TEHRAN – An Iraqi political activist says that Anis al-Naqqash’s life was greatly impacted by the Palestine cause as he spent his life to support the oppressed Palestinian people.

“Palestine was reflected in the whole life of the late Anis al-Naqqash from cradle to grave, until he was called ‘friend of Palestine’ and the Palestinian flag did not leave him until his honorable coffin was wrapped in it,” Hussein al-Dirani tells the Tehran Times.
“His relationship with Palestine is like the relationship of the soul to the body, oxygen to the lung, and the mother to her child,” al-Dirani comments.
Anis al-Naqqash, a seasoned Lebanese political activist concerning Islamic resistance, died at the age of 70. He died on February 22 after contracting the coronavirus.  
He was also a comrade of Imad Mughniyeh, a senior Hezbollah member who was assassinated in Syria in 2008, and the CIA claimed credit for his unlawful murder.

Following is the text of interview with al-Dirani:

Q: What are the achievements of the late Anis al-Naqqash as a resistace figure in the Islamic world?
 A: None of the writers, researchers, thinkers and politicians can comprehend the volume of organizational works and achievements of the late Anis al-Naqqash. 

He spent his honorable life in struggle, jihad, and thinking in order to support the deprived and the vulnerable people.

He was crafting and developing practical strategies to be practiced and applied on the ground. He made every effort to establish a school of thought by which everyone who believes in resistance, jihad, and change in the Arab and Islamic world could join in.

Q: Why did he focus on research and studies after a period of struggle and Jihad?

A: I think that Anis al-Naqqash believed that a continuous struggle entailed delving into the field of research and studies, therefore, he harnessed all his intellectual energies to secure and protect the achievements of the resistance movement. 

Just as the revolution needs honest revolutionaries who believe in the sacrifice for the message of the revolution and its success and victory, it requires sincere leaders, thinkers, and geniuses to maintain its dynamism and progress towards the goals and interests of peoples and nations in the region and the world.

Q: What are the works of Anis al-Naqqash in the field of research and science?
A: Naqqash had great and huge achievements in the field of research and science; he was the head and coordinator of the Aman Network for Strategic Studies, an analyst, and a global strategic political expert, brilliant in his insightful political outlook.

Anyone who wants to know and analyze the developments in West Asia, as well as conflicts and wars that are taking place in our Arab and Islamic world, was waiting for his media appearances.

One of his most important scientific and political researches that will see popularity among politicians, researchers, and thinkers after his death is his book "The Eastern Confederation; A Struggle between Identities and Policies".

In this book, Naqqash sets out a strategy for uniting intellectual, political, and military efforts and energies in the Middle East (West Asia) in order to form a coalition to resist Zionist-American hegemony and authoritarianism.

Q: What are the main sources that actually inspired Anis al-Naqqash in his struggle and scientific life?

A: Before the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the late Anis al-Naqqash was a fighter in the front ranks of the Palestinian resistance in Lebanon and one of the most prominent security and military figures in it. He participated in military operations outside Lebanon for the sake of the Palestinian cause.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Naqqash was associated with the Iranian revolutionaries, where he found his intellectual and revolutionary goals in line with this great revolution.
He served as a coordinator between the Islamic revolution and the Palestinian resistance and regarded the late Imam Khomeini, his honorable leader, and inspirer who possesses all the elements of leadership for the Ummah.

Q: What is the position of Palestine in Anis Naqqash’s thinking?

A: Palestine was reflected in the whole life of the late Anis al-Naqqash, from cradle to grave, until he was called "friend of Palestine" and the Palestinian flag did not leave him until his honorable coffin was wrapped in it.

His relationship with Palestine is like the relationship of the soul to the body, oxygen to the lung, and the mother to her child.

He gave Palestine all his breath, thought, and genius in support of Palestine, the resistance fighters, and the oppressed people.