The U.S. government experienced a scandalous defeat in Camp David II
The U.S. government is susceptible. A more recent example is the "Camp David II" question. Yasser Arafat and the President of the Zionist Regime were kept in Camp David for 15 days in the hope of achieving what would stimulate a political feat, a political recovery, and a sign of political influence for the U.S. They failed. They admitted their defeat. The U.S. government experienced a scandalous defeat in Camp David 2. None of the negotiating sides gave in to them. The defeat in Camp David 2— which is a very recent example, occurred a few days ago—is not just an incident. At large, it is the defeat of the ‘American’ idea of peace in the Middle East. These are the symptoms and examples [of that defeat]. Hence, the enemy's susceptibility—the vulnerability of the U.S. regime—is one side of the story.
The issue of the Zionist regime is even more obvious. Notice my dear ones that the Palestinians awakening and their fight against the usurper regime today is a movement that cannot be easily defeated. It is not something dependent upon an individual like Arafat—so that they can buy him or drain him. No, the Palestinian movement fell in the hands of the people and pious young men and women. The defeat of the Zionist regime in southern Lebanon, then the collapse of Camp David II talks, and many future defeats for Israel will continue to happen under the influence of the strong and pious presence of Palestinian and Lebanese young men and women. This anti-Zionist hook has caught the shark in the Middle East. The hook has been fixated in the mouth of the shark and the shark can do nothing. When a fish is trapped on a hook, the more it moves, the deeper the hook will go. Whatever they do, they will lose: if they show flexibility, they will lose in one way. If they show severity, they will lose the other way. If they follow the talks, they will receive a blow hit in one way. If they stop negotiating, they will be stricken a blow in another way. The hook is deep inside. So, they are susceptible while the Islamic establishment stands strong.
July 26, 2000
Camp David Accords was aimed at making people forget that there is a country called Palestine
Today we have a fundamental issue in the world of Islam: the issue of Quds. Why do we say the issue of Quds is a fundamental issue? Because the Middle East - the region in which we live - was divided up in the wrong way, on the basis of a plot to let the Zionists settle in this region. If this plot had not been hatched, the conditions of the region would be different today. The divisions, the wars that took place in this region, the interference by the domineering and bullying powers - all of these things were due to this issue and this is a long story. They have focused their efforts on sidelining this issue. The world of Islam must not allow them to do so. Over the course of many years, they tried to erase the issue of Palestine from the minds of people and they were successful to a certain extent. The purpose of the Camp David Accords and what followed - which are one of the dark spots in our contemporary history - was to make the people of the region forget that there was a country called Palestine. The Islamic Revolution and our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) kicked them in the mouth. Since the first day after the victory of this Revolution and even since the beginning of the movement which led to the Islamic Revolution, the issue of Palestine has been one of the essential issues for our Revolution and this was one of the reasons why the world of Islam focused its attention on our Revolution. Of course, there were other reasons as well. Today they are trying to undermine the issue of Quds and the world of Islam must not let them do so.
They kept the world of Islam busy with side issues. Certain people bring up the Shia-Sunni issue, while the Zionists have been pressuring several million Palestinians for 60 years. They ignore what the Zionists have been doing and they say that the real danger is the Islamic Republic, a government that has raised this flag and started this epic movement in the world. Is there any treachery that is worse than this? The Iranian nation has stopped them so far and it will stop them in the future as well. By Allah's grace, the Iranian nation will have such a massive presence in this year's Quds Day rallies that the enemies of Islam and Palestine will be kicked in the mouth.
Highlighting the issue of Palestine is not a tactical matter for the Islamic Republic. It is a fundamental issue which originates from Islamic beliefs. It is our responsibility to liberate that Islamic country from the hegemony and clutches of that usurping power and its international supporters. It is our responsibility to return that Islamic country to the people of Palestine. This is a religious obligation, one that lies on the shoulders of all Muslims. All Muslim nations and governments have a responsibility in this regard. This is an Islamic responsibility. This is how we view the issue of Palestine and others should view the issue of Palestine from the same perspective. They should not involve this issue in political games, in political transactions, in political - and sometimes treacherous - dealings. The issue is a religious issue. It is an ideological issue and it is necessary to pursue it.
People of Egypt do not want the Egypt of the Camp David Accords, they want an independent, strong Egypt
Hatred towards Zionism and attention to the issue of Palestine and Islamic dignity are among the main characteristics of the people. In the recent elections held in Egypt, 75 percent of the people voted for Islamic slogans. Similarly, the majority of the people of Tunisia raised the same Islamic flag. In Libya, this percentage is not lower, if not higher. And this is what the people want from their representatives and their new governments. The people want a proud, honorable and free Egypt. They do not want the Egypt of the Camp David Accords. They do not want a poor and dependent Egypt. They do not want an Egypt that is ruled by America and an Egypt that is allied to Israel. They do not want a rigid and radical Egypt. They do not want a westernized, laicist and dependent Egypt. The main demand of the people and youth is a free, honorable, Islamic and progressive Egypt. The people and youth are not after conflict. The structure of the Egyptian army is populist. There are some people inside and outside Egypt who want to pitch the army against the Egyptian people in the future and everybody must be vigilant in this regard. The main structure of the Egyptian army will not tolerate the infiltration of America and the friends of Israel.
