Senior adviser to IRGC chief: Netanyahu has strengthened Iran and Palestinian cause

TEHRAN – Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a senior adviser to the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions have helped strengthen the Islamic Republic and advance the Palestinian cause, arguing that the Israeli leader has served these causes more effectively than even the most prominent reformers and revolutionaries who support Palestine. Speaking about what he described as the role of divine will in achieving victory, Naqdi said that when people work for God’s satisfaction, all elements of creation come to their aid, and sometimes even their enemies are made to serve their cause. “Do not underestimate the fact that you overcame them with just one percent of the US military’s budget,” he said. “The reason was that God was supporting you. You worked for God’s satisfaction, and God gave you strength.” Referring to the final years of the Pahlavi monarchy, particularly 1979, Naqdi said the shah had effectively become an instrument of the Islamic Revolution, with his actions ultimately working against him. “Today, Netanyahu is an example of the same situation,” he said. Naqdi argued that Netanyahu had done more to advance the Islamic Republic and the Palestinian cause than some of their most prominent supporters could have achieved. “The service Netanyahu has rendered to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Palestinian cause is something that even the greatest reformers and revolutionaries who support Palestine could not have accomplished,” he said. “He has played a major role in advancing the Palestinian revolution and the Islamic Revolution.” Global public opinion turning against Israel Naqdi also pointed to what he described as a significant shift in global public opinion toward Israel. Several years ago, he said, Iran had pursued diplomatic efforts to persuade nearly 100 foreign delegations to walk out of the UN General Assembly, make noise, and boo the Israeli prime minister during his address. “I asked artificial intelligence about this,” Naqdi said, recounting that the response was that even years of diplomatic work would not have achieved such an outcome. Instead, he said, the change had resulted from the Israeli regime’s own conduct and actions. Naqdi said he had posed another question about how many years of publicity and campaigning would have been needed to persuade millions — or even hundreds of millions — of people across the five continents to raise the Palestinian flag and support the Palestinian cause, despite the difficulties they faced. “Again, the answer was the same,” he said. “The nature of Netanyahu’s operations, the conduct of his government toward the Palestinian people, and the events they brought about have all worked in our favor.” Naqdi points to changing US attitudes toward Israel Naqdi also cited what he described as a shift in American public opinion toward Israel. “Could we have brought American public opinion to the point where a US serviceman set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy, shouting ‘Free Palestine’?” he asked, referring to an act of self-immolation that he said had taken place in protest against Israel. He also pointed out that five US service members had set themselves on fire in Atlanta, Boston, and Washington in protest against Israel. “Could we have brought American public opinion, which was entirely pro-Israel, to such a point? We could not have done that ourselves,” Naqdi said. “Who did it? This is the result of Netanyahu’s actions. God can even make your enemy serve your cause.”