A senior Iranian cleric says US-backed compromise negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel have never benefited downtrodden Palestinians.Over the past 60 years since the occupation of Palestine, these compromise negotiations have not yielded an iota of benefit for the oppressed Palestinians, Tehrans interim Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami told worshippers in the capital.
Ayatollah Khatami added that five million Palestinian refugees are scattered across the world and more than 5,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli jails.
The cleric criticized Washington for seeking an opportunity to push negligent Muslims into reconciliation talks with Israel.
He further described resistance as the only solution to the occupation of Palestine and praised Palestinian fighters for their strong response to the Israeli aggression during its eight-day military offensive against the blockaded Gaza Strip back in November 2012.
Resistance is the key to the problems of Palestinians and all negotiations pursue [the ultimate goal of] stabilizing, legitimizing and creating a safe margin for the Zionist regime [of Israel], he stated.
Ayatollah Khatami made the comments after mass rallies were held on Friday to commemorate International Quds Day - a show of support for the Palestinian nation against the policies of the Israeli regime.
In August 1979, the late founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Khomeini declared the last Friday of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan as International Quds Day, calling on Muslims across the world to mark the annual occasion by holding street rallies.
Millions of people around the world take to the streets on this day in a show of support for the people of Palestine, demanding an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.
Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds (Jerusalem), and the Gaza Strip, and are demanding that Israel withdraw from the Palestinian territories occupied in the 1967 Six-Day War.
By Press TV
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