Moreover, we people speak about Islamic tendencies in Egypt, Tunisia or Libya, what we mean is Prophet Muhammad’s (s.w.a.) Islam, the kind of Islam brought about security and divine blessings for all people in Medina, including Christians and Jews. When we speak about Islam, it does not mean we are calling on worshippers from different faiths to fight each other, it does not mean we are calling on Muslims to engage in sectarian confrontations. What we mean is the Egypt of the Forum for Proximity of Islamic Denominations, the Egypt of Sheikh Shaltut.
The people of Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya should know that what they have achieved is an incomplete revolution and that although they have made big strides, this is only the beginning. The problems that they have caused for us after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran“ and by Allah’s favor, they have failed in all their efforts against the Islamic Revolution “ have been hundreds of times more than the problems that the Revolution had faced up until the Shah was deposed. You must be vigilant and you should help your revolution move forward step by step until the final stages according to a medium- and long-term plan.
The tyrannical regime of Egypt was the first Arab government that betrayed the Palestinian cause and prepared the way for other Arab countries to make concessions, so much so that all Arab governments except for one “ namely, Syria “ betrayed Palestine and made peace with Zionism. The Egyptian regime was one of the two Arab regimes which were trusted by America and Israel. The current hypocritical President of America decided to travel to Hosni Mubarak’s Egypt in order to send out his message of deceit and hypocrisy to Muslims, but the people Egypt expressed their opinion with the revolution they carried out and they put an end to everybody’s illusions.
Today Egypt should be at the forefront of defending the Palestinian cause and it should trample on the treacherous Camp David Accords. Revolutionary Egypt can no longer provide energy and natural gas for the declining Zionist regime out of the pocket of its poor and troubled people.
During Camp David Accords, for the first time an Arab state betrayed Palestine
Over the past three decades, this process has been accelerated on a daily basis. The humiliating defeat of the Zionist regime in Lebanon in the year 2006, the humiliating failure of the arrogant Zionist army in Gaza in the year 2008, the Zionist regime's escape from South Lebanon and withdrawal from Gaza, the establishment of the resistance government in Gaza and in brief, changing the Palestinian nation from a group of helpless and hopeless people to a hopeful, resistant and self-confident nation - these were the outstanding characteristics of the past thirty years.
This general picture will be clear when attempts at compromise and treacherous activities - whose goal is to break down resistance and make Palestinian groups and Arab governments acknowledge the legitimacy of Israel - are also reflected upon in an appropriate way.
These activities, which were initiated with the Camp David Accords by the treacherous and unworthy successor of Gamal Abdel Nasser, have always been aimed at undermining the steely determination of resistance forces. During the Camp David Accords, for the first time, an Arab government officially acknowledged that the Palestinian lands belonged to the Zionists and it signed the papers according to which Palestine was recognized as the homeland of Jews.
From that time until the Oslo Accords in the year 1993 and later on in complementary plans - which were imposed one after the other on compromising and careless Palestinian groups with the intervention of America and the cooperation of colonialist European governments - the enemy tried its best to discourage the Palestinian nation and Palestinian groups from resisting through the use of empty and deceptive promises and making them busy with amateur political games. The uselessness of all these accords was revealed very soon and the Zionists and their supporters repeatedly showed that they consider these accords as worthless pieces of paper. The goal of these plans was to create doubt among the Palestinians, make materialistic unbelievers greedy and cripple Islamic resistance.
It was only after Egypt submitted to Camp David Accords that some Arab states surrendered to the U.S.
Our position on these popular movements is clear: wherever there is a movement that is Islamic, popular and anti-America, we will support it. But if we notice that a movement has been instigated by the Americans and the Zionists, we will not support that movement. Wherever America and the Zionists step in to overthrow a regime and occupy a country, we will move in the opposite direction of the Americans. America cannot think or act in favor of the interests of the regional nations. Whatever it does and whatever it has done so far have been against the nations of this region. This is our position.
The second point is that the countries which achieved victory - especially Egypt, which is a big country with a rich Islamic, spiritual and cultural background - must be cautious. They must take care not to allow the enemy that escaped through the door to go back in through the window. The aid that is reportedly provided by America for Egypt or any other country is itself a source of trouble. It is through such aid and such dollars that the Americans establish their domination over other countries and impose their demands on them. They use these things to spread their oppressive domination over nations that have achieved freedom.
