IRIB: "Hamas victory, the divine surprise"

From Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting:

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution called Hamas landslide win in the recent Palestinian elections a sweet divine surprise and the fulfillment of God's promises.

Ayatollah Khaemenei made the remarks during a meeting with the popular movement's political bureau chief Khaled Mashal and his accompanying delegation.

Touching on the conditions of the Palestinian people and their combatant groups during past years, he said "Palestinian people and combatant groups never became frustrated and kept on their jihad even under conditions in which all doors were apparently shut to them. They finally witnessed the divine promises fulfilled one after another."

Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the victory of Hamas right after the liberation of the Gaza right which "caught every one off guard."

This is an important nuance. Israel did not withdraw or make a concession for peace, but rather Hamas "liberated" Gaza through terror.

Khaled Mashal for his part praised the Islamic Republic of Iran for its positions towards the Palestinian issue. He called Hamas victory the victory of the overall Islamic Ummah. He emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran definitely shares the win. Mashal congratulated the victory to the Iranian nation.

The following recent paragraphs from Michael Ledeen at NRO puts this in perspective nicely:

Israel is facing the darkest moment in its history (remember that this conversation took place before Sharon’s stroke). Likud is divided, Netanyahu is openly against Sharon, and the Labor party has lost its old guard. No strong government is possible (and hence Israel is similarly unable to order an attack against Iran). Therefore this is a moment for Iran to take maximum advantage;

Iranian power and prestige is at an all-time high among the Palestinian terrorist groups, from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah, to secular, even Communist groups. Terrorists who in the past had rejected Iranian approaches now travel to Tehran for support;

The Syrians have given Iran final say over the activities of Sunni terrorist groups in their country;

Iran now exercises effective control over groups ranging from Hezbollah, Ansar al-Islam, al Qaeda, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Jaish-e-Mahdi, and Jaish-e-Huti (Yemen) to the Joint Shi’ite Army of Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, and part of Saudi Arabia, as well as Islamic movements in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia . . .

All that plus nukes! Note the timing also of the recent increase in open Holocaust-denial from the Iranian regime. Sheyiboneh Beit ul-Moqaddas . . .

Tags: Iran, Hamas, terrorism, slime-buckets, Ayatollah, Khaled Meshal, Israel