Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the arrogant western powers seek to create some breathing space for Israel and push the issue of Palestine into oblivion.
Arrogant powers "are trying to deny geography and a nation while Palestine enjoys a millennia-old history and the Palestinian people are the owners of their land. These facts cannot be denied," the Leader was quoted as saying by his official website.
"The Zionist regime [Israel] will be definitely slapped in the face for the pressure it is exerting on the oppressed and the besieged Palestinian nation."
"Palestine is a pivotal issue in the Muslim world and no Muslim and even non-Muslim country with a human conscience should forget it."
Ayatollah Khamenei was speaking in a meeting with a group of officials and people from different walks of life on Wednesday on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which marked the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Referring to the Syria crisis, he said hegemonic powers, led by the US, "turned a political dispute into a crisis, and with financial and military aid with ill-gotten oil revenues brought people from different regions to Syria and Iraq and triggered instability and tensions that prevail to the present day."
Noting that the Ummah needs to know the enemy and its plots, the Leader said, "We are witnessing another example of these ploys for turning a political dispute into a civil war in Bahrain."
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has never interfered in Bahrain's affairs and will not do so. But if there is political awareness and wisdom in that country (the rulers), they should not let a political dispute degenerate into civil strife and they should not pit people against each other."
Treason
Elsewhere, in his sermons at Eid al-Fitr prayers at Imam Khomeini Grand Prayer Ground in Tehran on the same day, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the issue of unfair and unjust inflated salaries and access to money, stressing that such illegitimate payments from public wealth is tantamount to sin and treason against the ideals of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
"In this issue, there has definitely been negligence and neglect in the past that must be compensated [now]. Officials must seriously follow up the issue of illegitimate salaries and it must not be that the issue is consigned to oblivion after some hue and cry."
He commended President Hassan Rouhani and the heads of the legislature and the judiciary for their positions in dealing with this ugly phenomenon, saying, "In this issue, the illegal payments must be restituted and those who have violated the law must be punished and those who have misused the law must be fired because they do not deserve to be in [such] centers and posts."
Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated that the enemies of the Islamic Republic establishment are trying to take undue advantage of this issue and push ahead their campaign against the Islamic Republic.
"Those who have received illegal money are few and far between compared to the law-abiding and honest managers. However, [the existence of] the few too are harmful and a flaw that must be removed."
Aristocratic Inebriety
Citing the fallout from "aristocratic inebriety" as one of the reasons behind the occurrence of fat cat wages and unbelievable bonuses paid to failed businesses and dysfunctional banks, the Leader said, "When aristocracy, extravagance and luxury spreads, the apparent result will be the emergence of an ugly phenomena like the illegal payments."
He underscored the need for strong and serious action against this issue, saying, "The issue of dismissal and restitution of state assets must top the agenda of officials because public opinion is sensitive to such issues. If this issue is not followed up on, the people's trust in the (ruling) establishment will be undermined."
He cautioned that the decline in people's trust would be a disaster. "Officials must preserve the people's trust by follow-up and effective action."
