Hizbullah leader Hasan Nasrallah accused Israel on Friday of wanting “the issue of Palestine to be forgotten” and said the resistance against Israel was still alive.

Speaking on the occasion of Friday’s Land Day, Nasrallah said Arab countries had the capabilities to liberate Palestine if they joined forces but said the will was absent.

“The [Arab and Muslim] nation is responsible for this and can be victorious given its capabilities which would enable the regaining of Jerusalem and Palestine,” the Lebanon-based Daily Star quoted Nasrallah as having said.

“It has the capability to lift injustice and liberate religious sites but it hasn’t until now and it won’t,” he added.

Nasrallah then said, “What do the occupiers and whoever is behind them want? They want the Palestinian people to forget about Palestine, for it not to be a priority anymore, to draw attention away from it, for its people to despair and accept the reality of what is left.”

He added that the “Palestinian issue was” still alive because of the resistance against Israel and the people’s sacrifices and perseverance.

Two weeks ago Nasrallah congratulated the terrorist organizations in Gaza for causing half a million Israelis to spend days in shelters, as Gaza terrorists fired more than 200 rockets during a recent escalation in attacks.

“This is a great formula,” he said in a radio speech and praised the people of Gaza for “standing firm” in the face of the Israeli airstrikes.

Nasrallah also blamed Israel for the recent escalation in the south.

In his speech on Friday, the Hizbullah leader also addressed the situation in Syria, his greatest ally, saying the regional and international efforts to end the crisis in Syria had swung away from the option of military intervention toward a political settlement.

“The options of military intervention, arming the opposition or sending in Arab troops are off the table,” he said.

“Ever since Kofi Annan’s arrival in Syria, he has not relied on the Arab League initiative which means that [the Arab bid] is over,” added Nasrallah.

He said recent regional and international meetings all failed to mention arming the opposition and the establishment of a joint Arab force, which he said further indicated a political settlement was sought after.

“What is needed in Syria is a political solution for the interests of Syria, the Syrian people and Syria’s strategic position,” he said, adding that many lives could have been spared had this been adopted early in the crisis.