"Will ye not fight a people who violated their oaths... and took the aggressive stand by being the first to assault you?"

The success of the Hizbullah in expelling the zionists from Lebanon last year provided a boost to Islamic movements all over the world. After the beginning of the Al-Aqsa intifada, the Hizbullah launched military operations to support the intifada. Here we present the speech of Hizbullah secretary-general SHAIKH SAYYID HASSAN NASRULLAH at the International Conference on the Palestinian Intifada in Iran in April.

In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate. Praise be to Him, Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Will ye not fight a people who violated their oaths, plotted to expel the Messenger, and took the aggressive stand by being the first to assault you? Do ye fear them? Nay, it is God whom ye should more justly fear, if ye truly believe. Fight them, and God will punish them by your hands; cover them with shame, help you to victory over them, heal the hearts of the believers, and still the indignation of their hearts, for God will turn in mercy to those whom He will; and God is all knowing, all wise. (al-Qur’an 9:13-15)

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatu’llaahi wa barakaatuhu...

First of all, greetings and peace to Imam Khomeini (r.a), who established this blessed Islamic republic and drew up for his people the path of revolution, jihad and resistance for the sake of restoring their dignity and character. The Imam had a clear vision and decisive stands on the issues of Palestine and Jerusalem, the zionist project, and the Ummah’s responsibility towards this, headed by work to remove this racist and cancerous entity from existence.

Greetings and peace to Imam Sayyid Ali Khamene’i, leader of Islamic Iran and all Muslims, who continues the policy of the Imam, abides by his standards, and carries the responsibility of defending this country and its sanctities against the world’s tyrants and oppressors.

Many thanks and appreciation to the Islamic Republic of Iran and its president, government, Majlis and all officials and people for convenng and hosting this conference and for their firmly entrenched position on the issue of Palestine, an issue that accepts no bargaining or discussion. I also thank them for their continuous support for Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and the Arabs against the zionist danger, and for assuming all the burdens of their clear and brave position on the issue of Israel’s existence in our region.

Sisters and brothers, we are living in an extremely critical stage. This stage ranges between the divine victory granted to the Lebanese resistance, which was founded by the aggrieved and absented Imam Musa al-Sadr and which continued its jihad under the guidance of Imam Khomeini on the one hand, and the failure of the settlement options and the emergence of the popular intifada and the escalating resistance and jihad in Palestine on the other. This is also evident in the Arab and Islamic support for the option of resistance and jihad, and in the fact that the zionist entity is now facing difficulties on all levels.

I would like to tell you and our Ummah through you that we all have an extraordinary opportunity to finish off the zionist project, which has been threatening our region and people for more than 50 years. It is inexcusable to waste this opportunity. Today we must look after the resistance of the Palestinian people and support it because it is the Ummah’s spearhead in the effort to rescue the Ummah from the continuous threat. The Palestinian people’s resistance is the vanguard of jihad and resistance in defence of the entire Ummah, its dignity, honour and holy places. It will determine our future for centuries. We should not view the Palestinian people’s intifada and resistance as a chance put pressure on the zionists to obtain a better negotiating position or better settlement terms.

The Muslim states, governments, peoples and movements should seize this historic opportunity and carry out their duty in full towards the Palestinian people’s resistance and intifada, dispensing with hesitation, delay and routine, and without casting doubts on the feasibility of this path.

Brothers, when Israel elected Sharon as head of its government, it clearly expressed its various problems of leadership, its options, and what it wants and does not want. The recent Israeli elections proved that this entity has entered a labyrinth and the signs of weakness and early senility have emerged. It has begun to discover that its existence in this region is wrong. Meanwhile, recent developments prove that we have regained our awareness, found the right path once more, made up our minds, and put our feet on the path of decisive victory. We are required at this particular stage to exercise patience and steadfastness because any retreat or concession will be catastrophic to Palestine and its people, and the entire Ummah.

Sharon is trying to impose new rules on the resistance and intifada in Palestine and resistance in Lebanon. He is trying to disrupt resistance in both arenas so that Israel can restore its ability to reimpose its hegemony and policy. Our duty at this stage is to destroy all of Sharon’s rules and hopes. In the same manner as we triumphed in Lebanon through resistance, Lebanese-Syrian steadfastness and Iranian support, I emphasize that the Islamic resistance in Lebanon will not yield to any new formulas and that it will continue its jihad. In the past, it toppled all situations that the enemy tried to impose through iron and fire. It will do the same today. The initiative will continue to be in the hands of the resistance. Lebanon will remain steadfast and Syria will continue to be a fortress and an example of steadfastness. Sharon will be defeated in Lebanon, as all those who came before him were defeated.

In Palestine too, the resistance can topple Sharon and all his options. The continuation of the Palestinian jihad and resistance will rob the zionists of their security, and even deprive Israel of its raison d’etre, and prove to the zionists that they are in the wrong place and that none will protect them — and that their only option, and even their unavoidable destiny, is to pack up and leave Palestine.

We must depend on our people, on the men, women and children of Palestine, who are putting up resistance, carrying out our jihad, rising up, holding out, sacrificing and standing firm. We must not depend on worn-out settlement plans, the US administration, international institutions, or the ‘international community’, which is unable to adopt a resolution to provide the simplest forms of protection for the Palestinians. The Palestinian people are protected by the resistance and Palestine can be restored by the resistance. The resistance is no longer an option but inevitable. It is our destiny from which there is no escape except to humiliation and loss.

We appeal to the Muslim Ummah— its governments and peoples — to shoulder its responsibility and move from words to deeds. What is required is very clear: to isolate Israel, support the intifada and carry out resistance in Palestine on all levels, and support Syria and Lebanon against the continuing Israeli threats and aggression. Each of our states, peoples and factions should take the initiative through the appropriate mechanism to extend all the necessary aid so that the people of Palestine can continue their intifada and resistance until victory.

What is important is that aid should reach the Palestinians quickly. All else is mere detail. We should not waste weeks and months discussing complicated mechanisms to extend this aid. Living conditions in Palestine are difficult. There are martyrs, wounded, detainees and besieged people. Our mujahideen continue fighting and our assistance should reach them by every possible means.

Brothers, if the intifada and resistance continue as at present, and if the Palestinian people continue to hold out and are supported, victory is certain, insha’Allah. However, a big question remains: all of us must define right now our responsibility if the Israeli aggression against the people of Palestine escalates and reaches dangerous heights. Are we going to condone the repetition of the 1948 and 1967 tragedies? Will the zionists be allowed to commit massacres and expel the Palestinians from their land once again, to Arab and Muslim silence? If matters go so far, what will be the options of governments, particularly the cordon states [states bordering Israel] and more specifically those which signed treaties with Israel? What will the options of the people be?

We will avert danger and forge victory if we take a responsible stand. But a catastrophe will occur if we remain silent. We in Hizbullah and the Islamic resistance in Lebanon will not stand idly by. We will wage our jihad and shoulder our moral responsibility in full. We will show the zionists, insha’Allah, how magic turns against the magician. We will prove to them that the Palestinians are not alone in this battle. I warn the zionists, and I do not say this out of bravado, I mean what I say: await us where you expect and where you do not expect us; I say, where you expect and where you do not expect us.

Brothers, we in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iran and the Arab and Islamic world have a common destiny. The danger threatening us is clear. Why should we deny the crystal-clear fact? Why should we fear the light of resistance and hide in the darkness of humiliating settlements? We must believe in Allah and trust Him. We must believe in our people and trust them. We must believe in our path and follow it regardless of the sacrifices.

The result will be splendid victory, insha’Allah.