Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says any decision to negotiate with Israel would be an "unforgivable mistake" that only delays the liberation of occupied Palestinian territories.
"Moving toward negotiation with the cheating, lying and oppressive [Zionist] regime is a big and unforgivable mistake that will only delay the victory of the Palestinian people and will produce nothing but loss for the oppressed nation," he said in a statement published Wednesday, days after the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land.
The statement, which did not mention Saudi Arabia by name, was released in reply to a recent letter from the head of the Palestinian group Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh who had criticized the support of some regional governments for the United States pushing for a strong Arab-Israeli alliance, the Leader's official website reported.
Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Islam and site of its holiest shrines, does not officially recognize Israel. But behind the scenes, improvements in ties have accelerated in recent years.
According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia opened its airspace for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel last month—a public sign of an apparent thaw in relations.
Act of Treachery
Ayatollah Khamenei censured the visible rapprochement with Israel as an "act of betrayal", saying that it is the duty of all Muslim countries to support Palestinian resistance movements.
"Governments that feel a responsibility to Palestine should take this important duty seriously and force the enemy to retreat to the point of its demise with an epic and wise struggle," he said in his letter to the Hamas leader whose group rules the coastal Gaza Strip.
Deadly Protests
The Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave of two million people, is reeling from the bloodiest episode in years after Israeli forces killed more than a dozen people during recent demonstrations near the frontier.
A large number of Palestinians are holding a six-week-long protest in tent encampments along the fenced border of the strip, pressing for a right of return for Palestinian refugees, Reuters reported.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an independent investigation into the deaths on the first day of the protest on March 30, which has been dubbed the "Great March of Return"—a reference to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the conflict around the occupation of Palestine decades ago. Iran has strongly condemned the killings.
Ayatollah Khamenei pledged continued Iranian backing for Hamas "in any form", saying, "Fighting and resistance is the only way for the oppressed Palestine."
"Today, a return to dignity and power of the Muslim world hinges solely on the resistance against [the US'] global arrogance and its evil plots," he said, calling the Palestinian issue a top priority for the Muslim ummah.
