Regional Backing Essential to Palestinian Resistance

A lawmaker said the support and encouragement of regional countries would provide hope for the Palestinian people to carry on fighting for their rights, in particular for Beit-ul-Moqaddas. Mohammad Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, condemned the recent US recognition of Quds as Israel's capital, saying that "from now on, the Islamic Republic [is charged with] pursuing efforts to have the holy city recognized as the capital of Palestine in international bodies." "The Iranian government is duty-bound to keep alive the Palestinian cause as the first issue of the Muslim world." He was referring to a bill passed overwhelmingly in parliament a few days ago that instructs the government to support Beit-ul-Moqaddas as the "eternal capital of Palestine". The Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned the US move on Dec. 14, declaring East Beit-ul-Moqaddas as the capital of Palestine. Iran does not recognize the Zionist entity and believes the holy city belongs to the Palestinian people in its entirety.