A ‘dangerous plot’
Iran’s supreme leader slams US plan for ME peace; Israel demolishes Palestinian homes in Jerusalem
♦ Khamenei attacks KSA for its ‘stupidity’ in following the US
♦ EU urges Israel to stop home demolition
Iran’s supreme leader said yesterday that a US plan to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians through development fuelled by international investment was a “dangerous plot” to destroy Palestinian identity with money.
“This dangerous plot aims to eliminate Palestinian identity among the Palestinian people ... This is the main point that one should resist, and not allow them to eliminate the Palestinian identity using money,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during a meeting with a senior Hamas delegation.
Khamenei praised the Hamas terrorist group and the “resistance of the Palestinian people” during the meeting, saying, “victory will not be achieved without resistance and struggle,” according to a press release on Khamenei’s website.
He added that the Palestinian cause is the “first and most important issue” in the Islamic world, reported The Jerusalem Post.
The Iranian leader expressed appreciation of the “good and important” position of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, saying, “Hamas is at the heart of the Palestinian movement, as Palestine is at the heart of the movement of the Islamic world.”
“We have always stated our views on Palestine explicitly and clearly, and even in the international arena of our friends... they know that the Islamic republic is quite serious in the Palestinian affair,” Khamenei noted.
Khamenei stressed that if the Islamic world had been united on the Palestinian issue, “it would now be better off.” He attacked Saudi Arabia for its “stupidity” in following the US, because supporting the Palestinians could have “won them points” against America.
Meanwhile, Israel demolished a number of Palestinian homes it considers illegal south of Jerusalem early yesterday, in a move which has drawn international concern.
The Palestinians immediately slammed the demolitions in the Sur Baher area which straddles the West Bank and Jerusalem, but Israel defended the move as essential to its security.
Before dawn, hundreds of Israeli police and soldiers sealed off buildings in the area close to the Israeli security barrier which cuts off the occupied West Bank, an AFP journalist said.
The European Union yesterday urged Israel to immediately halt the razing of Palestinian homes, saying it undermined hope for a lasting peace in the region.