Hawzah News Agency (Tehran, Iran) -Berri made the remarks as the first foreign guest to address the 6th International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Intifada (Uprising) in Tehran on Tuesday, February 21.

“Settlement expansion by the Israeli regime is the worst kind of state-sponsored terrorism,” he said.

The Israeli parliament on February 6 rubber-stamped the so-called “Legalization Bill,” which retroactively legalized structures built on Palestinian land. The move came barely two months after the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution declaring that settlement construction “constitutes a flagrant violation under international law.”

“It’s time to put decisions into action and reach a consensus on a solution to the issue of Palestine,” Berri said.

Addressing the issue of frequent arrests across the occupied territories by Israeli forces, he said 39 Palestinian officials were in the Israeli regime’s custody.

The top Lebanese parliamentarian also described the potential transfer of the United States’ embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds as a means of endorsing Israel’s claim to the city as “the capital of its future state.” The Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of their country.

Arab countries must close embassies in Washington if the US proceeds with the move, he said.

Berri also urged “unity among Palestinian groups,” calling it “the most urgent issue that needs to be addressed at this point in time.”

“I praise what the Islamic Republic has done for Palestine. Iran is being targeted because of its support for Palestine,” the official said.

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