May 14, 2021
The Majlis has taken a stark step to put the Islamic Republic on the road to war with Israel by declaring, “Jerusalem will be liberated by the Qods Force.”
The declaration came in the form of a formal statement issued by the Majlis Presiding Board.
It was not a legal declaration of war. It was not even a resolution of opinion voted on by the Majlis. So, it had no legal standing. Nonetheless, it was a major step on the road to greater conflict.
There is no sign that the powers-that-be in Iran want a war. But they do appear to want greater confrontation with Israel and the Majlis statement is further evidence of that.
The statement issued May 11 condemned Israel’s recent “crimes” against the Palestinians at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and in Gaza, referring he Israel military action against protesters at the mosque and its response to the firing of missiles from Gaza deep into Israel.
“Resistance is the only way to confront the criminal regime of Israel, and the resistance groups will defend the Palestinian cause with maximum preparedness and power until historic Palestine from the River to the Sea is liberated completely,” said the statement, read by senior member of the Presiding Board Seyed Mohsen Dehnavi.
“The axis of resistance, led by the Qods Force and with the help of the spirit of the martyrs of the resistance, especially the great resistance fighter, martyr Haj Qassem Soleymani, will liberate the land of Palestine from the claws of the evil regime.”
Lest there be any doubt what was meant, the statement then added clearly: “Jerusalem will be liberated by the Qods Force.”
For four decades, the Islamic Republic has simultaneously been militant toward Israel and avoided any suggestion that it would ever take on Israel militarily. That has now changed. For four decades, the Islamic Republic carefully and studiously embraced the words of Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini: “Israel must be wiped off the face of the map.” That was a seemingly firm statement of policy but its use of the passive voice meant it carefully avoided saying who would perform the wiping off.
Last year, some military officers began adopting tougher language that suggested Iran was prepared to do the wiping off—though the threats were qualified by saying Iran would act against Israel if Israel first took military action against Iran.
That changed early in March when Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami said the Islamic Republic was prepared to “level” Tel Aviv and Haifa if Israel “commits a mistake.” It did not say that “mistake” must be military, leaving open the assumption that an Israeli political mistake could produce Iranian military action. (See March 26 issue, page one.)
The new statement from the Majlis now takes this shift away from the Khomeini policy a giant step closer to conflict.
