On Saturday night, an Israeli couple – two graphic designers named Ronnie Edri and Michal Tamir – decided to cut across the growing anxiety and fear over the possibility of an Israel-Iran war, and address Iranian citizens directly. They created a slogan you can impose over your profile picture or any picture of your choice:
The Israeli meme nation is a harsh and biting one, and many of the first responses were on the cynical side:
But more and more Israelis took up the call in earnest,
and some added messages of their own; as these are also being enthusiastically copied and reproduced, it’s hard to establish authorship, but one of the more popular ones ran:
To the Iranian people
To all the fathers, mothers, children, brothers and sistersFor there to be a war between us, first we must be afraid of each other, we must hate.
I’m not afraid of you, I don’t hate you.
I don t even know you. No Iranian ever did me no harm. I never even met an Iranian…Just one in Paris in a museum. Nice dude.I see sometime here, on the TV, an Iranian. He is talking about war.
I’m sure he does not represent all the people of Iran.
If you see someone on your TV talking about bombing you …be sure he does not represent all of us.I’m not an official representative of my country. I’m a father and a teacher. I know the streets of my town, I talk with my neighbors, my family, my students, my friends and in the name of all these people …we love you.
We mean you no harm.
On the contrary, we want to meet, have some coffee and talk about sports.To all those who feel the same, share this message and help it reach the Iranian people.
And then came the response:
The couple told “The Marker” they had received hundreds of private messages from Iranians saying they were deeply moved by the campaign.
So what does it all mean? Quite simply, that neither party has any appetite for a war right now. As an Iranian first strike on Israel is not even on the cards right now, Iranian opposition to war may come as no surprise. But it’s important to stress the Israeli opposition to war reflected above is also far from an abstract “make love not war” one. A recent survey found a whopping 50 percent of Israelis were totally opposed to an attack on Iran, even if the diplomatic efforts to stall the nuclear program failed. 43 supported the move, but 78 percent of those surveyed recognised that even a successful attack would at best delay Iran’s acquisition of an A-Bomb by a few years. Only 16 percent believed such an attack would wipe out the Iranian nuclear program for good. An earlier survey that specifically asked if Israel should attack on Iran on its own found 65 percent of Israelis were opposed.
Although I’m normally very cynical on just how much leaders care for public opinion when making a decision to go to war, we should remember Netanyahu is first and foremost a populist and that this is an election year. I’d be surprised if Netanyahu doesn’t repeatedly reminisce on the experience of his predecessor, Ehud Olmert, who went to a much more popular war in Lebanon, botched it, lost power and set in motion the destruction of his own party; although Olmert characteristically leeched on to power for another two and a half years, the inconclusive ending of the war and the severe casualty toll foretold Kadima’s downfall as soon as the ceasefire in Lebanon was enacted. A war with Iran has much higher chances of failure and much greater casualties are at stake. In this situation, such campaigns might – just might – add a few grams of pressure on Netanyahu to stay his hand.
More Iran coverage on +972 Magazine:
Poll: Most Israelis against attack on Iran
Author David Grossman against attack on Iran – by Israel or U.S.
U.S. embassy alarmed by ‘missile’ in anti-war art project
In front-page editorial, Pro-Netanyahu paper supports attack on Iran
Polls: Israelis fear unilateral strike more than Iranian bomb
Poll: Huge majority opposes unilateral Israeli war on Iran
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Amir
I am an Iranian and love the people of Israel and the Jewish world.
The Iranian people have no enmity with any country.
The people of Iran want peace for all people in the world.
Long live peace and freedom for all people of the world
Karen Tanada
Iranians and Israelis, as a Filipino I wish you peace, justice, and love that overcomes fear.
Prof. H. H. Safavi
Any person who has read the Old Testament (Torah) is well aware of the love Iranians have had for Jewish people from the beginning of history. When all other nations were persecuting Jewish people, in Iran we had Jewish queens, Prime Ministers, Ministers, and Provincial Governors. Since the Constitutional Revolution of 1904 Iranians of Jewish Faith have had their own deputies in the Parliament up to this date. There have been numerous intermarriages between Iranian Jews and members of other Faiths. Judaism is one of the four official religions of the country (the other three being Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam). When Europeans had pogroms and genocide of Jews, Jews in Iran enjoyed all civil rights and freedoms. Let us unite against bombastic politics of radicalism and warmongering, and vie for the love, respect and friendship amongst all humanity.
