Addressing the 17th edition of the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha on Saturday, Araqchi said the Palestinian issue could not be treated as one among many regional concerns, but rather as the strategic and ethical compass of the region.
The Iranian foreign minister said the crisis of Palestine had long been understood as the result of illegal occupation and the denial of a nation’s right to self-determination, but stressed that current developments, particularly in Gaza, had gone far beyond that framework. He noted that what was taking place could not be described as a conventional conflict between equal sides, but rather as the deliberate and large-scale destruction of civilian life, which he characterized as genocide.
Araqchi said the human cost of Israeli actions in Gaza had deeply shocked the conscience of humanity, affecting not only Muslims but also people of all faiths who reject the normalization of killing civilians, starving populations, and turning hospitals into battlefields. He added that Palestine had become a mirror reflecting not only Palestinian suffering, but also the moral failure of those capable of stopping the catastrophe yet choosing instead to justify, enable, or normalize it.
He warned that the situation in Gaza had also become a platform for a broader and more dangerous expansionist project pursued under the banner of “security.” According to Araqchi, one consequence of this project was global, as the impunity granted to the Israeli regime had severely weakened international law and set a precedent in which states with sufficient political backing could bomb civilians, besiege populations, and violate sovereignty while still claiming legal legitimacy.
The second consequence, he said, was regional, arguing that Israeli actions had directly destabilized the security of neighboring countries through repeated violations of borders, assassinations of officials, and the expansion of military operations, all carried out with a sense of entitlement due to the absence of accountability. He warned that if Gaza were “resolved” through destruction and forced displacement, the West Bank would become the next target, turning territorial annexation into official policy.
Araqchi further described the third and most dangerous consequence as structural, stating that the Zionist regime’s expansionist project required the systematic weakening of surrounding states militarily, economically, technologically, and socially to preserve its strategic superiority. He said this approach allowed Israel to expand its military arsenal without restrictions, while other countries were pressured to disarm, sanctioned for scientific progress, or punished for strengthening national resilience.
The Iranian foreign minister stressed that Palestine was therefore not only a humanitarian issue but a strategic one tied to the future of the region and the rules governing the international system. He said expressions of concern and statements of condemnation were insufficient, calling instead for a coordinated legal, diplomatic, economic, and security strategy rooted in international law and collective responsibility.
Araqchi said the international community should support legal accountability mechanisms, ensure real consequences for violations, and impose comprehensive and targeted sanctions on the Israeli regime, including an immediate arms embargo, suspension of military and intelligence cooperation, restrictions on responsible officials, and bans on trade. He also emphasized the need for a credible political horizon based on ending the occupation, guaranteeing the right of return and compensation, and establishing an independent and unified Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital.
He added that the humanitarian crisis must be treated as an urgent international responsibility and that collective punishment should never be normalized. Araqchi also called on regional countries to act in coordination to protect sovereignty and deter aggression, stressing that security could not be built on the insecurity of others.
Concluding his remarks, he said the Islamic world, Arab states, and countries of the Global South should form a united diplomatic front, urging regional organizations to move beyond symbolism toward coordinated legal, diplomatic, and economic action. Araqchi warned that a region where one actor is allowed to operate above the law would never achieve stability, arguing that justice for Palestine was the unavoidable cornerstone of lasting regional security.