TEHRAN: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, on a visit to Iran on Tuesday, said Israel is experiencing “unprecedented political isolation”, a day after the UN Security Council called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Although this resolution came late and there may be some gaps that need to be filled, the resolution itself indicates that the Israeli occupation is experiencing unprecedented political isolation,” Haniyeh told a news conference in Tehran after a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

He added that Israel is “losing political cover and protection even in the Security Council” and “the US is unable to impose its will on the international community”.

“The Zionist entity” has “not succeeded in achieving any of its military or strategic objectives” after more than five months of aggression, Haniyeh said.

Haniyeh and the Palestinian delegation also met with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a statement on Khamenei’s website.

The Iranian leader praised the “unique resistance of the Palestinian forces” against the “crimes and brutalities of the Zionist regime (Israel), carried out with the full support of the West”, according to the statement.

It is the second visit the Hamas leader has made to Tehran since Oct 7. Haniyeh’s last visit was in early November when he met Khamenei as well as other officials.Haniyeh’s visit comes after a resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on Monday called for an “immediate ceasefire” for the ongoing holy month of Ramazan, leading to a “lasting” truce.

It also demanded that Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups release prisoners they took during the Oct 7 raid.Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani described Monday’s resolution as a “positive but insufficient step”.

He called for “effective measures to implement the resolution and the complete and permanent cessation of attacks”.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2024