TEHRAN- A senior Islamic Jihad leader says the Palestinian Resistance is not fighting the Jews, but its struggle is aimed at combating the usurpers who have occupied Palestinian territories.

"The best period of Jewish life was in the Islamic East. Many Jews held positions and became ministers. Yet Europe oppressed Jews, and it was Christians who persecuted the Jews," Muhammed al-Hindi said in an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times. 

Following is the full text of the interview:

Q: Recently, Leader of the Islamic Revolution received Mr. Ziyad al-Nakhalah, where he made a meaningful statement in which he suggested that the key to victory against Israel is to strengthen the West Bank's resistance movement. What is your opinion and analysis of that issue?

A: We consider the establishment of Israel in the region as the West's attack on Islam. Israel is an advanced tool of the West to prevent the progress of the Islamic nation. Israel was founded on violence and continues to be violent. In this framework, Israel was established in the heart of the Islamic Ummah to prevent any progress in the countries of the Islamic Ummah. Since the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei understands the nature of this issue, he knows that the Zionist regime does not care about negotiation and peace and only resorts to aggression. Accordingly, Ayatollah Khamenei has always emphasized this issue in recent and previous meetings.  

Q: What is your analysis of Ayatollah Khamenei's emphasis on the West Bank as the key to victory?

A: West Bank is the heart of the regime you call Israel. Historically, the Jewish states were not located on the coast but in Judea and Samaria. Some parts of the West Bank are less than 7km away from the coast, Accordingly, it is not possible for Israel to continue as a country while the Palestinians are resisting in the West Bank. Israel can ignore Gaza Strip and remain there as a country. Israel withdrew from Gaza but remained as a country. But if Israel withdraws from the West Bank, there is no longer a country called 'Israel’.

Accordingly, Israel built walls in the West Bank to separate Palestinians from each other. For example, Israel signed the Oslo Accords, according to which the West Bank is part of Palestine. But Israel does not want to implement the agreement. The Oslo Accord is based on an Israeli initiative, and the Americans promoted it. All Israeli governments, whether the Labor Party that signed the agreement or Netanyahu's administration, none of them implemented the Oslo Accord. And Ayatollah Khamenei knows and understands this issue. That's why he puts an emphasis on resistance, especially in the West Bank.

Q: Please explain the current coordination status between the resistance groups in all parts of Palestine, including Gaza, the 1948 territories, and the West Bank.  

A: First of all, I would like to say that the Palestinians have been resisting since 100 years ago, even if they had limited facilities. From the beginning of the attack on Palestine in 1948, the Palestinians resisted. In Arabic literature, it is said that 6 Arab armies attacked Palestine. It was estimated that, at the time, there were 80,000 militants. But considering the minimum number, there were at least 75,000 militiamen. They were all following a single command with political leadership, supported by British weapons, and had coalitions with some countries at that time. While the total number of 7 Arab countries was less than 15,000 people without any plan, following the orders issued by each country. The Arab Army of Salvation, under the command of Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini, requested weapons from Arab countries, but he did not receive them. In the Great Arab Revolt of 1936, nearly 10% of the male population of Palestine was killed. Therefore, we fought and resisted in all conditions with or without facilities. And this is our duty. This issue is not only the defense of the homeland but also the defense of our religion, culture, and identity.

Q: What is the latest coordination status between the resistance groups?

A: This is a war rooted in religion and politics. It is always important for us to continue to fight as one. Such a war has a wide range of consequences not only in the Palestinian but beyond its borders. Therefore, we can say two important things. The first point is unity between the Palestinian groups, we are united on the battlefield but in political issues outside of the battlefield, there may be some differences in viewpoints. The second point is resistance. For example, in the 60s, the leaders of the resistance were secular groups. But today, resistance is entirely Islamic. Today, when we talk about resistance, we directly refer to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. There is harmony and unity between them. And they are progressing every day.

Q: Since 1948, Israel has always tried to portray itself as a victim in the world, whether in Holocaust or in facing the resistance groups. The Western media also contribute to this idea. Do resistance groups have a plan to deal with Israel's policy showing itself as a victim?

