Khamenei seen publicly for first time since end of war with Israel
July 6 (UPI) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was seen in public over the weekend for the first time since Israel began its war on Iran on June 13.
The Iranian leader appeared Saturday at the Hosseiniyeh of Imam Khomeini, a mosque in Tehran named after the founder of the Islamic Republic, to lead the commemoration on the eve of Ashura, which marks the anniversary of the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Husayn ibn Ali.
Khamenei, the longest-ruling leader in the Middle East, did not deliver any remarks during the event, Press TV reported, but did call over prominent eulogist Mahmoud Karimi and whisper something in his ear.
Throughout the brief war, Khamenei reportedly spent his time in a bunker and delivered three televised addresses to the country.
"We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there. We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least for now," Trump said on his Truth Social platform during the brief conflict.
It was later confirmed by CBS News that Israel had the opportunity to assassinate Khamenei but Trump had opposed the plan.
Khamenei's appearance in Tehran was praised by senior Iranian authorities and political figures on social media, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi -- who is in Brazil for the annual BRICS summit.
Separately, Aragachi published remarks he delivered to the summit in which he emphasized Iran's position on the question of Palestine. Instead of a two-state solution that would establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel, Aragachi called for the establishment of a new democratic state that would encompass Israel and Palestine.
"We all know that as long as the Palestinian issue is not resolved in a just manner, their right to self-determination is not guaranteed, and the crimes of the Zionist regime against the Palestinians are not stopped, insecurity and tension will not end in our region, and peace and stability will not be established," Aragachi said.
He said that talks for a two-state solution, supported by the United Nations and the former administration of President Joe Biden, "has not reached anywhere" and said that the Israeli government is the biggest impediment to the creation of a Palestinian state.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran considers a just solution for Palestine to be a referendum with the participation of all the original inhabitants of Palestine, including Jews, Christians, and Muslims," Aragachi said.
"This is not an unrealistic or out-of-reach solution, just as the apartheid regime in South Africa was stabilized through a referendum and democracy, and not by dividing South Africa into two parts, white and black."
Aragachi said that resolving the Palestinian problem is the primary issue keeping the region from peace and that Iran hopes to see the formation of a single democratic state in which Jews, Muslims and Christians live together in peace.
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Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
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2 hours ago
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What to expect, and what not to, at the UN meeting on an Israel-Palestinian two-state solution
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly is bringing high-level officials together this week to promote a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict that would place their peoples side by side, living in peace in independent nations. Israel and its close ally the United States are boycotting the two-day meeting, which starts Monday and will be co-chaired by the foreign ministers of France and Saudi Arabia. Israel's right-wing government opposes a two-state solution, and the United States has called the meeting 'counterproductive' to its efforts to end the war in Gaza. France and Saudi Arabia want the meeting to put a spotlight on the two-state solution, which they view as the only viable road map to peace, and to start addressing the steps to get there. The meeting was postponed from late June and downgraded from a four-day meeting of world leaders amid surging tensions in the Middle East, including Israel's 12-day war against Iran and the war in Gaza. 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The Palestinians seek those lands for a future independent state alongside Israel, and this idea of a two-state solution based on Israel's pre-1967 boundaries has been the basis of peace talks dating back to the 1990s. The two-state solution has wide international support. The logic behind it is that the population of Israel — along with east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza — is divided equally between Jews and Palestinians. The establishment of an independent Palestine would leave Israel as a democratic country with a solid Jewish majority and grant the Palestinians their dream of self-determination. Why hold a conference now? France and Saudi Arabia have said they want to put a spotlight on the two-state solution as the only viable path to peace in the Middle East — and they want to see a road map with specific steps, first ending the war in Gaza. The co-chairs said in a document sent to U.N. members in May that the primary goal of the meeting is to identify actions by 'all relevant actors' to implement the two-state solution — and 'to urgently mobilize the necessary efforts and resources to achieve this aim, through concrete and time-bound commitments.' Saudi diplomat Manal Radwan, who led the country's delegation to the preparatory conference, said the meeting must 'chart a course for action, not reflection.' It must be 'anchored in a credible and irreversible political plan that addresses the root cause of the conflict and offers a real path to peace, dignity and mutual security,' she said. French President Emmanuel Macron has pushed for a broader movement toward a two-state solution in parallel with a recognition of Israel's right to defend itself. He announced late Thursday that France will recognize the state of Palestine officially at the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly in late September. About 145 countries have recognized the state of Palestine. But Macron's announcement, ahead of Monday's meeting and amid increasing global anger over desperately hungry people in Gaza starting to die from starvation, makes France the most important Western power to do so. What is Israel's view? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects the two-state solution on both nationalistic and security grounds. Netanyahu's religious and nationalist base views the West Bank as the biblical and historical homeland of the Jewish people, while Israeli Jews overwhelmingly consider Jerusalem their eternal capital. The city's eastern side is home to Judaism's holiest site, along with major Christian and Muslim holy places. Hard-line Israelis like Netanyahu believe the Palestinians don't want peace, citing the second Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s, and more recently the Hamas takeover of Gaza two years after Israel withdrew from the territory in 2005. The Hamas takeover led to five wars, including the current and ongoing 21-month conflict. At the same time, Israel also opposes a one-state solution in which Jews could lose their majority. Netanyahu's preference seems to be the status quo, where Israel maintains overall control and Israelis have fuller rights than Palestinians, Israel deepens its control by expanding settlements, and the Palestinian Authority has limited autonomy in pockets of the West Bank. Netanyahu condemned Macron's announcement of Palestinian recognition, saying it 'rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became.' What is the Palestinian view? The Palestinians, who label the current arrangement 'apartheid,' accuse Israel of undermining repeated peace initiatives by deepening settlement construction in the West Bank and threatening annexation. That would harm the prospect of a contiguous Palestinian state and their prospects for independence. Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee and close associate of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the meeting will serve as preparation for a presidential summit expected in September. It will take place either in France or at the U.N. on the sidelines of the high-level meeting, U.N. diplomats said. Majdalani said the Palestinians have several goals, first a 'serious international political process leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.' The Palestinians also want additional international recognition of their state by major countries including Britain. But expect that to happen in September, not at Monday's meeting, Majdalani said. And he said they want economic and financial support for the Palestinian Authority and international support for the reconstruction and recovery of the Gaza Strip. What will happen — and won't happen — at the meeting? All 193 U.N. member nations have been invited to attend the meeting and a French diplomat said about 40 ministers are expected. The United States and Israel are the only countries who are boycotting. The co-chairs have circulated an outcome document which could be adopted, and there could be some announcements of intentions to recognize a Palestinian state. But with Israel and the United States boycotting, there is no prospect of a breakthrough and the resumption of long-stalled negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians on an end to their conflict. Secretary-General António Guterres urged participants after the meeting was announced 'to keep the two-state solution alive.' And he said the international community must not only support a solution where independent states of Palestine and Israel live side-by-side in peace but 'materialize the conditions to make it happen.' ___ Federman reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
