Iran e Palestina: una relazione di lungo periodo

The chapter approaches the Palestinian issue, as central topic to the rhetoric of the Islamic Republic, although his support for the independence cause has ideological roots that date back well before 1979, manifesting in certain political-religious circles in Iran. Despite a context of profound ethnic-confessional diversity, Sunni Arabs versus Shiite Persian, the anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist stance and the ideal of supporting Palestinian self-determination have provided post-revolutionary Iran with the opportunity to embody the role of supporter of selfdetermination and defender of oppressed peoples, a role dear to Ruhollah Khomeini. Beyond the fundamental economic and military support provided by Tehran to the Palestinians in
recent decades, the most significant influence is found in having contributed to fostering the development of a religious-militant approach to the cause, with Hamas, at the expense of a more secular and exclusively independence-oriented approach held by Arafat’s PLO. This has undoubtedly led to a radicalization and increased violence in the struggle, as well as permeating the strategies employed by the Palestinian group with political-religious messages and tactics that were alien to the world of Sunni militancy until the early 1990s.