Iran's Sunni Leader Rejects Regime’s Idea Of Israel's Destruction
Iran's top Sunni leader Mowlavi Abdolhamid has contradicted the clerical regime on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that neither side should be destroyed.
Iran's top Sunni leader Mowlavi Abdolhamid has contradicted the clerical regime on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that neither side should be destroyed.
Abdolhamid distanced himself from the regime’s goal of Israel's annihilation during his Friday prayer sermon, decried the attacks on civilians “that has shocked the world,” without directly mentioning the Tehran-backed Islamist group Hamas.
Hamas unleashed a bloody invasion into Israel on October 7, inflicting the biggest loss of life in one day since the Holocaust. Israel has been pounding Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas rampage in Israel this week that has killed over 1,300 people, the deadliest attack on civilians in the Israeli history. More than 1,800 Palestinians have been killed.
In an apparent condemnation of Hamas attack, he said, "If Muslims disregard international laws, assault women, and kills children, we do not blindly support it. "He noted that extremism by anyone is not tolerable. He emphasized that Israel should also refrain from violating international laws.
The outspoken cleric said, "Anyone with a shred of humanity is deeply affected when seeing these heart-wrenching scenes of human slaughter."
He added, "The reality is that neither Muslims can destroy Israel, nor Israel can eliminate Palestinians. It's not achievable. When something is not achievable, why use force?"
Abdolhamid emphasized the importance of maintaining a "fair stance" and suggested that governments and nations worldwide should strive to resolve differences rather than aligning themselves in this conflict. He said Israelis and Palestinians are two "nations" living alongside each other and also endorsed the idea of establishing two states.
The two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict envisions an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, west of the Jordan River. The boundary between the two states is still subject to dispute and negotiation, with Palestinian and Arab leadership demanding full Israeli withdrawal from territories it occupied in 1967, which is rejected by Israel.
Abdolhamid’s practical views for a solution to the decades long conflict are in stark contrast to that of the Islamic Republic, which only sees the destruction of Israel as the solution.
In 2015, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Israel must be destroyed in 25 years and the government even set up a countdown clock in Tehran and a few other cities. Many Iranians mock the anti-Israel rhetoric and the ticking clock, but the regime is adamant in pursuing the goal. Regime authorities use every opportunity to stress the necessity of "Israel's destruction," a slogan that has justified Iran’s huge financial and military support to militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, while Iranian increasingly safe poverty and a bleak economic future.
While the Islamic Republic is cheering about the war in Israel, Iranians’ reactions to the regime’s propaganda indicate a complex societal schism. In Iran, once Khamenei dictates the regime's policy themes concerning global developments, other officials, clerics, and his representatives across the country begin to disseminate them.
Earlier in the year, Abdolhamid called for peace between Muslims and Jewish people, stating that "No one should think of the destruction of others, and everyone should think about peace." His remarks came against the backdrop of Iran’s repeated warnings against normalization of relations between Israel and Arab countries.
While Saudi Arabia and Israel had never been closer to a deal to establish official relations, US officials and a lot of pundits are of the opinion that the Hamas attack was meant to disrupt the normalization process.
After Abdolhamid’s sermons on Friday, people in several cities of the predominantly Sunni province of Sistan-Baluchestan took to streets and held anti-regime rallies.
The FATF (The Financial Action Task Force) is a G-7 initiative to combat money laundering and financing terrorism. The four bills stuck in Iran's legislative system since 2017 due to opposition by hardliners include measures to join the convention against organized crime, to amend “the anti-money laundering law,” to accept the convention against financial support for terrorism” and a “bill to amend the law against financial support for terrorism.”
The former head of the Iranian parliament's national Security and Foreign Relations Committee Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh also told Etemad Online that "if it is true that Raisi has now asked Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to order the Expediency Council to start another review of the FATF bills, then we should be sorry for the country's national interests as Raisi was one of the opponents of the bills."
The bills were handed over to the Expediency Council, a group of former officials trusted by Khamenei, for review after it changed hands between the parliament (Majles) and the constitutional watchdog the Guardian Council without any progress.
In addition to the limitations imposed on Iran's international trade and banking due to US and other international sanctions, adherence to the FATF conventions is essential for international traders. It provides assurance that the funds used by Iran in transactions will not be funneled into money laundering, cross-border organized crime, or terrorism financing.
Hardliners, however, have been strictly opposing the bills saying openly that joining the conventions would bar Iran from sending money to groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, designated as terrorist groups by key countries.
Falahatpisheh charged that hardliners have been benefitting from illicit trade and financial transaction while Iran has been on the FATF blacklist. He added that Raisi strongly opposed the bills as an Expediency Council member and the head of Iran's Judiciary. He said that Raisi as President has now realized that joining the FATF and returning to the nuclear deal with the West are necessary to improve Iran's ailing economy.
Meanwhile, Expediency Council member Mohammad Sadr also acknowledged in an interview on Wednesday that "many of the opponents of the JCPOA and FATF have realized the significance and necessity of the nuclear agreement and the anti-money laundering conventions.
Sadr emphasized that without the FATF, Iran's existing economic challenges will remain unsolved, and the system is susceptible to encountering new issues.
Some politicians and many commentators and economists have been insisting that passing the bills are essential for conducting financial transactions with the world. Many had also pointed out that even if the sanctions are lifted, Iran will not be able to conduct international trade and banking without accepting the terms of the FATF.
Iran's radicals and hardliners are being blamed for the impasse in the country's economy, politics and foreign policy while almost everyone knows that all the decisions originate with Khamenei and dictated to the system. However, former Reformist politician Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi has called for a powerful reformist minority at the Majles to counterbalance hardliners.
He said: "We need to harness and control the radicals. A powerful reformist minority can have a good impact on the Majles." It is interesting that the reformist figure is happy only if a minority comes from the reform camp rather than demanding to win the majority in parliament.
Raisi had called for debating the FATF and JCPOA before leaving for New York to take part in the UN General Assembly in September, however, the issue popped up again after the brutal Hamas attack on Israel last week. Iran finds itself in the crosshairs of international criticism for being the main supporter of Hamas. Khamenei was forced to say publicly that the regime played no direct role in the attack.