CONNIE BOBONNIE
Peace and love conquers all. The American people are tired of all the wars and killing. RON PAUL 2012 for peace!
Cuneyt Birinci
I am Turkish and i love Iran and Israil people too.
Zohar
This is heartwarming (and I, an Israeli, join this message of peace. Unfortunately, the leaders on both sides have no heart.
Moreover, the real target of an Israeli attack on Iran would not be Iran but Obama, and its real initiator is the American far-right, which have handled Netanyahu for years. The attack is aimed at raising oil prices and renewing the global (and particularly American) economic crisis, and thus leading to Obama’s defeat in November. The Newts and Sheldons who would be behind such attack are not concerned about either Iranians or Israelis, let alone “love” them.
Suharto Abas
The descendants of Issac (Israelites) and Esmael (Iranians) finally found the blood lines, brotherly and and sisterly talk about peace. Proposing to share and nurture the space in the face of the earth once ruled by their fore father Abraham/Ibrahim (Alayhi Salam).
KEVIN WHITE
I do not want war with anyone, I want my children to grow up in a peaceful world where countries respect and care for each other. Unfortunately politicians rarely follow the will of the people they are supposed to serve. I wish the Iranian and Israely people well and hope that they get to take the coffee and talk about sport.
julio
Israli and Iranian people
As Cuban living in USA for over 40 years because the tiranic regime of the Castros Brothers and their comunist leaders.
We cubans love you and dont want more wars
and killing of inocents citizens in the name of WHAT ? no more blood of children in the streets. look up and pray to God our Lord.
tarana
How very wonderful that voices of Truth can be heard regardless of oppression by governments!
Let Peace Prevail as it is the true nature of a loving hearts.
TALI
The answer is one.
We hope Love and Peace!
Ali
I love you too! I love Israli peopel and as an Iranian I never want confilict between us.
Pam
I am an American woman. Married and mother to veterans of war. We have no heart for war. We are tired and wish only to learn of our international neighbors, their cultures, share a coffee or tea, and sit at your table in peace. Please keep us in your prayers that we can have an election which will put the right man in office so that we may have these things. The far right in our country is strong, but we believe the moral people of our country are stronger. I have always said, God bless America, now I say please God, protect your children, all the children on this planet from those who wish to do harm. Their anger, their greed, their dreams of power are not the dreams of the majority. Please Lord help us fight that enemy, not each other.
JC
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Hervy
PEACE AND LOVE from the USA to all countries.
As one individual, none of us can control what evolves politically. Collectively, may our inner desires of peace and enjoyment of life, spread from person to person and country to country be felt by our leaders and just as importantly by other people all over the world who assume discontent for those with whom they do not even know.
The Crazy Trucker.
ian
i am teary eyed while reading the yahoo news about the small step of crossing the border line of war because of our leaders… but i am stunned speechless when i found out that there are more people that is touched by this very small act of love and peace effort that caused us to love our neighbors in spite of our differences. i am a Filipino, i have seen cuban, american, israeli, iranian, turkish, and many more nationalities, that are now breaking the walls of our indifference, race and point of view… i am very touched by your words of love for both israel and iran… GOD bless us all…
Mzkrista
Ever seen the movie The Mighty Zohan a favorite movie of mine. We should all join this campaign of love because war and violence has not solved anything and maybe it’s time America stop intervening in the Middle East. Israel and Iran and the whole Middle East I love you all. Let the children of those regions enjoy peace not bombs and terror ; )
Maryam
I am also Iranian and I want to say we have nothing against Israeli people, we actually believe that these two nations have more similarities than differences. We wish a world where everyone lives in peace, if the politicians let us…
Jeremy Wittes
I am for peace. Always.
mzkrista
I also hope this campaign can include the Palestine people as well imagine the children of Palestine and Israel living each day without fearing bombs or attacks by terrorists. There is much more at stake than the people in power. More people need to step up and speak out as ordinary citizens against the senseless wars.