A: First, we do not have a problem with Jews. The best period of Jewish life was in the Islamic East. Many of them held positions and became ministers. Europe oppressed Jews, and it was Christians who persecuted the Jews. Jews oppressed in Spain fled to North Africa. Europeans caused problems for the Jews, such as Holocaust. Instead, they tried to tackle the problem without considering the Islamic nation and Palestine. We do not fight with Jews. We are fighting against those who usurp our land every day. Even if they (usurpers) become Muslims and oppress us, we will fight them. They want to cover up their crimes. They say that their army acts based on ideas. But their behavior is not like any government or army. For example, they bombed Gaza in May at 2 am; for example, they dropped bombs on women and children. In every attack on Gaza, the true face of Israel is revealed. Israeli forces are a band of criminals who know nothing else than killing women and children. They are not a professional army or a country with principles and beliefs. We try to target only their soldiers. 

In many cases, Palestinian devotees put themselves in danger to prevent women and children from being harmed. Every official, politician, and journalist who has traveled to Palestine has seen the true nature of the Israeli regime and its murderous nature. Some of these Westerners have even lost their lives, such as Mrs. Rachel Corrie, who traveled to Palestine and died in 2001 when an Israeli soldier was trying to destroy a house. Anyway, claims of the West about democracy work within their borders, beyond the borders they are bloodthirsty people.

Q: Following Donald Trump's so-called 'deal of the century' some countries joined it and compromised with Israel, believing that Iran's approaches and policies brought these countries closer to Israel, and with the entry of some Arab countries into the deal of the century, there was an assumption that there is no one to back Palestine now, but after a few years, we see that Trump's deal has not reached its goals. Would you please comment on the deal of the century?  

A: The U.S. priorities have changed, and now it deals with China and East Asia. The U.S. has reduced its presence in West Asia. This issue started slowly even before the Russia-Ukraine war. The plan was designed to form coalitions to fill the gap created by the United States' withdrawal from the region, and with these coalitions, Israel would fill the gap. Following the collapse in the region in 2011 (Arab Spring), there was an opportunity to establish economic security and military alliances, with Israel at the heart of these alliances, which the deal of the century stemmed from. The Arab countries had a solution called the Arab Peace Initiative, first proposed in Beirut in 2002, which was a Saudi initiative floated for the first time by the Saudi crown and used to be called the King Fahd Initiative. In 2002, the Saudi initiative was proposed, where the Arab countries said they would normalize their relations with Israel on the condition that Israel recognized the 1967 borders of Palestine. During the last decade, Iran was called 'a new enemy.' Based on this, Israel was no more an enemy but also a partner and even a leader in the region.

On the other hand, Iran is called an enemy that intends to expand its control in the region. They distorted the facts in such a way that Iran's policies led to the establishment of the deal of the century, while in reality, it was the opposite; this normalization of Arab countries' relations with Israel caused the deal. Now all the process has been stopped because now there are new realities in the world that have effects on the region, and these developments are still in transition. There are alignments in the region, such as the normalization of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and normalization between Iran and Egypt may happen in the future. In the last ten years, no one would have predicted the current situation. Today, there is a war in the world where all sides are looking for their benefits. Iran is indeed targeted as an enemy, but I think the same will happen to Saudi Arabia. Because the U.S. wants all countries in the region to be weak, even its allies.

Q: Did you meet Qassem Soleimani in Palestine?

A: Yes, we had meetings, but in Tehran.

Q: Describe the role of Qassem Soleimani in all aspects of the Palestinian resistance. 

A: Martyr Soleimani paid particular attention to the Palestinian resistance. Palestine is on the front line of fighting not only against Israel but also against the West. This is why resistance was very important to martyr Soleimani. He is the most humble person I have ever met. He paid particular attention to Islam; he knew all the details about Palestine and asked about them. Encountering Israel is not only the issue of Palestine but the issue of the entire Islamic nation. The encounter has different forms, but it is united. It may not be a military encounter, but it has different forms everywhere. It may be a siege or economic. Israel's project has targeted all countries to keep them weak. We do not doubt that normalization of relations with Israel will not bring stability to the region. No country can have real progress and independence without confronting Israel. When Egypt withdrew from the fighting with Israel, at the same time, Imam Khomeini found the secret of independence and progress, which was confrontation with Israel. Therefore, anyone who wants independence of his homeland must either fight Israel or try to weaken it. Some people ask about the resistance, saying they want relations with the West, which is a big illusion. Iran and Iran's national security are under the target of Israel. And if it abandons the fight against Israel, it will be more vulnerable to Israel's attacks. The progress and strengthening of Iran are more important than any other issue for Palestine, and we are all on the same front fighting with the Zionist regime. Palestinians are in the first line with new responsibilities on their shoulders.