Iran Calls for Holding Massive Rally to Support Palestinians

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, December 14, 2001

Iran Calls for Holding Massive Rally to Support Palestinians

The Iranian government has called for holding a massive rally on Friday to mark this year's world Qods (Jerusalem) day, so as to offer the Iranians' support for the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli aggressions, the official IRNA news agency reported Thursday.

On Wednesday, the cabinet called on the Iranian people to have massive turnout in the Qods day rally to "help reinvigorate the Palestinians' resistance against the Israeli atrocities." The call was echoed by foreign and defense ministries and other state departments.

On the same day, about 200 members of the parliament (MPs) also issued a statement, saying that "We, the MPs will take part in the Qods day rally and call on the nation to do so to voice their support for the oppressed Palestinian nation on Friday."

In addition, various organizations and communities have issued statements in the past few days to express their support for high public turnout in the rally.

In 1979, late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Musavi Khomeini designated the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as the world Qods day and called on Muslims worldwide to stage rallies to voice support for the liberation of holy Qods from Israeli occupation forces.

"This year, the world Qods day is being observed one year after the start of the al-Aqsa intifada (uprising against the Israeli occupation) on September 28, 2000, during which the Palestinian nation has been subject to the utmost brutality of the Zionist regime," the IRNA quoted a statement as saying.

More than 1,000 people, mostly Palestinians, have been killed since the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli violence in late September last year.

The situation in the occupied Palestinian territories has worsened in the past week as the Israeli army launched several rounds of air strikes on Palestinian targets to avenge a wave of Palestinian suicide bombing attacks.

Iran, which does not recognize Israel, firmly supports the Palestinians' struggle for regaining their legitimate rights.

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