Effect of Iran's Revolution
on battle with Zionists?

Qodsna (Tehran) - There is no doubt that the Islamic Revolution of Iran was an important turning point in the history of the Middle East region and specifically in the history of Palestine.

The conflict and battle with the Zionist regime has gone through two important and longtime stages since the beginning of the occupation of Palestine. The first phase of the Palestinian war began in 1948 when the Arab armies entered the wars that led to military defeats for the Arabs, but on the second phase of this conflict, the leaders of the Islamic resistance movements led it the against the occupying regime. The Lebanese movement, Hezbollah and the Palestinian resistance movements succeed to change the battle equation with the occupiers.

Regardless of the political or religious tendencies, the Palestinian people believe in resistance in various forms. The history of Palestine has never witnessed any religious or tribal conflict between the resistance movements, and from the very first moments of the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland and their forced immigration to other countries after the occupation of their land (known as the Nakba Day), Palestinians have defended their existence in different ways.

This armed struggle has played an essential and decisive role in the uprising and Intifada of the Palestinian nation and the revival of its national identity. This awakening and awareness of the Palestinians has coincided with the formation of the armed resistance movement, which has taken root within the Palestinian people and played an important role in organizing and mobilizing as well as arming them. It also has played an important role in participating in the resistance against the Zionist occupation.

Speaking to Quds News Agency, Osama Abu Nahl, Palestinian expert in the history of contemporary at Al-Azhar University, said that the history of the beginning of the Palestinian struggle against the Zionist occupiers dates back to 1955, when Mustafa Hafez al-Masri founded the Palestinian fighting battalion in the Gaza Strip dubbed "141 Battalion". This battalion group continued its struggle against Zionist regime until the martyrdom of its founder.

With the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1964, the Palestine Liberation Army was formed as a national army, but due to the domination and consolidation of the will of the Arab countries, it was not effective, he added.

With the announcement of the formation of the Palestinian national movement known as Fatah movement in early 1965, military operations against the Israeli occupation became more organized and precise. After the defeat of the Arabs in the 1967 war, several leftist organizations including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) were formed. These groups carried unique military operations either inside or outside of the occupied territories against Zionist regime, Abu Nahl noted.

Abu Nahl pointed out that the leftist groups adopted several methods in the struggle, the most important of which were operations abroad and hijacking of planes, which made the world aware of the suffering of the Palestinian nation. In the 1970s, many countries recognized the legitimate rights of the Palestinians and recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization as the representative of the Palestinian nation.

With the Zionist regime's military invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the occupation of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, the military capabilities of the PLO were destroyed.

The first Palestinian intifada took place at the end of 1987, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and the Islamic resistance movement (Hamas) were formed, and a new chapter began in the Palestinian resistance circles.

Pointing to the impacts of the Islamic Revolution of Iran and its victory on the nature of resistance and the formation of Islamic movements, he said: There is no doubt that the Islamic Revolution of Iran was an important turning point in the history of the Middle East region and specifically in the history of Palestine. This revolution was a beacon for all groups that believe in a national struggle. We see that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement was influenced by the concepts of the Islamic Revolution of Iran and the thoughts of Imam Khomeini which was emphasized by Fathi Shaghaghi, the founder of the movement.

Referring to the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the resistance movements of Palestine and Lebanon since the beginning of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he said that the Arab-Israeli conflict has gone through two important stages during its long history, the first stage of which actually began during the Palestinian War in 1948 in which the armies of some Arab countries went to war with the Zionist gangs.

Abu Nahl pointed out that Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei have played a prominent role in the Arab resistance movement and its military progress in all fields.

He clarified that Iran's unlimited support of the resistance movements has had a direct effect on changing the nature of the battle with the Zionist enemy, which has caused the Zionist regime to receive deep blows from the resistance.

Speaking to Quds News Agency, Zakaria Adwan, a professor at the Islamic University of Palestine explained the process of the struggle of the nation and Islamic resistance groups against the Zionist regime’s occupiers, saying that “We can say that the discourse of resistance is the strongest, most honest, and most effective discourse to fulfill the wishes of the Palestinian nation against the compromise political discourse that fights with resistance and normalizes relations with the occupiers.

Regarding the role of Imam Khomeini in guiding the direction of the Palestinian compass and reviving the Palestinian issue as the central and fundamental issue of the Islamic world, he said that the Islamic revolution changed the direction of the compass towards enmity with the Zionist occupation regime and fighting against it.

Imam Khomeini announced the Palestinian issue a central issue and stated that Al-Aqsa Mosque does not belong only to the Palestinian nation but to the entire Islamic nation, Adwan noted.

Political analyst and university professor, Hatem Al-Aila told qodsna that the Islamic Jihad movement is a revolutionary jihadist movement that believes in Islam as a religion and a religious state, and takes its fighting thinking from Islam and considers Palestine as the center of the battle.

He added that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement established strong relations with Iran after the victory of the Islamic revolution. Iran, as the main supporter of the Palestinian issue, supported this movement and other resistance groups.

Al-Aila said that Iran's support for the Palestinians originates from Iran's ideological point of view and the country's basic principle of supporting the oppressed is based on the revolutionary thought of Imam Khomeini. Iran emphasized that Israel is an illegitimate regime and its’ opposition to U.S. politics has had a positive impact on the depth of Iran's relations with Palestinian resistance movements, especially between Islamic Jihad and Iran.

Editor: Sirous Shirzad