The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center September 12, 2010 The Iranian regime took advantage of the annual Quds Day events to highlight an alternative political and ideological agenda to that of the US; strongly criticized the Israel- PA negotiations; called to continue the “resistance” (terrorism); and spread vicious incitement against Israel, the Jewish people, the US, and the West. Photographs taken at the Quds Day rallies in Iran. Left: an exhibit showing a shoe stepping on the US; right: Israeli, US, UK, and French flags set on fire (Fars News, September 3, 2010) קל 246-10 2 Overview 1. Since it was first conceived by Khomeini and the government of Iran in 1979, Quds Day (“Jerusalem Day”) is held annually by the Iranians and their supporters on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan. Marked in Iran, the Middle East, and elsewhere in the world, the events are a show of support from Iran and the Muslim world for the Palestinian cause and the “liberation of Jerusalem”, and also a statement of defiance against the US and the West (“the arrogant powers”). 2. This year’s Quds Day was marked on September 3. As in previous years, Iran was the focal point of the events. Numerous demonstrations, rallies, and speeches were held in Tehran and in other Iranian cities, accompanied by a media campaign as well. Similar events also took place throughout the Middle East and beyond, albeit on a much smaller scale. Quds Day events were held, among other things, in Lebanon (led by Hezbollah), the Gaza Strip (organized by Hamas and the PIJ), Syria (organized by the Palestinians), Turkey (organized by radical Islamic organizations), India (where Shi’ites took part in the demonstrations), Pakistan (where an IED killed 37 demonstrators), Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, the US, Europe, and other world countries, including New Zealand, South Africa, and Venezuela. 3. Even though Quds Day bears an Iranian-Shi'ite character, the events were held not only in countries with large Shi’ite communities (Iran, Lebanon, Iraq) but also in countries with a Sunni majority (Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan). The events held outside of Iran were mostly orchestrated by organizations or activists who share Iran’s ideological or religious worldview, in which support of the Palestinians coexists with intense hostility towards Israel, the West, and its values. 4. The organizations and activists which took part in Quds Day’s events included the following: a Shi’ite terrorist organization operating in Lebanon (Hezbollah), radical Islamic activists in Sunni countries (such as Turkey), Sunni terrorist organizations supported by Iran (Hamas and the PIJ in the Gaza Strip), pro-Iranian Shi’ite activists in countries with Shi’ite populations (such as India), and anti-Israeli and pro- Palestinian activists in the West (US, UK, and other European countries). 5. The Quds Day events were used by the Iranians and their supporters to disseminate political propaganda, such as delegitimizing Israel (“the cancerous tumor”) and calling for its destruction; spreading anti-Semitic hate using The Protocols of the Elders of Zion to slam Israel, Zionism, and Judaism; engaging in anti-American and anti-Western incitement; 3 rejecting the direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, denying their legitimacy; attacking moderate Arab governments and the PA; and praising the path of “resistance” (terrorism and violence). In addition, slanderous remarks were made against Iran’s opposition movement and its leaders. 6. Messages incorporated into speeches given by the president of Iran and other top Iranian speakers emphasized their opposition to the Israel-PA negotiations and their denunciation of the moderate Arab countries. Those messages are a reflection of Iran’s desire to present an alternative political-strategic or even ideological worldview to that of the US and the West, and to position itself at the forefront of those who oppose the US-led regional processes taking place in the Middle East, mainly the peace process. As a result, the Iranians emphasized the international character of Quds Day, whose aim, according to them, is not only to free Palestine but also to liberate other nations from the burden of the “arrogant powers”. 7. Following is a summary of Quds Day events in Iran and in other places in the Middle East and elsewhere. 4 Appendix A Quds Day events in Iran Overview 1. On the occasion of Quds Day, the Iranian regime organized a series of events in Tehran and other cities. They were attended by large crowds and were accompanied by a media campaign. Posters and announcements published on the eve of Quds Day said that the days of the “Zionist regime” are numbered, and that its fate is already sealed. 