States can hold referendums to measure public support for Palestinians : Raisi

The president made the comment on Saturday night during a phone call made by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, with the two discussing a range of issues including Tehran-Tokyo relations as well as the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.

The Iranian president described the Zionist regime’s genocide in Gaza as the biggest humanitarian disaster of modern history, and stressed the need for clarifying realties regarding the Palestinian issue.

Referring to 75 years of the Israeli occupation, killing Palestinians and destroying their homes as well as turning Gaza into the largest open-air prison in the world, Raisi said that the right decision today by world leaders regarding the Palestinian nation requires an exact review of what has happened to these innocent people over the past decades.

In this line, the president proposed that “different countries, including Japan, hold referendums to clearly witness how much their people support the rights of the Palestinian people, although Western states are very afraid of holding such a referendum.”

Raisi then pointed out to US support for the Zionist regime in the Gaza war, calling America the main perpetrator of crimes and prime supporter of the regime’s “war machine” against the defenseless people in the besieged territory.

In the wake of direct US support and through violating more than 400 international resolutions, the Zionist regime has dropped so many bombs, equal with seven atomic bombs, on the people of Gaza, and this is happening while the US is calling on other countries to exercise restraint in order for the “fake Zionist regime” to continue with its genocide and crimes in Gaza, Raisi said.

The president said that inaction by world leaders would further embolden “the Zionist child-killing rulers”. Therefore, he added, different countries, including Japan, are required to seriously follow up four key issues through their diplomatic efforts, including a halt to Israeli bombardments, sending relief aid to Gazans, lifting the blockade of the territory, and upholding the rights of the Palestinian people.

The Japanese prime minister on his part expressed concern over a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and emphasized the importance of a stop to attacks against civilians as well as sending humanitarian aid to Palestinians there.