Khamenei slams two-state solution at 'Intifada Conference'

Iranian leader speaks at first day of Tehran conference, says any solution to conflict should include referendum of Palestinians around the world; Larijani says Arab Spring created opportunities for Palestinians.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 311 (R) (photo credit: Ho New / Reuters)
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 311 (R)
(photo credit: Ho New / Reuters)
Iran's supreme ruler, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, came out against a two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Saturday, speaking at Iran's fifth International Conference on Palestinian Intifada.
Khamenei said that the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel amounts to a renouncement of the Palestinian rights, asserting that any solution to the conflict must be based on a principle of "the whole Palestine for all Palestinians," PressTV reported.
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He added a suggestion that Palestinians, both in the territories and in the Diaspora, take part in a referendum to decide on any resolution.
The conference, first held in 1991 after the First Intifada, "focuses on the restoration of Palestinians' rights, including their rights to return to their homeland and determine their own fate, and on the liberation of Palestinian territories occupied by Israel," according to the Iranian news outlet.
Representatives and participants from some 50 countries were reportedly taking part in the conference, held under the banner of: "Palestine, a land only for Palestinians."
Speaking at the opening of the conference, Iranian parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani said that the Arab Spring had presented a ripe opportunity for the Palestinians, saying that "very serious measures" should be taken in order to not pass up those opportunities, IRNA reported.