of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories,” he said at a Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh.

Marking the first visit of a sitting Iranian president to Riyadh in over a decade, Raisi advocated for an end to trade and collaboration between Muslim nations and “Israel” and called for a boycott of Israeli-linked products.

“There is no other way but to resist Israel. We are kissing the hands of Hamas for its resistance to the Israeli regime,” he added.

“Israel must immediately cease fighting in the Gaza Strip and withdraw its forces from there,” he further said, adding that an international trial of Israelis and Americans must be formed to prosecute those responsible for the genocide in Gaza.

Speaking further, the president declared, “America is the one who ordered its partner, the Zionist regime, to commit crimes against the Palestinians.”

He continued by accusing Washington of committing so many atrocities that it needs to be held accountable for the difficulties in the Islamic countries.

Raisi reiterated Iran’s call for a referendum in the occupied territories as the only solution to the conflict.

OIC must act

The visit to Saudi Arabia was at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Raisi revealed that Iran had requested an extraordinary summit on the war on Gaza a month ago, stressing the need for a landmark decision from Muslim countries.

Raisi urged the OIC to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete actions to address the urgent matter of Palestine.

“The immediate cessation of Israeli bombardments, mechanisms to help the oppressed people of Gaza, removal of the Israeli blockade, and the realization of Gazans’ rights should be the primary responsibilities of the OIC,” Raisi stated, emphasizing that the organization was originally founded to find a resolution to the Palestinian issue.

President Raisi drew attention to the gravity of the situation, citing the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, which have resulted in the tragic loss of over 11,000 Palestinian lives, including thousands of women and children

Syria, Iraq link perspectives

During a meeting held between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Iraqi counterpart Abdul Latif Rashid on the sidelines of the Arab-Islamic Joint Summit, both presidents strongly condemned the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip that is targeting civilians and hospitals.

The two leaders explored mechanisms by which Arab nations can stop the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

They emphasized the need for the immediate cessation of Israeli airstrikes and bombardment, the protection of the civilian population, ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged families, and providing safe passages for civilians.