Iran, a systematic abuser of human rights, is hypocritical in its criticisms of Israel, the only real democracy in the Middle East, Belgian legislators Michael Freilich and Darya Safai wrote to Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, speaker of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly, on Monday.
The lawmakers had received a letter from Qalibaf, addressed to his Belgian counterpart, in which he accused “the Zionist regime” of having “severely beaten and injured a large number of Palestinian citizens... in al-Aqua Mosque for worshiping God Almighty.”
Qalibaf said Israel has committed war crimes and violates human rights, including the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression of “the oppressed and defenseless people of Palestine.”
The Iranian parliamentary speaker also claimed that Israel has banned vaccine distribution to Palestinians.
He summed up his litany of false accusations by calling on the world to “immediately investigate the critical situation in al-Aqsa Mosque and take effective action to stop the crimes of the Zionists immediately.”
Safai, an Iranian refugee who the Islamic Republic imprisoned after she participated in a protest, and Freilich, who is Jewish, told Qalibaf they had read his letter “with disbelief.”
“If there is anything outrageous, then it is your incredible audacity in making these claims that are known to be based on lies, racism and deep-rooted hatred,” they wrote.
The legislators decried the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime accusing others of violating freedom of expression, assembly and other human rights.
“In 2019 alone, you murdered 1,500 protesters in the streets of Tehran... Your country routinely hangs or throws LGBTQ+ individuals from public buildings... Let’s not forget your recent attempts to kidnap an Iranian dissident journalist in New York or your country’s flagrant involvement in a major terrorist plot on European soil,” they wrote.
“You shamelessly speak about freedom of religion while you [persecute] the followers of the Baha’i religion and deny Sunni Muslims places of worship and subject them to societal discrimination and economic deprivation,” they added. “You speak about Israel’s ‘outrageous discriminatory policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and the banning of vaccine distribution,’ a blatant lie, while your own leaders deny Iranians US- or UK-produced vaccines to save lives.”
The lawmakers also mentioned Iran’s violations of the nuclear deal’s restrictions, its development of ballistic missiles and cyber warfare.
“And now, hypocritically, you call for action against Israel, the only real democracy in the Middle East, a country whose basic right to exist you deny,” they wrote. “Israel, through the signing of the recent Abraham Accords, has shown once again that it is open to peace with its Arab neighbors.”
It is possible to criticize Israel in a constructive manner, Freilich and Safai said, voicing support for a peaceful two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians.
In addition, they said they do not have a problem with the Iranian people, “who have suffered through decades of abuse at the hands of its leaders,” but rather with the regime.
“If you hold any decency, you would resign and repent for the crimes and atrocities that you are a partner to,” they wrote. “Know this: The forces of good will always triumph over the forces of evil. It will not be different this time. Justice shall prevail!”