cleric deplores Israeli Gaza occupation plan, vows support till freedom of Palestine

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi made the remarks in a statement issued on Tuesday as a blatant territorial aggression and organized genocide, reported Taqrib News Agency (TNA).

He wrote,” Today, we stand against one of the most heinous and brazen crimes in contemporary history; the Zionist occupying and usurping regime, with the overt support of imperialist powers, seeks the complete occupation of Gaza, the eradication of the resilient Palestinian nation, and the total elimination of their identity and existence from their historical homeland.”

The cleric wrote,” This act is not only a blatant territorial aggression and organized genocide but also a clear violation of all legal, human, and religious norms on a global scale.”

The senior scholar deplored the plan as a clear violation of the United Nations Charter, especially the principle of prohibition of the use of force, the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in War, and numerous resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations regarding Palestine.

“According to the Statute of the International Criminal Court, these crimes are clear examples of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide”, asserted the director of Iran’s seminaries.

Ayatollah Arafi called on all governments, nations, scholars, thinkers, legal institutions and international organizations to:
1. Condemn the complete occupation of Gaza and declare it illegal and null and void.

2. Use all legitimate legal, political, economic and even deterrent means to stop the aggression.
3. Open the routes for the immediate delivery of humanitarian, food and medical aid to the people of Gaza without any conditions.

4. Prosecute the leaders of the Zionist regime as war criminals under international judicial proceedings.

He emphasized full solidarity with the Palestinian nation and vowed that the resistance will continue until the complete liberation of the land of Palestine, occupied al-Quds and all Islamic and Christian holy sites.