TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian said Wednesday a referendum with the participation of all the people of Palestine is the sole solution to the Palestinian issue.
Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks at the first Regional Islamic Unity Conference in the western Iranian city of Sanandaj, saying the Islamic Republic has presented an initiative to the United Nations to diplomatically solve the Palestinian issue.
“This initiative has been registered at the United Nations. The plan is based on holding a referendum with the participation of the original inhabitants of Palestine, including Muslims, Jews, and Christians,” he said.
Iran’s top diplomat went on to say that the first step of the plan is to launch a fund with the help of the UN and volunteer countries to cover the expenses of the referendum.
The second step is to conduct a population census of all the original inhabitants of Palestine, including those living in the besieged Gaza Strip, the Israeli-occupied territories, and all over the world, he said, adding that a referendum could be held under the supervision of the UN afterwards.
Amir-Abdollahian further stressed that the elected representatives would later decide about the fate and future of their country.
He said holding a referendum on the fate of Palestine with the participation of all original inhabitants with different religions had first been proposed by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over two decades ago.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Amir-Abdollahian censured the normalization of ties between the occupying regime of Israel and some Arab states.
“We consider the normalization of relations with the Zionist regime to be a clear betrayal of the Palestinian cause of liberation from the Israeli occupation and aggression,” he said.