Jade STone
I pray this campaign demonstrates to leadership that the PEOPLE do NOT want war w/ Iran. I personally FEAR war with Israel—because I BELIEVE it will be scripture being fulfilled and I’m not sure I am worthy or ready to see those days in my lifetime.
Leonid Levin
Happy Naw Ruz to the people of Iran! Peace and love to all people of Iran, Israel, Palestine, Syria and all over the world!
Richard Manley
YES! YES! YES! We pronounce the SHALOM of Heaven over every single heart!
joe
people all over the world are the same–we all want a safe place to live, food for our families, and a roof overhead. wars are never started by the people–only by power-hungry leaders. with the ability to speak directly to each other, i am hopeful that we will evolve out of the age of propaganda and into a new age of peace.
-a redneck libertarian from the ozarks
Azad
I like every one who love and spread peace.
Best regard
Ally
Peace to all great peoples of Ancient World! It is time for people to say: NO MORE. My Ukrainian heart is with you.
Colleen
Blessings of Peace, Love and Light to All.
Marjorie Lesko
can’t stop crying…. peace, shalom, salaam
Dregen Jelencovich
This Euro secular humanist wishes for peace and prosperity for all men, women and children, whether they be Israeli, Palestinian, Iranian, etc.
This campaign is marvellous. My respect to the people who got this off the ground on both sides.
Robert
This is really be.autiful and inspiring
Albert Hanagan
There won’t be war as long as the israelis do not attempt to steal any further land, then want the americans go to battle for them and lose american lives.There won’t be peace in the middle east until israel minds its’ own business and stops aggression.
Reza
shalom le khol am yahoodi,,anakhno lo sonim itkhem,,ahavim itkhem,,,
Iranim lo aravim,,,va enlano bahayot im Israilim,,im ehie milkhama beinenoo,,ani ozev et ha nationality sheli,,,va lo rotse lehiot Irani,,
Shalom lekhem
Par
Dear Israeli friends!
I spent my 7 years as a medical student with you!
Studying partying and enjoying our best years together ,I would never ever want a war between our countries!
Now on persian new year I wish peace for the world!
I LOVE YOU ,
This message specially goes to YUVAL, ARIEL, MATAN, HILA ,….
Franklin
Albert, peace is a two-way street. That’s all I’ll say about that.
But speaking as a veteran of war, I’m all for peace. When the media and politics are stripped away, we’re all just a bunch of people trying to live our lives. I’m overjoyed to see that people are actually putting love into action, instead of just sitting at home and saying, “I hope they figure it out.” I’m reminded of when the prophet Isaiah wrote about “beating their swords into ploughshares.” My friends, I think (hope) that time is near.
Kirsten Nash
Dear Israel and Iran, I have many friends from both your countries, and it would break my heart to see them at war with each other. I am so proud of all the people who are making this effort to reach across borders, to send love instead of hate. Please do not let the “corruptocracy” spread hate amongst you in the name of oil and their self-serving objectives….stay strong in your love for humanity, for each other and yourselves….the world is round, we are all in this together and together we can overcome the evil that would seek to make enemies of brothers and sisters. From Canada, we “heart” you all!
Neda
I’m Iranian and whishing for Peace ,freedom, and happinessand within all nations and/or people. Love you all!!
Abid
Happy nowrooz my Israeli brothers and sisters.
With love from persia
Farshid
As an Iranian, I can assure you that we love all people of Israel, and every other country and nation in the world. We want nothing but peace and friendship between all. The only thing we hate is,the evil government that imposing itself to us (The Islamic Republic) and hopefully with our new Persian New Year we will bring it down, once and for all.
Cheers
MAHMOUD
Dear Israeli friends: I know that you want peace as much as Iranians want peace. Cyrus the Great was the first king of Persia; Iranians are the children of the Cyrus and he freed do many Jews from the prisons when he conqurred Babolans. Today, so many Jews are living in different cities of Iran, most of teh Jews who live in the US and Isreael came from Iran, at least their root is from there. Especially Isfahan. we never attack any other country, when was the last time Iran was the instigator to attack any other country? I can’t remember. We like any other country defend, but we don’t want to the instigator. We believe thatlove begets love and hate begets hate. Le’s talk only about love.
