Imam Khomeini globalizes Palestine
by International Quds Day

Qodsna (Tehran) - Before the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Iran was a regional ally for Israel and it was the main destination of Israeli-made goods, and at the same time, Iran’s oil shipped to Israel. But Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini the leader and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran recognized the Palestinian issue as one of the Islamic principles and opposed the alliance with Israel.

Imam Khomeini referred to the Shah’s cooperation with Israel as one of the reasons that he was overthrown. “At the time of the war between Israel and Islamic countries, the Shah of Iran continued to ship Muslim’s oil to Israel,” Imam Khomeini said.

With the victory of the Islamic Revolution, a new balance of power was created in the region, as Israel lose an important ally and at the same time the Islamic Republic of Iran became a strict opponent to Israel.

Imam Khomeini repeatedly stressed that Israel is a “cancerous tumor that must be eliminated”, and on the other hand put the Palestinian resistance as a religious duty for all Muslims.

He also forbade any peace with the Palestine occupiers, saying that the liberation of Palestine is the topmost Islamic priority and it should not be the subject of any negligence, therefore, Imam Khomeini warned Islamic countries and the Muslim communities to engage in this fight before it gets too late.

The founder of the Islamic Revolution repeatedly called “unity” the best way of Ummah’s victory. However, he suggested to the Palestinian people that it is the resistance that can realize the liberation of Palestine. Establishing the IRGC Quds forces, Imam Khomeini took the first step in this way, and their main mission is to liberate Palestine from Zionism’s occupation.

Imam Khomeini in his next major decision designated the last Friday of Ramadan as the International Quds Day to remove regional and Islamic borders from the Palestinian issue and made it an international matter. The International Quds Day keeps the Palestinian issue fresh and makes the Islamic nations contemplate the occupation of Palestine.

Furthermore, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini described Palestine as the key solution to the world’s problems. There is no doubt that Imam Khomeini revived the Palestinian nation to rise for their liberations. He created clusters of Palestinian supporters around the world to bring the fight against Israel outside Palestinian groups.

The new wave of resistance against Israel after the Islamic Revolution totally transformed the Palestinian resistance and it led to widespread rises across the occupied territories of Palestine, which are known as “Intifada” and caused Israeli troops to withdraw from the besieged Gaza Strip. Now, the Gaza Strip, with Iran’s support, has created a new deterring power against the Zionist enemy. The powerful Zionist army has now become fearful of the Palestinian resistance movements in Gaza.

Writer: Ahmad Reza Roohallahzad

Ahmad Reza Roohallahzad is a Middle East affairs expert based in Tehran.