Larijani: 'End Zionist distortion of Jerusalem'

Iranian Parliament speaker Larijani: They are implementing projects for destroying the holy places.

By SABINA AMIDI, SPECIAL TO JERUSALEM POST
Larijani 224.88 ap (photo credit: AP [file])
Larijani 224.88 ap
(photo credit: AP [file])
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has called on all speakers of legislatures in Muslim nations to work to suppress the "Zionist regime's contemptuous moves in Beit-ul-Moqaddas [Jerusalem]." "Unfortunately, the Zionists' regime is seriously implementing an operation to distort the historical and religious landscape of Quds [Jerusalem], including destroying the walls and holy places of the city," Larijani wrote in a letter to the Organization of the Islamic Conference on Monday. Larijani distributed the letter after Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker Abdel Aziz Dweik of Hamas reported to Larijani, as head of the Organization of the Islamic Conference's Parliamentary Union Council, regarding alleged recent moves by Israel to alter the demographics of Jerusalem. Dweik, who is currently serving a 36-month prison sentence in Israel for membership in a terrorist organization, has been considered by Hamas to be president of the Palestinian Authority since January 9, when Mahmoud Abbas's four-year term expired. "The Zionist regime is implementing projects for destroying areas surrounding holy places in the city. What is more painful is that about 200,000 innocent Palestinians residing near the holy sites will become homeless and more property of the helpless people will be seized," Larijani wrote in his letter. He criticized US leaders for their silence in the face of Israel's ambitions, saying this shows there is no change in American support for Israel. "Although the heroic resistance of the Palestinians in Gaza [during Operation Cast Lead] led to the defeat of the Zionists in attaining their goals, if governments, parliaments and relevant international bodies had not been negligent in prosecuting those suspected of war crimes in Gaza, today the Zionist leaders would not have impudently manipulated the cultural and historical heritage of the Ummah [the "Community of the Believers," i.e. the Muslim world] in Beit-ul-Moqaddas and surrounding holy places," complained a senior Iranian lawmaker. Iranian newspapers have concluded that Israel is gradually losing the war against its Arab enemies. "In fact, military experts believe that the arrest of the Israeli espionage network [in Lebanon] is a strategic blow against the Zionist regime. In the past six weeks, over 40 people, who were active in 10 spy rings, have been arrested and more people are still being arrested," according to an article titled "The defeat of Israeli intelligence." The writer went on to say that Israel had suffered a huge blow with the arrests and had apparently tried to cover up the worst defeat in the history of its intelligence services. The Iranian media and government officials maintain that the Palestinians won the war in Gaza, Israeli intelligence is overrated, and Iran is becoming a dominant superpower in the Middle East.