�Iran�s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement on the Nakba Day, when the Israeli regime proclaimed its illegal existence 75 years ago, describing it as the �most tragic political and humanitarian crisis of the past century".






�May 15, 1948 marks one of the most painful tragedies in human history and the formation of a cancerous gland in the heart of the Islamic world and the strategic region of West Asia,� the statement reads.

Nakba (catastrophe) Day falls on May 15 each year, marking the period in 1948 when more than 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly removed from their homes and scattered across refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and Palestine�s neighboring countries.

�This heinous phenomenon has caused the longest and most tragic political and humanitarian crisis of the past century,� Iran�s foreign ministry said.

It added that the catastrophic event ushered in widespread occupation of Palestinians' land, genocide of its inhabitants, and violation of the most basic human rights of Palestinians, in the years that followed.

�In this historical tragic event, which is rightly named the Day of Catastrophe, the Zionist apartheid regime was formed, causing the displacement of several million Palestinians as the original inhabitants and owners of Palestine from their ancestral land,� the statement read.

The Zionist regime�s �killing machine� has never stopped over the past 75 years, the ministry lamented.

�Organized killings and tragedies such as Deir Yassin, Kafr Qasim, Sabra and Shatila massacres and the martyrdom of thousands of Palestinians, Lebanese and citizens from other countries, as well as military invasion of Palestine�s neighboring countries, and occupation of parts of the territories of regional countries, are only a part of the crimes of this brutal regime,� it pointed out.

The ministry noted that all these crimes have been carried out over the decades �under the shadow of silence and inaction� of the international community, and facilitated by the �explicit backing� of the Israeli regime�s allies.

�Harsh and brutal behavior towards Palestinian captives and prisoners, sacrilege of Muslim and Christian sanctities and depriving the inhabitants of this land of their religious freedom, targeted assassinations of Palestinian activists and ordinary people, destruction of Palestinian homes, farms and businesses, and the development of settlements and disrespecting international resolutions and votes are just a few pages of this regime's 75-year-old black history in violating the fundamental principles of international law, human rights and humanitarian laws (which has been) a constant approach and practice of this regime in the past few decades.�

In the face of the long history of Zionist acts of terrorism and brutality which are taking place as a result of the �silence and painful inaction� of the international community, the Palestinian resistance groups have rightfully chosen the path of resistance as a legitimate and known right to defense against the occupation and aggression, a path that brings about freedom to them and ensure their legitimate rights, the statement read.

The deterrence power of the Palestinian resistance groups is the shield of the Palestinian nation against the brutality of the Zionist regime, which cannot be negotiated, it added.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry statement noted that today, the resistance is in its best condition while the Zionist regime is in its worst condition in the past 75 years as a result of helplessness against the power of the resistance on the one hand and internal multi-layered divisions within the regime on the other hand, and the process of decline and decay of the �temporary Zionist regime� has already started.

Undoubtedly, the unity and solidarity of the Islamic Ummah besides the determination of all governments and freedom-seeking nations around the world in support of the oppressed Palestinians is regarded a necessity and responsibility, the statement added.

The Ministry voiced Iran's renewed solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine while congratulating the nation on their outstanding victory in the recent battle against the criminal Zionist regime.

It emphasized Iran's support for the Resistance and legitimate cause of the Palestinians in the path of liberating the occupied territories and establishing an independent and integrated government in the entire historical land of Palestine with Holy Quds being its capital.

Considering all futile political plans presented in the last three decades due to the lack of attention to the root causes of the crisis, the statement said the Islamic Republic of Iran once again emphasizes that the democratic solution to the old Palestinian issue to allow the return of all Palestinian refugees to their ancestral homeland and to hold a public referendum with the participation of all the main inhabitants of the land, including Muslims, Christians and Jews, in order to exercise their right to self-determination and choose the type of political system they want.

Condemning the crimes committed by "the child-killing Zionist regime" in recent days against the residents of Gaza, who have been in the largest natural prison because of the Israeli regime's siege for over 18 years, the Ministry said that Iran considers these crimes to be a clear violation of international norms and laws, as well as a gross violation of human rights.

The silence of the supporters of the Zionists and the alleged advocates of human rights has caused the fake regime to become increasingly brazen in its crimes, said the statement, while urging punishment for the authorities of the Zionist regime as the perpetrators of inhumane crimes against Palestinians.

By IRNA