Iran criticizes Arab States' silence over Palestinian issues

TEHRAN, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Iranian lawmakers on Monday strongly criticized the silence shown by a number of Arab leaders on Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Mohammad-Esmail Kowsari, the vice-Chairman of Iran's parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, criticized the security developments in the Palestinian occupied territories, specially the recent raid by Israel on the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the report said.

"Leaders of a number of Gulf Arab states have joined the Zionist regime both in view and in action through their indifference to the Palestinian issues," Kowsari was quoted as saying.

"Israel intensified its onslaught on Gaza Strip after receiving a green light from Saudi Arabia and Egypt," Kowsari said, adding that "the (Israeli) regime once again is seeking to trample upon Palestinians' rights."

Also on Monday, another member of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Kazzam Jalali criticized certain Arab leaders for their indifference over the Palestinian problems, and accused them of having secret interactions with the Israeli regime, Fars said.

Jalali urged the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to show strong reaction to the recent Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people.

The OIC "which has been established to support Muslims' rights in the world and (the rights of the) Palestinian people, has kept mum over the Israeli aggression against the al-Aqsa mosque and is passing these critical days with negligence," the report quoted him as saying.

On Sept. 27, clashes erupted between Palestinians in the eastern part of Jerusalem and the Israeli police, as a group of Jewish radicals broke into the yard of al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest shrine to Muslims. About 16 Palestinians and several Israeli police were injured in the clashes.

Iran does not recognize Israel and has strongly criticized the Israeli offensive on Palestinians and its occupation of Palestinians territories.

Israel, considered to be the Middle East's sole nuclear power, regards Iran as its major security threat in the region due to repeated statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Jewish state is doomed to be wiped off the map.