March to al-Quds convoy arrives in Tehran

More than one hundred Asian peace activists from various organizations and committees have arrived in Tehran as part of the global march to al-Quds (Jerusalem), Press TV reports. The convoy of pro-Palestinian activists arrived in Tehran on Saturday. They plan to continue their way to al-Quds, where they are expected to be joined by thousands of more peace activists from around the world to mark the 36th anniversary of Palestinian Land Day, which is March 30. Several marches that began in various locations across the globe are heading toward the countries that neighbor Palestine, namely Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon, in order to get as close as possible to East al-Quds. Addressing members of the convoy in Tehran, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani noted that even if the UN imposes more sanctions on Iran, the Iranian nation will never stop supporting the Palestinian nation. He also criticized the US over its claim that it is the standard-bearer of the cause human rights, saying, “The United States brags about upholding human rights, but it has never done anything to stop the killing of people around the world.” The global march to al-Quds initiative will also include demonstrations in front of Israeli embassies in the capitals of various countries as well as demonstrations in the main public squares of major cities around the world. On March 30, 1976, Israeli troops killed six Palestinians during a protest against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Palestinian Land Day commemorates this event. Since the occupation of East al-Quds, Israel has been trying to alter the identity of the city through measures such as the construction of illegal housing units for Israelis, the eviction of Palestinians, and the demolition of their houses.