Protests in Iran and elsewhere mark Quds
TEHERAN - Thousands of Iranians rallied on Friday to mark Quds, or Jerusalem Day, which will see demonstrations across the Middle East as the Trump administration tries to offer an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.
The annual protests, also being held in Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere, come on the last Friday of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Iran has marked Quds Day since the start of its 1979 Islamic Revolution by late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem, and Iran says the day is an occasion to express support for the Palestinians.
Israel views Iran as its archenemy in the region. Iran does not recognize Israel and supports the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
In Teheran, rallies began across the city. They all headed to Teheran University, where the ceremony ended at Friday noontime prayers. Similar rallies took place in 950 cities and towns across the country.
This year's protests come as the White House is promoting the June 25-26 meeting in the Gulf state of Bahrain as the first phase of its long-awaited Middle East peace plan. That plan, whose specifics have yet to be released, includes large-scale investment and infrastructure work in the Palestinian territories, much of it funded by wealthy Arab countries.
Palestinian leaders say they won't attend the summit. US officials say the Bahrain conference will not include the core political issues of the conflict: Borders of a Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees or Israeli security demands.
On Wednesday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the US and its allies will fail to impose the so-called "Deal of the Century" on Palestinians.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has described the peace plan as "shameful".
"If the deal is implemented, it will be an eternal loss for Palestine and a major gain for its occupiers," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, embroiled in political chaos after failing to assemble a governing coalition, attempted on Thursday to divert public attention with his signature strategy: Political theater.
Addressing a nation bewildered by the prospect of an unprecedented second election campaign in the same year, Netanyahu brandished an official US State Department map that had been updated to incorporate the long-disputed Golan Heights as part of Israel.
He said that US President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner gifted him the map during his visit to Israel. Kushner and other architects of the US administration's Middle East peace plan are visiting the region to build momentum for the long-awaited proposal.
"This map had not been updated since the Six Day War," said Netanyahu, referring to the 1967 Middle East war, after which Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria, and later annexed it in a move not internationally recognized. "Well, it has been updated, it just got an update. ... That is to say, there are very important developments here."
The US delegation is on a trip in the region this week, seeking support for the Middle East peace plan that the US plans to roll out soon.
The delegation arrived in Israel on Wednesday, after meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman. The king reiterated his support to the two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
AP - Reuters - Xinhua
(China Daily 06/01/2019 page7)
