Ayatollah Khamenei and Khaled Meshaal

Supreme Leader Meets Khaled Meshaal  
15/12/2009  

Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution met this afternoon with Khaled Meshaal, the political leader of Hamas, and his accompanying delegation. Speaking at the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei said that Iran will not change its stance on the Palestinian issue. 

The Supreme Leader expressed his appreciation for the resistance of the Palestinian people and Palestinian resistance groups, including Hamas. 

He further reiterated that resistance, reliance on God, and taking action are the three factors which can help Palestinians achieve victory. 

His eminence said that the future is promising for the Palestinian people despite all the hardships and the crimes and atrocities which are committed against them. He added: "God has promised that the ultimate victory belongs to those who believe in Him and engage in jihad on His path." 

Ayatollah Khamenei further stated that there are two aspects to the events happening in Palestine and referred to these events as one of the greatest events of history. He further added: "One aspect of these events is the resistance of the Palestinian people in the face of the greatest pressures, and the other aspect is the betrayal of some so-called Arab Muslims towards the Palestinian people." 

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the resistance of Hamas leaders against pressures, threats, and political games as highly valuable and stated: "The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the issue of Palestine as a domestic issue and views supporting the Palestinian people as a religious and Islamic duty." 

His Eminence referred to the efforts of the enemies to lead the Islamic Republic of Iran towards adopting an indifferent stance on the issue of Palestine and added: "They have made every effort to achieve this goal, but their efforts have proven futile." 

Ayatollah Khamenei said that the issue of Palestine is one of the main reasons for the enmity of the global arrogant powers towards the Islamic Republic. He further stated that such enmity would have been greatly reduced if the Islamic Republic had changed its stance on the Palestinian issue. "But the Islamic Republic will stand firm in this regard and will never change its current position," he noted. 

His Eminence said that finding an appropriate solution for the issue of Palestine will help solve many of the problems of the Islamic Ummah. He further referred to the recent threats of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people and added: "If the Zionist regime starts another war against the people of Gaza, it will receive even a harder blow in the mouth this time. And they will suffer a heavier defeat which will disgrace them even further in the world."

In this meeting, Khaled Meshaal expressed his appreciation for the supportive stance of the Supreme Leader and the Iranian nation and government towards the Palestinian people. 

He also presented a report on the latest conditions of Gaza and the West Bank, further adding: "Resistance is a strategic decision which has been made by Hamas, the resistance forces, and the Palestinian people. And we will not give in to political and military pressures by any means."