I plan to speak soon with President Trump about how to counter the threat of the Iranian regime which calls for Israel's destruction.
But it struck me recently that I've spoken a lot about the Iranian regime and not enough about the Iranian people, or for that matter, to the Iranian people.
So I hope this message reaches every Iranian—young and old, religious and secular, man and woman.
I know you'd prefer to live without fear. I know you'd want to be able to speak freely, to love who you want without the fear of being tortured or hung from a crane. I know you'd like to surf the Web freely and not have to see videos like this one using a virtual private network to circumvent censorship.
You have a proud history. You have a rich culture. Tragically, you are shackled by a theocratic tyranny.
In a free Iran you will once again be able to flourish without limit. But today, a cruel regime is trying to keep you down.
I'll never forget the images of brave young students hungry for change gunned down in the streets of Tehran in 2009; and I'll never forget beautiful Neda Sultan gasping for her last breath on that sidewalk.
This ruthless regime continues to deny you your freedom. It prevents thousands of candidates from competing in elections. It steals money from your poor to fund a mass murderer like Assad.
By calling daily for Israel's destruction, the regime hopes to instill hostility between us.
This is wrong. We are your friend, not your enemy. We've always distinguished between the Iranian people and the Iranian regime.
The regime is cruel – the people are not; the regime is aggressive – the people are warm.
I yearn for the day when Israelis and Iranians can once again visit each other freely in Tehran and Esfahan, in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The fanatics must not win. Their cruelty must not conquer our compassion.
Our two peoples can work together for a more peaceful and hopeful future for both of us. We must defeat terror and tyranny and we must ensure that freedom and friendship win the day.
The responses on YouTube - from people who say they are Iranians - are far more positive than negative. Here are some:
I am from Iran and I think Israel and Iran have the potential to be the best friend in Middle East. Unfortunately, the Islamic regime works against the mutual interests.
Thank you Mr Netanyahu!
Please help us Iranian people as much as you can to overthrow this tyrannical & despotic regime which through severe corruption, incompetence and mismanagement has brought us nothing but pain, sadness, misery and financial ruin.
I'm from iran and we are you'r friend
im iranian . and we are not your enemy
Long live friendship between Iranian people and Israel.
We, Iranians, are children of Cyrus the great, have nothing against Jews and Israel. We want peace for all.
i like you . i like israel. i,m iranian
A warm hello from Tehran!
We support peace, we say NO to war! Viva Iran, Viva Israel!
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
BBC Newsbeat report ignores BBC style guide
-
On December 18th the BBC News website published an article credited to
‘Newsbeat’ reporters Manish Pandey and Jordan Kenny, with the latter
described as....
BBC Newsbeat report ignores BBC style guide
-
On December 18th the BBC News website published an article credited to
‘Newsbeat’ reporters Manish Pandey and Jordan Kenny, with the latter
described as....
Chanukah Over Syria
-
On this Chanukah, menorahs will be lit not only in the land of Israel, from
Jerusalem to Gaza, but in Lebanon and on the heights of Mt. Hermon
overlooki...
Fawzi al-Qawuqji and Southern Syria
-
Fawzi al-Qawuqji (or spelled Fauzi el-Kaukji) played a role in two Arab
anti-Zionist military campaigns.
He was Lebanese-born, Tripoli, and fought for Fa...
One Choice: Fight to Win
-
Yesterday Israel preempted a potentially disastrous attack by Hezbollah on
the center of the country. Thirty minutes before launch time, our aircraft
destr...
Closing Jews Down Under Website
-
With a heavyish heart I am closing down the website after ten years.
It is and it isn’t an easy decision after 10 years of constant work. The
past...
Over & Out
-
Thanks to the readers and commenters who have supported this blog over the
past ten years. Regular readers from the United States and Israel, from
Austral...
Omri: "Elder is one of the best established and most respected members of the jblogosphere..." Atheist Jew:"Elder of Ziyon probably had the greatest impression on me..." Soccer Dad: "He undertakes the important task of making sure that his readers learn from history." AbbaGav: "A truly exceptional blog..." Judeopundit: "[A] venerable blog-pioneer and beloved patriarchal figure...his blog is indispensable." Oleh Musings: "The most comprehensive Zionist blog I have seen." Carl in Jerusalem: "...probably the most under-recognized blog in the JBlogsphere as far as I am concerned." Aussie Dave: "King of the auto-translation." The Israel Situation:The Elder manages to write so many great, investigative posts that I am often looking to him for important news on the PalArab (his term for Palestinian Arab) side of things." Tikun Olam: "Either you are carelessly ignorant or a willful liar and distorter of the truth. Either way, it makes you one mean SOB." Mondoweiss commenter: "For virulent pro-Zionism (and plain straightforward lies of course) there is nothing much to beat it." Didi Remez: "Leading wingnut"
0 comments:
Post a Comment