Overview
1. A number of simultaneous marches to Israelīs borders
from the
various Arab countries are planned for March 30, 2012, referring to
themselves as part of the Global March to Jerusalem (GMJ). The
marches are expected to take place in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Judea,
Samaria and the Gaza Strip. The anti-Israeli boycott, divestment and
sanctions (BDS) campaign is also planning a so-called "global
activity day," combining propaganda events in various places around
the world with Land Day, marked by Israeli Arabs. The organizers of
the events set up committees and umbrella networks in the various
countries to deal with logistic deployment and propaganda.
2.
Evidence in our possession indicates that Iran openly and with its
own propaganda supports the March 30 events and is also involved in
organizational preparations for the marches. To that end it employs
proxies, including organizations and individuals, affiliated with
Iran.
3. Iranian support for the marches and its involvement in
their
preparations are additional proof of the eventīs extremist character.
That is also manifested by the involvement of Hamas, the Muslim
Brotherhood, extremist organizations in Asia and the terrorist
organizations (such as Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad)
in the preparations. In our assessment the radical Islamic nature of
the marches casts a shadow over the participation of various Western
human rights organizations and NGOs, and may even make them
reconsider. In addition, the presence of extremist Middle Eastern
elements in the planned events, especially in the Lebanese sector,
heightens the potential for violence and provocation, despite the
fact that the march organizers have repeatedly stated that they will
be non-violent.
4. To summarize, there is evidence that Iran,
both directly and
through its proxies, supports the marches and possibly additional
propaganda events planned for March 30. In our assessment, Iran has a
number of objectives: to strengthen its regional influence by
exploiting the sensitivity of the Arab-Muslim world to the issue of
Jerusalem, to draw international attention away from itself, and to
broaden and deepen the delegitimization campaign being waged against
Israel by channeling it to Iranīs own political needs.
Summary of Information about Iranian Involvement in the
Marches
5. The following is a summary of the information in our
possession,
updated March 13, about Iranian direct and indirect involvement in
the marches planned for March 30:
1) A February 26, 2012 Fars
News Agency item quoted Khamenei as
supporting the march to Jerusalem. He said Iran should openly support
movements and groups operating against Israel. Support for the
marches to Jerusalem was presented as part of a new strategy designed
to increase regional unity against Israel, based on the so-
called "resistance axis" [i.e., Syria and the terrorist
organizations] and opposition to the so-called "occupation" of
Jerusalem (Fars News Agency, Iran, February 26, 2012). In the same
vein, Ghzanfar Asl Roknabadi, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, said
he hoped all "Palestine" would shortly be liberated from its "Zionist
occupiers" and that cries of "Allahu Akbar" would be heard throughout
Rehavia [an elite neighborhood in West Jerusalem] (ISNA, March 4,
2012).
2) In Iran as well as in other countries, a local
committee was
appointed to make preparations for the marches, called The Board of
the Global [March] to Jerusalem in Iran. Its head is Hossein Shaikhol-
Eslam, described as secretary of the Board and march coordinator for
Iran. In addition, the umbrella organizations directing the project
have two Iranian participants, in our assessment handled and directed
by the Iranian regime. One of them is Saleem Ghafuri, an Iranian who
was spokesman for the Asian March and is now, according to the Fars
News Agency, head of the GM2J Board of Executives. The other is the
aforementioned Hossein Shaikhol-Eslam, secretary of the board of the
Global March to Jerusalem (both quoted in the Fars News item on
February 26, see below).
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