Iran resets Palestinian fault line
Iran is intensifying its support for Palestinian groups in response to being put "on notice" by the Trump administration and reports of the United States' trying to broker an intelligence-sharing relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Arab states.
Ali Hashem writes from Tehran, “With regional wars intensifying from Yemen to Syria, and with US President Donald Trump having officially put Iran 'on notice,' the Islamic Republic has chosen to respond in a different manner. Iran has highlighted its decision a year ago to boost its support for Palestinian factions fighting Israel and to say openly that it's putting this issue at the top of its agenda. … But it's worth mentioning that if it wasn't for the yearlong renewed dialogue between the Palestinian faction Hamas and Tehran, alongside other mainstream Palestinian groups, little could have happened. Indeed, Palestinian groups complain they are left without any Arab or Islamic support to confront Israel, and that their cause is day by day becoming more forgotten and ignored.”
On Feb. 21-22, Iran hosted a conference in Tehran with participants from the major Palestinian parties including Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani both gave speeches at the conference. The Palestinian delegates also met with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani.
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