A debate has broken out in Iran following a statement by a group of reformists that suggested the possibility of reconsidering the country’s position on the issue of recognition of Israel. On October 21, clerics from the traditionally reformist seminary in Qom called for a return to Israel’s pre-1967 borders and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
The Guardian writes about this.
This statement effectively implied support for a two-state solution, a position that is fundamentally at odds with the official line of Tehran, which has consistently rejected Israel’s right to exist and advocated the creation of a unified Palestinian state.
This speech sparked a wave of protests. Protesters gathered outside the seminary in Qom, and the Kayhan newspaper, considered the mouthpiece of the hardliners, condemned the reform declaration, calling it “a traitorous recognition of the fabricated Israeli regime.” The head of Iran’s judiciary also responded to the clergy’s statements, threatening to close the seminary if such statements were repeated.
Pressed by criticism, the seminary representatives clarified their opinion and added that they do not recognize Israel and condemn its “crimes.” However, they are confident that the creation of an independent Palestinian state could be “a step towards ending violence and bloodshed.”
Tehran’s position against the two-state solution isolates Iran in the Middle East diplomatic arena. Thus, an international meeting dedicated to the solution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was recently held in Saudi Arabia, in which Iran was not represented.
Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also spoke on this topic, noting that the people of Iran are tired of policies that attempt to show more support for the Palestinian Arabs than for the Palestinian Arabs themselves.
Previously, Cursor reported that strange “unnatural” earthquakes had been noticed in Iran.
Earthquakes were recorded in Iran last week, but amid rumors of a “powerful response” to Israel, there is talk on social media of weapons tests.
