Majlis Bill To Arm Palestinian Groups

Following ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks opposing the disarmament of Hams and the demands to “help arm” and “equip the Palestinian nation,” a commander of the IRGC Revolutionary Guards who is a member of the foreign policy and national security committee of the Majlis announced the existence of an urgent bill to “directly help” Palestinians.

Guards brigadier general Mohammad Ismail Kowsari told the press club, affiliated with the state national radio and television organization, “The supreme leader’s remarks about helping the innocent people of Palestine and arming the West Bank is to ease the pressure on the Palestinian people and so that its defense capabilities against the criminal attacks of the Zionists are provided.” He continued, “To implement the directives of the supreme leader, the Majlis, in its first session after its recess, is presenting an urgent bill to provide direct help to the innocent people of Gaza. Even though Palestinian resistance has managed through its missiles to successfully target a number of Zionist cities, the Palestinian nation is not well equipped to defend itself against the various missiles, bombers and helicopters of the Zionist regime.”

A former Guards commander, general Mansoor Haghighatpoor who is a deputy chairman of Majlis’s foreign policy committee, echoed these words when he said, “One of the real needs of the people of the region and Palestine is for weapons to defend themselves, which the supreme leader has mentioned regarding Gaza and the West Bank.” He continued, “Palestinians and all Muslims should be helped so that the people of the region are armed and so the people of Palestine can defend themselves under conditions when no Islamic state except the Islamic republic of Iran is prepared to seriously support them.”

Another former Guards commander, Mohammad Saleh Jowkar, who is also a current member of the Majlis security and foreign policy committee had a similar message when he said, “Today the struggle of the Palestinian people has reached a new phase. They entered the attack phase to attain their goals and so we must arm and equip the Palestinian nation against are regime which enjoys all legal and illegal means.” He continued, “A good opportunity has come about to that the Islamic world with the support of Palestinian liberating movements such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, enact the elimination of the Zionist regime, something that of course lies in full cooperation of all Islamic countries.”

Prior to these remarks, deputy top Guards commander general Mohammad Reza Naghdi had said, “Just as Americans boldly provide encouraging assistance of 225 million Dollars to the Zionist regime, we too must help the innocent people of Palestine.” He continued, “We expect the government to present a bill to the Majlis for allocating a budget to support the Palestinians of Wes Bank. We call on the president to implement such measures and order him to pursue this plan (i.e., equipping and arming the armed groups in Gaza) in the diplomatic machinery of the state. This is the least that can be done for the innocent people of Palestine.”

The urgent bill to arm Palestinian armed groups is prepared by former Revolutionary Guard members in response to the remarks of ayatollah Khamenei to this effect.

On July 23, during a meeting with a group of students, ayatollah Khamenei called Israel a “fake regime” and said the only way to its destruction was “total and armed resistance against that regime.” He continued, “We believe that the West Bank too must be armed like Gaza. This is what those who can do anything for Palestine should do. People there too should be armed.”

A week later on July 29^th, ayatollah repeated these words when speaking on the occasion of Eid Fitr celebrations at the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan. “The people, nations, governments and particularly officials of countries must all think about this issue. Two actions should be taken: The first is help to the innocent, which means providing their basic needs. Today they need food, medicine, hospitals, water, electricity, reconstruction of their homes and towns. The Islamic world has a responsibility to provide these. They also need arms.” He continued, “The enemy wants to deny them arms so that it can attack them at any time for any excuse. And so that they will not be able to defend themselves. In response to this unfair wish of the enemy, the Islamic world must show its determination. This is the first things that should be done: help the victim. We tell the Islamic states and the Islamic ambassadors who are present here: Let’s cooperate in providing support to the people of Gaza and against the obstacles that the Zionist regime had created.  Let’s work together and provide them all kinds of assistance.” He made these calls during a meeting with the ambassadors of Islamic countries in Tehran.

On the same day, July 7, Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani told a group of government officials and ministers that “The Islamic republic is making full efforts to ease the problems of the region according to its human and religious responsibilities.”

Another Revolutionary Guards general who used to be the head of the political bureau of the IRGC, Yadollah Javani made similar remarks about arming Palestinians and said “each and every Palestinian person should be equipped” with arms in response to the atrocities of Israel. Javani who is currently an advisor to ayatollah Khamenei called on “everybody” to join hands to accomplish this.

General Ghasem Soleymani, the head of the Guards’ foreign intervention force, the Gods Brigade, also echoed similar words when he told the officials news agencies of the Islamic republic of Iran that, “We will continue our religious duty in providing support to the resistance and shall insist on this till victory so that resistance against Zionists will create hell on the ground, sea and in the air for them. Murderers and mercenaries should know that we will not stop our support for the resistance and the Palestinian nation and do not have an iota of reservations about this.” Addressing Palestinians he also said, “Instead of fighting with each other which makes only the enemy happy and wastes their energy, they should use their arms, blood and determination to defend humanity and Islam which is summed up in Palestine.”