Palestine: The legacy of President Raisi
Many in the West fail to understand the crucial role played by the islamic Republic of Iran in supporting the Palestinian resistance factions. It's time for people to get with the programme.
Amongst the statements of condolences sent by world leaders two things stood out. The genuine and positive statements of other leaders of the global south and the statements from representatives of the Axis of Resistance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping both sent warm statements of solidarity.. Also worthy of note were the strong messages of solidarity from the presidents of Cuba, Venezuela, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.
Of course the responses from the countries of the Axis of Resistance were the warmest. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad expressed solidarity with Iran. In Yemen Ansarallah stated: “This is a loss not only for Iran, but also for the entire Islamic nation, Palestine and Gaza, which are waging a liberation battle and are in dire need of the presence of such a President who continued to defend the oppressed Palestinian people.”
In Lebanon the Islamic resistance movement Hezbollah stated, “The martyred President … was a big brother to us, … a staunch defender of our causes… foremost among them Al-Quds and Palestine, and a protector of the resistance movements and their fighters.”
Hamas referred to, “this tragic incident and grave loss, which claimed the lives of a group of the finest Iranian leaders who had a remarkable journey in Iran’s renaissance and held honorable stances in supporting our Palestinian cause, … and their valued support for the Palestinian resistance.”
These tributes underline the role that President Raisi played as President in overseeing a renaissance of the country’s role in the world, all accomplished under vicious US sanctions.
Iran has emerged as a pivotal partner in the transition to multipolarity. Raisi’s personal role in fostering South-south relationships and the increasingly close alliance with Russia and China are key legacies. This is of central relevance to the question of Palestine. As US power wanes the cause of Palestine burns more brightly.
President Raisi was the only world leader who significantly raised the issue of Palestine in his address to the UN General Assembly in September 2023. He asked “Has the time not come to bring an end to seven and a half decades to the occupation of Palestinian lands, … and for the people of Palestine to be recognized officially as a country?”
But Raisi’s support for the resistance in Palestine was not merely rhetorical. It was material too. As Saleh Al Arouri the deputy leader of Hamas once stated, "To the people who question Iran's confrontation with Israel, I say: … Who supports the resistance in Gaza and Palestine? Iran. It is Iran and Hizbullah that confront that entity along with us."
From this unflinching position President Raisi made a major contribution towards the liberation of Palestine.
The deaths of the Shaheed Ayatullah Sayyed Ra'isi. and of the others who died including the former Foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian prompted an outpouring of Western propaganda on how unpopular the former president was. The millions and millions who thronged the streets for the funeral procession and the funeral itself put paid to that.
But who was Raisi? He knew severe hardship at an early age. Here he is speaking on his childhood and youth:
'We lived in a very hard condition... We faced serious poverty. We felt poverty and deprivation in the true sense of the word... When I was a seminarian, I had no more than one toman to my name.'
This was also true of both Amir Abdollahian and the martyr General Qassem Soleimani to whom Raisi was so close.
Video of Raisi’s mother’s house shown on social media gave the lie to Western ideas about the leaders of the Islamic Republic.
Iran is the only country which has supported and funded and supplied the resistance in Palestine - including every faction whether secularist, nationalist, socialist or Islamic. It continues to do so today and thus of course many representatives of the Axis of Resistance travelled to Tehran for the funeral. These included
the Chairman of the Hashd al-Shaabi from Iraq (often called the Popular Mobilisation Forces in English), Falih Al-Fayyadh, which have targetted Zionist and US bases consistently since October 7th.
The Deputy General Secretary of Hezbollah Sheikh Naeem Qassem, from Lebanon
The Prime Minister of Syria, Hussein Arnous
The spokesman for Yemen’s hugely respected Ansarallah, Mohammad Abdul Salam, seen here arriving to pay his respects and then meeting Ayatollah Khamenei
They joined senior figures from Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas the two largest Palestinian resistance groups. Ismail Haniyeh met with Ayatollah Khamenei.
Naturally the resistance groups took the opportunity to convene a meeting with IRGC Maj Gen Salami, and Quds Force commander Qaani. The photo of the meeting shows the presence of Ismail Haniyeh the head of the Hamas political bureau, who is usually based in Qatar, and the deputy General Secretary of Hezbollah flanking Major General Salami in the middle..
It is reported that the meeting discussed “The latest situation in Gaza & Al-Aqsa Flood” and “the continuation of the struggle until the complete victory of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza was emphasized with the participation of all resistance groups and fronts in the region.”
Bringing plans to dismantle the Zionist entity to fruition and finally fully liberate Palestine will be the legacy of President Raisi
.