Al-Quds Day was established in 1979 by the Islamic Republic of Iran and is commemorated every year on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan. Since its inception, Al-Quds Day has existed to express solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation from Zionist colonial occupation. Even beyond that, as Imam Khameini reminded us during his declaration of this international day popular mobilization and action: “Al-Quds Day is an international day and is not exclusive to Quds. It is the day when the oppressed confront the arrogant.”
Al-Ahrar Palestinian Prisoner Support commemorates this important day and uplifts the calls from the regional Resistance in confronting the NATO-U.S.-Zionist alliance of imperialist aggression wherever it may rear its ugly head.
Al-Quds as a city is at the heart of the struggle against Zionist settler-colonialism and U.S.-led imperialism. The Palestinians of Al-Qud’s are attacked by settlers, and the city’s holy places are raided by genocidal occupation forces. This year, Al-Aqsa, the city’s holiest mosque, is denied the blessings of Ramadan worshippers. This denial serves as a brutal attempt by the occupation to intimidate the worshippers and disrupt their sacred bond to their mosque and their city.
With these atrocities, though, we must never forget, comes with great honour and pride, the brave Palestinian resistance to the enemy’s aggression.
This resistance is the worshippers defying IOF intimidation to pray at Al-Aqsa, it is the Palestinians of Al-Quds living through daily encounters with their enemies, it is Palestinians living in fear of displacement and violence and yet remaining an immovable force on their land, and it is the Palestinians who still carry their keys with them with unwavering conviction of their eventual dignified and honourable return to the land.
This resistance also extends to the blessed fighters of the armed resistance in Palestine: the Palestinian factions who confront the enemy’s attempts to attack Al-Aqsa using their rockets, letting the enemy know that even though they don’t live in Al-Quds, it lives in them and they will defend it by any means necessary.
This resistance against Zionist settler-colonialism and U.S.-led imperialism extends to the Axis of Resistance— from Iran, to Lebanon, to Yemen, to Iraq who answer the call across the region to support the fight against the NATO-U.S.-Zionist alliance without hesitation and with unwavering political conviction.
It is through armed struggle that the dignity of the land is protected for colonized people. It is through armed struggle that Al-Aqsa is protected. It is through armed struggle that Palestinian political prisoners are freed.
Palestinian prisoners, and all prisoners of the struggle against colonialism and imperialism, are imprisoned by the enemy in an attempt to crush their spirit, disrupt the ranks of the resistance, and rob prisoners of their agency. Prisoners are at the centre of the struggle for liberation because they are subjected to the most violent conditions, face-to-face with the enemy, behind closed doors. Prisoners are the compass of the struggle and the vanguard of resistance.
It is only through armed resistance that the systematic incarceration, torture, and killing of Palestinians in Zionist prisons is defeated. Our organization is named after Toufan Al-Ahrar, the Flood of the Free prisoner exchange that was secured by the Palestinian Resistance just last year. This freed thousands of Palestinians and this is how the over 10,000 Palestinian prisoners that still remain inside Zionist prisons will be liberated.
The Axis of the Resistance is the centre of the struggle to liberate Palestinian prisoners. The Axis coordinates with one another with Iran as the vanguard in the region quite literally financing the Palestinian struggle to ensure the freedom of incarcerated Palestinian, Lebanese, and Syrian prisoners in Zionist dungeons.
This year, Al-Quds Day is commemorated during a time of increased imperial aggression not only against Palestine, but also against the allies of the Palestinian people. The NATO-US-Zionist alliance has been waging war on Iran and Lebanon for several weeks, expanding their gruesome display of violence against the Axis of Resistance and their brave people.
Iran has been fighting brutal American-Zionist attacks with bravery, strength, and strategy, supported by its allies in the Axis, together launching retaliations and offensive strikes against the Zionist entity and its client states and the American military bases that they house.
To commemorate Al-Quds Day is to stand in solidarity and to honour the fighters on the front line, and just as importantly, to honour the people of Palestine— in Gaza, the West Bank, in historic Palestine, and in the diaspora— the people of Lebanon, the people of Iran, the people of Yemen and the people of Iraq, who, under the bombs of the American-Zionist regime, stand with dignity and pride in support of their resistance movements, and refuse to bow to the enemy and its reactionary client states in the region.
Through armed struggle, The Axis of Resistance, in Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, have modelled to the global masses, not only this year, but since the inception of Al-Quds Day, what it means to truly be in solidarity with Palestine, what it means to defend Al-Quds, Al-Aqsa, and all of Palestine’s blessed land.
Al-Ahrar Palestinian Prisoner Support salutes the people of Palestine and all of the Axis of Resistance. We call on people of conscience and organizations in the imperial core to stand unequivocally with Palestine and its allies, who are facing, with bravery and determination, this evil empire which seeks to maintain global hegemony through violence and subjugation.
We call you to reject the empire’s propaganda about the Axis of Resistance, reject the colonial lies that we as people of the imperial core hold any moral superiority to those who are under the boot of imperialsim while we reap its benefits, and refuse to spread the lies of empire against soverign countries that resist imperialism under the guise of nuance and morality.
Imperialism is the primary source of evil in the world, it is the biggest threat to humanity. As such, its destruction should be the priority for every freedom-loving human.
Glory to Al-Quds!
Glory to the Martyrs!
Long Live the Palestinian Resistance!
Long Live the Iranian Revolution!
Long Live Hezbollah!
Long Live AnsarAllah!
Free All Palestinian Prisoners!
