Iran`s Majlis honors newly released Palestinians

TEHRAN, Dec. 21 (MNA) – A number of Palestinians, who were released on October 18 from Israeli prisons, were honored during a ceremony, which was held at the Iranian parliament building on Tuesday. “Resistance by the Palestinian mujahedin (holy warriors) is the only way to gain their rights and is the only way to force the Zionist regime to retreat,” Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said during the ceremony. It was the resistance that compelled Israel to accept a prisoner swap deal, he said. “One of the main issues that forced the Zionist regime to release many (inmates) from its prisons was the fact that the Palestinian resistance vigorously continued its movement and never showed compromising behavior,” he stated. He also said that the Iranian nation and government feel obligated to defend the oppressed Palestinian nation and will always stand by Palestinians. “It is the valuable legacy of Imam Khomeini for the Iranian nation that the ideal of defending Palestinians’ rights should form the core of the Iranian nation’s revolutionary pursuit,” he added. On October 18, 477 Palestinian inmates were released as part of a prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas. On December 19, Israel completed the prisoner exchange and freed 550 more Palestinian prisoners in the second stage of the deal.