The Iranian government hosted a high-level parliamentary meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, January 10, bringing together member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Asian countries to discuss the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
According to the Iranian News Agency (IRNA), the 5th Extraordinary Meeting of the Standing Committee on Palestine within the Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States (PUIC) took place under the theme “Cooperation of Parliaments for Palestine.” Speakers and members from the parliaments of 26 Islamic countries and China attended the meeting.
The objective of the meeting, as reported by Iranian media, was to enhance collaboration among the parliaments of Islamic nations concerning the matter of Gaza.
Israel has been fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, after the group launched a surprise attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. According to the latest report, the Israeli troops have so far killed over 23,000 civilians in Palestine with 70% of them women and children.
On Thursday, January 11, the International Court of Justice started hearings on South Africa’s claim that Israel’s conflict with Hamas constitutes genocide against Palestinians. South Africa is seeking an immediate suspension of Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip through the International Court of Justice.
Several other countries including Turkiye, Pakistan, Jordan, Namibia, Brazil, and the Maldives, among others, have joined South Africa in its filing at the ICJ. Belgium’s deputy prime minister announced earlier this week that he would attempt to convince his cabinet to support South Africa’s case, making Brussels the first western government to take legal action against Israel.
Addressing the meeting in Tehran, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, urged for strong resistance against Israel and its ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. “Israel has not only committed the most heinous crimes against the oppressed people of Palestine but as a corrupt and pampered child under the support of the Western political system and as the center of the crisis in the region has remained immune from any accountability, responsibility, and punishment.”
Since the initiation of the war between Hamas and Israel in October, there has been widespread speculation about Iran’s role in the conflict. However, neither Iranian authorities nor Hamas leaders have publicly disclosed the country’s involvement in the conflict. Israel’s northern border with Lebanon has also experienced almost daily exchanges of fire between the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah and Israeli forces for the past three months. Although the fight between Israel and Hezbollah has mostly been limited to areas along the border, the recent killing of a senior Hamas deputy leader in Beirut and several Hezbollah members last week has heightened the possibility of a broader escalation as Hezbollah warned that it “cannot be silent.”
US forces in Iraq and Syria have also experienced a surge in attacks since the start of the war. last week, the Iraqi government accused the US of carrying out a drone attack targeting an Iran paramilitary group in Baghdad, resulting in several casualties and injuries. The United States has 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria focused on preventing a resurgence of Islamic State militants.
As reported by the Tehran Times, Fahmi Al-Za’aeer, a representative from the Palestinian parliament, asked the Islamic nations to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. He condemned Islamic country’s bilateral ties with Israel, considering them as tacit approval of the ongoing conflict in the region. “It has been nearly 96 days since the aggression against the rights of the Palestinian people and the assault on Gaza. Explosives have been unleashed on the population, and Israeli aggression along the western borders and Jerusalem persists,” he said