Everybody must remain vigilant. Of course, the Egyptian nation is vigilant. The impressive movement that the Egyptian nation carried out to protest against the position of the former Egyptian regime on the issue of Palestine, Gaza and the Rafah crossing was a very valuable movement. It is necessary to continue this movement. Egypt plays a significant role in the Arab world. It was due to this significance that Egypt was targeted by those who wanted to bring Arab countries to their knees against the Zionist regime. They imposed the disgraceful Camp David Accords starting with Egypt. It was only after Egypt had accepted the Camp David Accords that other Arab countries gradually surrendered to America's will. The issue of Palestine was totally wiped off the scene of Arab decision-making. They must be careful. They are very sensitive about Egypt. Westerners and the arrogant powers returned to Egypt only one day after the era of Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had forced them out of Egypt. This experience must not be repeated in Egypt. The Egyptian people are vigilant, and I hope Allah the Exalted will help them in this regard.
The chasm between the people and the government of Egypt erupted after the disgraceful Camp David Accords
Today the uprising of the Egyptian nation is hotly debated and different analyses are being churned out. Everybody says something different, but anybody who is familiar with Egypt clearly knows that Egypt is defending its dignity and honor. The Egyptian nation has collared the traitors who have destroyed its honor, the traitors who have allowed the honor of this nation - which used to be at the peak of its glory - to be trampled upon by the arrogance of its enemies. The position of Egypt on the Palestinian issue is a clear example. Palestine has been the most crucial issue of this region since decades ago, and the regional issues are so complex that no nation can imagine disentangling its fate from the issue of Palestine. And there are no more than two camps: there are those who support Palestine and its righteous activities, and there are those who join the opposing camp.
The peoples of the region have clarified their position since the beginning. Therefore, when a government supports Palestine, it wins the support of its people as well as the support of Arab and Muslim peoples. Egypt experienced this in the 1960s and 1970s. But when a government switches allegiances and supports the opposing camp, the people turn their back on the government. This chasm between the people and the government of Egypt appeared after the disgraceful Camp David Accords. The Egyptian people - who had rushed to the aid of Palestine in 1967 and 1973 and laid down their lives and sacrificed their wealth for the cause - gradually realized that their rulers had adopted such an extreme position on supporting and obeying America that Egypt had turned into a loyal ally of the usurping Zionist enemies. America's domination over the rulers of Egypt ruined the past efforts of the Egyptian people to support Palestine, and Egypt turned into the biggest enemy of Palestine and the biggest supporter of the Zionists.
This was while Syria - Egypt's ally in the wars of 1967 and 1973 - managed to maintain its independent positions in spite of different kinds of pressure exerted by America. The situation of the dependent Egyptian system became so bad that the Egyptian people saw for the first time in their history that during the Israeli war against their brothers in Gaza their government was in the camp of Israel. They realized that not only their government was refusing to help the Palestinians, but it was also extremely active in the enemy's camp. History will never forget that Hosni Mubarak was a confidant and a collaborator of Israel and America during the appalling siege imposed on the people of Gaza and during the 22-day war when the women, men, and children of Gaza were being killed. Just imagine how much the people of Egypt must have suffered during those days. National TV once showed footage from the strong feelings expressed by the people of Egypt. They were speaking with tears in their eyes about their situation and how they are prevented from helping their Palestinian brothers. How long could the faithful people of Egypt tolerate this? What we see today in Cairo and in other cities of Egypt is the explosion of the holy anger and the eruption of unexpressed emotions that had accumulated over many years in the hearts of liberated Egyptian men and women due to the behavior of the non-Muslim, treacherous and puppet regime.
U.S. Middle East policies in the wake of the Camp David imposed a gloomy fate for the Palestine nation
The U.S. Middle East policies in the wake of the Camp David Accord had delineated a gloomy fate for the cause of Palestine and the Palestinian nation, and these policies ultimately led to the Oslo Accord and its regrettable repercussions. In these policies, the destruction of the spirit of jihad and resistance and gradual elimination of the Palestinian people from all regional equations and forcing them to rely on vain hopes instead of their own will and potential had been envisioned. However, the spirit of Islamic faith and jihad in the way of Allah that once again motivated the struggle of the Palestinian people created the biggest hurdle in the way of the implementation of these policies and the treacherous motives behind them.
Today, thanks to this spirit and motivation, the Palestinian nation is present in the arena wholeheartedly and is laying the foundation of a future that was unpredictable to its enemies and even its friends through its strong will and determination as well as its self-sacrifice.
The developments that are taking place in Palestine today herald a future that Almighty Allah has promised to sincere and steadfast Mujahedin, and this promise is inviolable.
The oppressive and brutal Zionist regime, which is supported by the United States and the world Zionism, as well as the reactionary crusaders, assume that they can overcome the Palestinian people and force them to submit by committing heinous crimes and atrocities. But this assumption is a grave mistake, and those perpetrating this mistake will be severely punished.
The butchers in Tel Aviv have only been able to kill scores of innocent people and destroy their homes and cities. But they have not been able to undermine the strong will and resistance of the Palestinian Mujahedin. The Intifada of the Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of the divine signs and will severely punish the barbaric criminals.
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