Palestine conference kicks off in Tehran

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has called on Muslims across the globe to fulfill their obligations and pledge solid support for the Palestinians and their cause in the campaign against the Zionist regime.

“A strongly held belief is that the Palestinian resistance must be properly encouraged. The Islamic Republic of Iran regards supporting the Palestinian nation’s struggle against the Zionist enemy as a matter of ideology and duty, so it strives to honor it,” Mottaki said in an address to the Conference on National and Islamic Solidarity for the Future of Palestine, which was held in Tehran on Saturday.

He added that a significant proportion of the world population now recognizes the legitimacy of the Palestinian resistance against the brutal, unlawful, and illegitimate nature of the Zionist regime compared to decades ago, when support was much lower.

Mottaki also noted that the failure of the US-brokered deals has proven that resistance is the only viable option for the Palestinians in their struggle against the Zionist regime.

The Conference on National and Islamic Solidarity for the Future of Palestine began on Saturday at the Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran.

Ten Palestinian groups, including Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement) and Islamic Jihad, are participating in the two-day conference.

A number of Iranian officials and Palestinian resistance figures are also attending the conference.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the closing ceremony of the event on Sunday.