MESOP NEWS – THE IRANIAN MASTERMIND OF MIDDLE EAST TERROR : Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC’s Qods Force, issued a video in which children from the Gaza Strip thank Iran for its support of the Gaza Strip, part of the Hamas-Iran rapprochement

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Overview –The Iranian TV channel al-Ayam recently posted a video of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC’s Qods Force, to its Instagram account. Soleimani plays a key role in Iranian subversion in the Middle East and in Iranian support for the Palestinian terrorist organizations. The video was in Arabic with Persian subtitles. It showed Palestinian children from the Gaza Strip standing near the Israeli border waving Palestinian flags and pictures of Qassem Soleimani. The video was entitled, “Message from the children of Palestine to Hajj Qassem Soleimani.” The children emphasize that they are proud of Soleimani, love him and thank him and Iran for the support them give the Gaza Strip (al-Alam TV, Iran, December 27, 2017).
  • The video was issued by al–Alam TV the day before the demonstrations broke out in Iran,[1] during which Soleimani was severely criticized by the demonstrators. They accused him of unnecessarily sending money to Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries. They protested the Iranian regime’s policy of preferring military intervention in Syria and Iraq and support for terrorist organizations, to finding solutions for the economic and social hardships of the citizens of Iran.

Left: Children in the Gaza Strip thank Qassem Soleimani and Iran (al-Alam, December 27, 2017). Right: Demonstrators in Shiraz set a picture of Qassem Soleimani on fire (Twitter, December 20, 2017).
Left: Children in the Gaza Strip thank Qassem Soleimani and Iran (al-Alam, December 27, 2017). Right: Demonstrators in Shiraz set a picture of Qassem Soleimani on fire (Twitter, December 20, 2017).

  • Apparently the display put on by the Gazan children was not spontaneous, but rather rehearsed and possibly requested by Qassem Soleimani. Behind the video in all probability were the Iran-Hamas rapprochement,[2] the Palestinian protests in the wake of the Trump declaration and Soleimani’s personality cult, fostered in recent years. His personality cult is manifested, among other ways, by intensive media coverage of his activities in the various battle zones in which the Qods Force is involved (especially Iraq and Syria). The video has been quoted by many Iranian websites, but so far we have not located a quote on Palestinian websites.


The opening of the video. The title in Arabic and Persian reads, “Message from the children
of Palestine to Hajj Qassem Soleimani” (al-Alam TV, December 27, 2017).

    Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip thank Qassem Soleimani and Iran (al-Alam TV, December 27, 2017).
Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip thank Qassem Soleimani and Iran
(al-Alam TV, December 27, 2017).
[1] On December 28, 2017, demonstrations broke out in the city of Mashhad, Iran, with participants demanding an improvement in the economic situation. The demonstrations gradually spread to other cities, including Tehran, and demonstrators also began criticizing the Iranian regime, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Criticism was also heard of Iran’s foreign policy (“Enough money sent to Syria, think about us,” “Not for [the sake of] Gaza, not for [the sake of] Lebanon, we will die for the sake of Iran,” etc.). During the demonstrations posters of the supreme leader were set on fire as were posters of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC’s Qods Force. Apparently, the demonstrations are currently dying down. ↑

[2] A bulletin on the Hamas-Iran rapprochement was issued in Hebrew. The English translation will be issued shortly. ↑

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