Iran: Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque ‘most crucial issue’ of Muslim world

Iran has condemned the latest acts of aggression by Israeli forces against worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied al-Quds, stating that the issue of Palestine is the top priority of the Muslim world.

“We are witnessing that the first issue of the Muslim world, which is Palestine, has slipped into oblivion. The Zionist regime is cunningly and deceitfully trying to sideline the matter,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday.

He added that Palestine is still the most crucial issue of the Muslim world, irrespective of all conspiracies being hatched by the Tel Aviv regime against it.

Khatibzadeh also noted that the issue of Palestine is the top priority of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and all freedom-loving countries that stand against racism.

The Iranian diplomat said the normalization of diplomatic relations between some Arab countries and Israel has emboldened the latter to press ahead with its criminal acts.

His comments came ahead of the International Quds Day, an annual rally set by Iran’s late Imam Khomeini on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan to draw attention to the continued occupation of Palestine by Israel.

Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked Palestinian worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound site since early April, with the onset of the holy month of Ramadan which coincided with Jewish Passover.

More than 150 Palestinian worshipers were injured when Israeli forces stormed the compound in the holy occupied city of al-Quds’ Old City last week. The forces have kept up their violations on the flashpoint site besides cracking down on solidarity protests throughout the occupied West Bank.

The clashes in al-Quds had sparked fears of another armed conflict similar to an 11-day war last year between Israel and Gaza-based Palestinian resistance groups, including Hamas.

Israel waged the war last May in response to Palestinian retaliation against violent raids on worshipers at al-Aqsa Mosque and the regime’s plans to force a number of Palestinian families out of their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East al-Quds.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 260 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli offensive, including 66 children and 40 women.

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