2. As in previous years, demonstrators who took part in Quds Day events carried signs and chanted slogans calling for Israel’s destruction. The demonstrations also featured slogans and exhibits against the US, UK, and some other countries, such as France. Blatantly anti- Semitic speeches given at the rallies stressed that the existence of the State of Israel is illegitimate. Demonstrators also chanted slogans against opposition leaders Mir- 1 Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, whose residences had even been attacked. Mass rally in Tehran (Press TV, September 3, 2010) 3. This year’s Quds Day events in Iran were marked by strong criticism of the beginning of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Iran’s President Ahmadinejad argued that the talks are futile and constitute an offense against the Palestinian people, and that the only way to “liberate Palestine” is to follow the path of “resistance” (i.e., terrorism and armed struggle). At the same time, the Iranian regime emphasized its own unique agenda, which goes against the moderate Arab countries' willingness to compromise and make concessions on the issue of Palestine. The president of Iran took 1 The lessons learned last year, when Quds Day events were used by the opposition to voice criticism of the Iranian regime (“Not Gaza, not Lebanon, I will sacrifice my life for Iran”), prompted the regime to prevent Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi from taking part in the events. 5 advantage of his Quds Day speech to make statements designed to further alienate the rulers of Arab countries from their people. Major statements made by top Iranian officials Ahmadinejad preparing to speak at the University of Tehran (Fars News, September 3, 2010) 4. As part of the Quds Day events, Iran’s President Ahmadinejad gave two strongly-worded speeches: one was given on the eve of Quds Day, when he granted an extended interview to the Arabic-language Al-Alam TV channel (aimed mostly at Arab target audiences); the other was a speech given prior to the Friday sermon, aimed at the people of Iran. In the Al-Alam interview, the president stressed the global significance of Quds Day: according to Ahmadinejad, the issue of Jerusalem is not limited to one geographic area; it is not just a Palestinian issue and it is, in fact, “even greater than the issue of Islam”. He further added that Quds Day is a reflection of a humanitarian Islamic issue, since Islam is against the occupation of other countries, colonialism, exploitation of others, and attacks on countries in 2 the region (Al-Alam TV, September 2, 2010). Ahmadinejad in an interview to Al-Alam TV (The Iranian president’s website, September 3, 2010) 2 This is yet another example of state sponsors of terrorism (of which Iran is one), terrorist organizations, and radical Islamic organizations often using the word “humanitarian” in obviously political contexts, adopting a terminology that is accessible to Westerners. 6 5. In an anti-Semitic comment on Zionism, Ahmadinejad argued that “Zionism is a radical, cultureless political party, which seeks to rule over all the oppressed people, destroy world culture, and take over the political and economic sources of power...” According to Ahmadinejad, the US bows to the whim of the “Zionist entity”. In the interview, he also discussed the futility of the direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, saying that even if “they last 2,000 years, they will yield no results… Even if any document is signed, it will not lead to any sort of recognition of the Zionist regime’s legitimacy… We believe that there is not one person in the world willing to recognize the Zionist regime’s legitimacy, with the exception of a few Jewish businessmen in the United States who hold political and financial power… Even the nations of Europe do not recognize the legitimacy of that regime”. 6. Ahmadinejad took advantage of the Friday sermon to give a strong-worded, provocative speech reiterating his ideological view of the historical circumstances surrounding the establishment of the “false Zionist regime”. In his speech, Ahmadinejad gave a viciously anti-Semitic description of the characteristics of “world Zionism”, denied the Holocaust once again, and criticized the peace talks between the “Zionist entity” and the PA. He stressed that such talks had already failed before and that, at any rate, “the fate of the Palestinians will be decided in Palestine by the Palestinians themselves through [armed] struggle—not in Washington, Paris, or London”. He also called on Arab countries to prepare for their main task (i.e., the elimination of Israel) at the appropriate time and to stop being afraid of the West (to which he referred as a “paper tiger”). He further noted that the myth of an invincible Israel is no more, stressing that even Israel’s masters (the US) are too weak to attack Iran. Ahmadinejad speaks on the occasion of Quds Day (the Iranian president’s website, September 3, 2010) 7.