Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and Palestine as the permanent axis of the Islamic Revolution

Said Marcos Tenório, historian, international relations specialist, founder and vice-president of the Brazil-Palestine Institute (Ibraspal), and author of the book *Palestine: From the Myth of the Promised Land to the Land of Resistance*, wrote in a note about the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution:

For Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the defense of Palestine was never a peripheral issue of foreign policy. Rather, it constituted the enduring axis of his political, diplomatic, and strategic vision throughout nearly four decades of leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Palestinian cause was no longer merely a regional issue, but became one of the fundamental principles of the Iranian state. Under the leadership of Ayatollah Khamenei, this commitment was deepened and consolidated as an embodiment of the struggle against colonialism, occupation, and foreign hegemony in the Middle East.

From his perspective, Palestine represented the greatest contemporary injustice imposed upon a people deprived of their land, sovereignty, and right to self-determination.

For this reason, he consistently rejected initiatives that reduced the Palestinian issue to limited negotiations or agreements sponsored by Western powers, arguing that no agreement could be considered legitimate if it preserved occupation, denied the right of return for Palestinian refugees, or continued to negate the national rights of the Palestinian people. For him, the liberation of Palestine was a matter of historical justice and international law – not a diplomatic concession.

This stance continued the legacy of Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, who made Jerusalem and Palestine one of the fundamental pillars of the revolution. Even while facing a devastating war, decades of economic sanctions, international isolation, and continuous military threats, Ayatollah Khamenei never relegated Palestine to a secondary concern. On the contrary, he believed that the defense of Palestine was inseparable from the defense of Iran's own independence and sovereignty. Throughout his leadership, he transformed this commitment into a permanent state policy, and Tehran became one of the main centers of dialogue between Palestinian resistance leaders.

In successive meetings with delegations from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other organizations, Khamenei repeatedly emphasized the Islamic Republic's political, spiritual, and material support, while simultaneously encouraging greater coordination among the various resistance movements.

Beyond hosting these meetings, Khamenei played a crucial role in fostering closer cooperation between Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, supporting permanent mechanisms for political and strategic coordination among the resistance forces. His belief was that division serves the interests of occupation, while unity strengthens the path of liberation.

Iran's support went beyond verbal solidarity. Under Khamenei's leadership, the Islamic Republic provided diplomatic support, material aid, and assistance in international forums aimed at strengthening the resilience and capabilities of Palestinian organizations.

At the same time, Khamenei conferred moral and religious legitimacy to the Palestinian struggle, presenting it as a collective duty of the Ummah. By regularly receiving leaders of predominantly Sunni movements, he reiterated that Palestine transcends sectarian differences, turning resistance against Zionist occupation into a point of convergence between Shia and Sunni Muslims. This understanding also explains the central position of the Palestinian occupation within what is known as the Axis of Resistance.

For Khamenei, resistance was never merely a military response to occupation. It was a regional political project dedicated to defending the sovereignty of nations against foreign intervention. Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran formed a shared strategic architecture based on the belief that lasting regional stability depends on ending the occupation of Palestine and overcoming the colonial project represented by "Israel." This vision elevated the Palestinian issue far beyond the geographical borders of the Middle East.

For Imam Khamenei, Palestine became the preeminent contemporary symbol of the anti-colonial struggle, the right of peoples to self-determination, and resistance against imperialist domination. For his supporters, his greatest contribution was demonstrating that resistance is not merely a military strategy, but a political project capable of bringing together different peoples, Islamic schools of thought, and liberation movements around a common goal: ending occupation and establishing a free, independent, and sovereign Palestine.