“No to Occupation, No to Apartheid, No to Displacement”, A Note by Iranian FM in Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar

The top Iranian diplomat calls on international community to support the Palestinian peoples right to self-determination seek to end the genocide in Gaza and actively oppose the forced displacement of the Palestinians from their land.

According to IRNA, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says the voices of millions of people demonstrating for the Palestinians and their cause around the world are testimony that the struggle for justice is alive and that awakened consciences will not rest until this lofty human and moral goal is achieved.
Araqchi wrote in a note published in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar on Thursday under the title “Three Big International Nos to the Zionist Entity: No to Occupation, No to Apartheid, No to Displacement.”
In his opinion column a day before International Quds Day, the top diplomat noted that the liberation of Palestine is not a distant dream and that no colonial project will hamper the Palestinians from forcing the occupiers from their ancestral land.
He called International Quds Day a unique legacy of Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic, revealing his love for Islam on the one hand and the wisdom and courage on the other.
“Undoubtedly, Al-Quds Day is one of the most striking examples of the realization of an idea with varied aspects and its transformation into a program of action for Muslim and even non-Muslim communities worldwide”, Araqchi, said adding that Imam Khomeini's brilliance lies in his grasp of the idea that motivates people and push them to rise up.
Explaining the legacy, he said that “rallies in solidarity with the Palestinian people are not enough today” but what is needed to use this lofty idea to encourage governments around the world to take legal, economic and other measures against the crimes of the occupying regime.
The foreign minister hailed South Africa’s initiative to file a case of genocide against Palestinians by the Israeli regime to the International Court of Justice as part of Imam Khomeini’s legacy as many world countries including non-Islamic states, supported that action.

No to occupation
Araqchi elaborated on the Palestinians’ suffering under “the Zionist occupation” and the regime’s defiance to the United Nations and other international bodies.
For more than eight decades, Palestine has been suffering, with more and more of it being annexed and until today only 7% of historic Palestine remains, he said, adding that “This brutal occupation not only contravenes international agreements, but has also been condemned by numerous resolutions passed by the UN Security Council and General Assembly,”
The minister called on the international community to raise a resounding and comprehensive "No" to this occupation.

No to apartheid
This is another call of Araqchi for the people of conscience around the globe. “Apartheid is a crime against humanity under international law, including the 1973 International Convention, the Rome Statute and the UN charter,”
He cited some prominent rights organizations that in their reports described Israel as an apartheid regime.
“Today, there is no doubt about the inhumane nature of Israel's apartheid regime, and despite this being proven by credible international reports and research, its supporters still appear to defy this reality,” Araqchi underlined.

No to forced displacement
The foreign minister cited numerous international conventions that called the forced displacement of peoples (deportation or forced transfer) war crime and a crime against humanity.
“Along with at least four UN Security Council resolutions opposing the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from their land, the annual "Status of Palestine" resolution adopted by the General Assembly each year affirms the Palestinians' right to self-determination, the cessation of settlement activity, and the prevention of forced displacement”, he emphasized.
Araqchi concluded by saying that with resounding voice of the three “Nos”, practical measures can be designed and implemented to confront the occupying entity.