Palestine is the greatest exposer of Western and US hypocrisy, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says.

Iran’s position on the Palestinian cause is rooted in human dignity and the fundamental right of nations to self-determination, the Iranian official said.

Speaking at the national conference “The Bell of Awakening: From Iran to Palestine” on Tuesday, Baghaei said Palestine continued to expose the contradictions between Western claims and actions.

“What is the place of Palestine in our intellectual framework and that of the world today? As long as Palestine exists in its current condition, it remains the greatest exposer of Western and American claims.”

Baghaei recalled that the 1945 UN Charter was founded on several principles, foremost among them territorial sovereignty and the right to self-determination.

“Since 1940s, we have witnessed two parallel currents: one that emphasizes the right to self-determination and another that opposes it. This itself demonstrates that the West has never been serious about the rights of the Palestinian people.”

“Iranians do not accept people being forcibly driven from their homes and subjected to injustice.”

Baghaei said Iran’s position on Palestine is fundamentally “humanitarian,” warning that normalizing the denial of self-determination and genocide would undermine the foundations of international norms.

“Iran’s position on Palestine is a humanitarian one, because if the right of nations to self-determination is denied and genocide is normalized, no norm in the world will remain sustainable.”

“When we say our position arises from human nature, it is because our stance has always been consistent. The rights of the Palestinian people must be realized, and governments are obligated under international law to ensure them,” Baghaei said.

Genocide continues in Gaza, West Bank

The Iranian diplomat said Palestinians continued to face genocide, and that similar atrocities were taking place in the occupied West Bank, despite efforts to censor reports of the violence.

“We are facing a situation in which genocide is ongoing in Palestine. The same is happening in the West Bank, just as in Gaza, although news about it is being censored,” he said.

At least 74,570 Palestinians have been killed and 175,808 injured in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its campaign of genocide.

Israeli forces and settlers carried out 3,133 attacks across West Bank in October

The Israeli attacks included shootings, physical assaults, property destruction, burning of trees and vehicles, land seizures, road closures, and restrictions on Palestinians

Baghaei censured the United States and its allies for obstructing international justice despite having established the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“The United States and its allies established the International Criminal Court, but they are preventing justice from being carried out,” he said.

Baghaei cited a historic speech in 1947 delivered by Iran’s then representative to the United Nations, Mostafa Adl, who warned that imposing a majority-backed plan to establish a state in Palestine would neither create a national home for Jews nor ensure lasting stability.

Adl had noted that the UN Charter recognized the right to self-determination and that imposing such a plan would instead lead to persistent conflict in West Asia.

Baghaei said the warning demonstrated the accuracy and principled nature of Iran’s position over the past eight decades.

“This historical prediction shows Iran’s rights-based approach and warnings, from eight decades ago until today, have been accurate, principled and grounded in the realities of the region.”