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Nasrallah Calls for Muslim Solidarity In Quds Day Speech

Celebrating Quds Day at a particularly polarized moment in the Arab world, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah reminds his Sunni counterparts of the need for solidarity with the Palestinians.
Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah makes a rare public appearance as he addresses his supporters during a rally to mark Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Beirut's southern suburbs, August 2, 2013. Nasrallah delivered a speech to hundreds of supporters in support of Palestinians in his first public appearance since last September. He has been living in hiding, for fear of assassination, since Hezbollah fought a month-long war with Israel in 2006. REUTERS/Sharif Karim   (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL U
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The idea of celebrating Quds Day every year on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan dates back to the era of Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic revolution in Iran. Tehran and its allies in the region believe that celebrating this day is one of the most important occasions in the Iranian agenda on the Arab scene. Over the past few decades, it became clear that solidarity with the Palestinian cause is the fastest and most guaranteed way for any party to gain the support of the Middle East’s citizens. Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan succeeded in this respect.

Erdogan’s positions in support of the Palestinian cause attracted ​​Arab Muslims to him, and caused them to mentally block out the Ottoman repression against numerous Arab peoples that lasted even after World War I. This is also the case for the Islamic Republic of Iran since the end of the 1970s until today. Immediately following the Islamic revolution’s victory, Iran lowered the Israeli flag that used to flutter on the Israeli Embassy in Tehran — which had opened during the era of the shah — and raised the Palestinian flag instead. This event was the most important Iranian passport to the hearts of hundreds of millions of Arab and Islamic peoples.

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