Iran: Muslims must unite against Israel

Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani has urged Muslim countries to adopt a united stance on condemning Israel’s raid on Gaza-bound aid ships.

“It is necessary for all Muslim states to assume a unified and common stance on condemning the latest crime committed by the Zionist regime,” Larijani was quoted as saying on Monday by IRNA.

“This tragic incident which reveals the true nature of Israel is a disgraceful stain on the reputation of this occupying regime,” he added.

The remarks were made during a telephone conversation with his Syrian counterpart, Mahmoud al-Abrash, over the Israeli navy’s assault on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla, a convoy of nine ships carrying aid to the impoverished coastal strip.

Larijani also proposed that the issue be fully discussed in the upcoming Tehran summit of the Gaza Troika, a body formed by the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) to help the besieged people of Gaza.

The APA has tasked a troika of parliament speakers from Iran, Indonesia and Syria to tour the Middle East for finding initiatives to provide aid to the impoverished people of Gaza.

At least 20 people were killed and dozens more were injured during pre-dawn attacks on the aid convoy which was seeking to pass through the three-year Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza.