Iran's FM Demands End to 'Culture of Impunity' Over Israel

Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif attacked what he referred to as a “culture of impunity” given to Israel in international venues, and called for unified pressure on the United Nations Security Council to hold Israel accountable.

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The remarks came while speaking at a summit of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, Turkey on Tuesday.

“It is necessary for all of us to address the international community with one voice, in particular the United Nations Security Council, and tell them to end the culture of impunity granted the Israeli regime, and force them to curb their programs and crimes against the Palestinian people,” Zarif said.

The Foreign Minister accused Israel of using this “culture of impunity” to divert attention away from its crimes, allowing a situation that he called a “humanitarian nightmare” to go unpunished.

“The current situation is the sad consequence of the illegal occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories and the constant violation of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian nation,” Zarif said, referencing the recent seizure of the Al-Aqsa mosque by Israeli forces that led to a mass wave of Palestinian protests.

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Zarif called on the OIC to remain resolute in its mission, which he said is to “counter Zionist expansionism and occupation, and support the establishment of an independent and sustainable Palestinian state with al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital.”

Support for the Palestinian liberation cause is a component of Iran's general policies. Zarif says that the “Zionist regime is the main threat to the Islamic world,” because they actively fuel terrorism and extremism in the region.

Al-Aqsa mosque, a mosque in occupied East Jerusalem that is the third holiest site in Islam, became the focal point of the most recent wave of mass Palestinian protests after the Israeli state imposed heightened restrictions and security measures on the compound following a shooting attack. Many Palestinian leaders said the move was an attempt to impose greater Israeli control on the contentious area.

Following mass protests and Palestinian refusal to enter the compound until Israel removed the restrictions, Israel agreed last week to remove the cameras and metal detectors.

Palestine's Foreign Minister, also speaking at the OIC meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday, warned that Israel is “not going to accept defeat” so easily, and that they will “try again and again with different methods and different means to impose” on the status-quo in the region.