Iran urges D8 countries to support Palestinian economy, impose sanctions on the occupier

JAKARTA - The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Indonesia, Mohammad Boroujerdi, encouraged D8 member countries to provide economic support for Palestine and impose sanctions on the occupiers who attacked its people.

"If we want to help the Palestinian people, we must help them by providing economic assistance, as well as imposing economic sanctions on the occupiers who attack the oppressed Palestinian people," Boroujerdi said in a special interview with ANTARA in Jakarta, Friday, February 13.

He made the statement in response to a question about possible efforts by D8 member countries to provide meaningful support for the Palestinian people's struggle.

The statement was also made ahead of the D8 Summit, where Indonesia, which is hosting this year's summit, will welcome the presence of leaders from D8 member countries, namely Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, and Azerbaijan, in a summit to be held in April.

Regarding the crisis in Palestine, Boroujerdi said he was not sure whether recognizing the Zionist regime of Israel as a state could really help bring peace to the Palestinian people.

He stressed that currently more than 75 thousand people have died as a result of the Israeli occupation, most of whom are children and women.

The Israeli attack is a blatant violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people, which is still ongoing and witnessed by the international community.

For this reason, according to him, the most concrete assistance that can be provided to the Palestinian people is economic assistance and sanctions against Israel and other countries that have supported it.

"If there is a country that wants to help the Palestinians, if we decide to make peace, because one of the parties in this peace idea does not believe in peace in any form, then it will not happen," he said.

"So, if you want peace to be realized in the region, you must pressure the Zionist regime of Israel to stop occupying Palestinian land, stop attacking the land, and stop attacking other countries, other neighboring countries," he said.

To realize peace for the Palestinian people, there needs to be an effort to stop double standards in implementing democratic values and human rights.

"Why is democracy, human rights, and a world like this good for the whole world, but not for Palestine? We have to abandon this kind of double standard. If democracy is good, then it is also good for the Palestinian people," he said.

According to him, there needs to be support for the Palestinian people to choose and determine their own fate, regardless of the religious background of their citizens and the race they come from.

"All Palestinians, from various religious backgrounds, are united, and participate in the general election. And whatever they choose, everyone, including us, must accept it," he said.

Iran believes that the only way to help the Palestinian people is to get rid of double standards and establish a true democracy in Palestine, as well as provide real concern for the human rights of the Palestinian people.