Change, Poison for Saudi Arabia

09 August 2014 | 15:44 Code : 1936898 Interview General category

An interview with Hossein Sheikholeslam, international advisor to Iran’s Parliament Speaker and Secretary General of the International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Intifada

The events in Gaza have led to reactions from the countries of the region and the world of Islam. But it seems that this movement does not indicate the collaboration of the Islamic countries of the Middle East. What are the reasons behind this lack of collaboration considering the fact that Palestine is the main issue of the world of Islam?

In the past, the US and Israel were able to take Palestine out of the priorities of the world of Islam. They created other sideline issues and exaggerated the differences between the Islamic sects. But the big achievement, which of course is Israel’s mistake, is that the attack of the Zionist regime against the Gaza Strip once again made Palestine the first issue of the world of Islam. Therefore, the issue of Palestine and Gaza has become the concentrating point of the Islamic countries and differences have become minor issues. The Supreme Leader explicitly said in the Eid-ul-Fitr ceremonies with the presence of the ambassadors of the Islamic countries that although we have differences of opinion with some countries, we are ready to ignore all differences for the issue of Palestine. This is an issue which must be well understood by the Foreign Ministry. Thus, this lack of collaboration is related to existing differences in the world of Islam. The other reason is that the solution of resistance in the world of Islam is managed by the US and Israel. The ceasefire plan which was presented by Egypt is also a plan which is written by Tony Blair. This plan was against the Resistance and to Israel’s benefit. That is why it was welcomed by Israel. They even stated that they would not accept any plan except that of Egypt. Unfortunately, Egypt did not negotiate with the Resistance in this regard. On the other side, the Resistance directed this issue towards Egypt and stated that they were the ones who would decide about this matter and not Egypt and did not accept the plan. Egypt’s behavior with regard to Gaza and the closure of the Rafah passageway and preventing humanitarian aids from reaching the people of Gaza caused hatred in the world of Islam. Furthermore, a negative view was created regarding the newly-established government of Egypt. Hence, Egypt was pressured and this country missed the opportunity to mediate and gain the rights of the Palestinians. Egypt realized that it should include the elements which are essential for the Resistance in its plan. After inclusion of these items, now Israel does not accept this plan and is not ready to negotiate. This was due to the incorrect view of Egypt with regard to the issue of Palestine.

Has the view of the Muslim Brotherhood caused this lack of collaboration among the Islamic countries?

No. Saudi Arabia is against any change in the region. It considers any change as poison for itself and thus uses any possibility and tool to prevent such a change. Of course it will not succeed because today’s world is different from that of 50 years ago. The Muslim Brotherhood is part of the Islamic world which considers democracy as one of the bases of legitimacy. On the other hand, another part of the world of Islam is against democracy. Voting for monarchial systems is like a poison. They do not accept democracy. From this angle, Saudi Arabia is against the Muslim Brotherhood. Following the downfall of Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood stressed that they were legitimate because they had gained the majority of votes. This ideology came to power. The idea of democracy is rooted in the Islamic Revolution of Iran.

Will the peace plan between the Arabs and Israel impact the positions of the Persian Gulf littoral states with regard to the issue of Gaza?

Palestine is the mother of all popular and revolutionary movements because it entails the struggle against oppression, for freedom and self-determination. On the other hand, monarchial systems are not interested in these issues. They want the issue of Palestine to somehow be closed.

What are the practical measures which could help to end the crisis in Palestine?

Resistance is the most important path to resolve this issue with the existence of the occupying regime. All crimes emerge from the nature of occupation. It is true that there has been violence but its root is based on occupation. Occupation must end.