We chose to select love instead. We know that killing is wrong and
Tinsley Grey Sammons
The People of each and every nation must take moral control of their own government. This is especially true of my own America where career office holders and juris doctors are driving America to ruin and dragging the rest of the world down with them.
The Nuremberg Precedent is applicable to every nation.
Tinsley Grey Sammons (1936 –)
John Yorke
I suppose the main purpose in having or acquiring nuclear weapons is not so much their use but the realisation that any nation possessing them is guaranteed total immunity from direct assault by any outside forces bent on regime change or constitutional overthrow. Not even the most heavily armed contingents from a whole group of countries would dare risk the destructive power and subsequent fallout of what is still universally perceived as the most lethal device known to Man.
A thought:
If Iran were now at or near nuclear parity with Israel, what would be the most likely outcome?
Warfare on a scale unimaginable to the human mind? A nuclear Armageddon of the very first order? The overnight extinction of multiple civilisations, leaving behind a vast wasteland inhabited only by whatever could survive the massive levels of radiation then poisoning earth and sky?
Not even the craziest of crazy people could contemplate with equanimity the exposure and the abandonment of so many millions of their fellow men and women to such devastation.
But it would place matters on an entirely new plane of existence; trying to live every day with the prospect of a nuclear holocaust hanging over one’s head.
Would it, I wonder, change attitudes that, at present, lead to the type of ‘conventional’ violence so prevalent in the region? Would relationships between combatants improve for fear that, otherwise, fingers might start straying towards nuclear launch buttons? The release of indescribable horrors upon every population and community centre throughout the Middle East can scarce be imagined. Would a ‘de facto’ peace, therefore, come into being, a distinct reluctance to return to the ‘old’ ways in case the ‘new’ ways were then forced to take a hand in proceedings?
Well, at the moment, all this is idle speculation. Wait a few years and it may not be so.
But let’s speculate a little further. What if the scenario described above could be downloaded in a ‘virtual reality’ format, rather like a computer game or a battleground simulator? Various data is fed in and processed, results confirmed, decisions obtained.
In this manner, a ‘virtual’ war could be constructed, one that might have real gains and losses but no actual deaths or destruction of any sort. It remains, at all times, only a very exact simulation.
The question then arises: might this close copy of warfare also produce a ‘de facto’ peace?
Let’s see.
Now make the assumption that the data inputs are based on real events external to the game and that outcomes from the game can be made binding on all those taking part. What this amounts to is now a massively simple but effective feedback circuit using a simulated reality in place of the real one.
This ushers in an immediate upgrade in the way conflicts have been fought in the past. In fact, so good would the experience become that all future wars and suchlike could henceforth be made to adhere to just such a pattern, thereby saving untold thousands of lives in the process.
Is this then the one, the only way out that everyone’s been looking for?
I guess it very much depends on how serious a game player we all want to be.
Http://yorketowers.blogspot.com
‘There are always possibilities.’ Always.
Hassan Shaida
I have had many dear Jewish friends and colleagues during my entire life (I am 85) and I wish all my Jewish brothers and sisters peace, prosperity and happiness.
israel
god bless all of you who speak of love and peace im from mexico and we also whant love and peace. thank you all
Andreas Moser
Israel is my favourite country which I have visited at least 25 times. But in 2009, I finally visited Iran twice and I was equally fascinated, at least until I was arrested (http://andreasmoser.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/reports-about-my-trip-to-iran-in-junejuly-2009/).
The culture, the architecture, the art, the people, everything reminded me of the respective other country.
When I was in Iran, I never hid my support and love for Israel, and this never caused any problems. Quite the contrary, many Iranians were very curious to hear what Israel is like. Some elder Iranians who remembered the time before 1979 even had been to Israel or had known Israelis in Iran.
Meanwhile, I am married to an Iranian and our biggest dream is to go to Israel for honeymoon.
Nonetheless, I am not against military action against Iran’s nuclear program, but I hope that everybody always distinguishes between the Iranian regime and the people, just as we should make the same distinction in any other country where the government is not freely elected and is not representative of the people.
Steven Gelb
I am Jewish and wish all my Persian and Arab brothers and sisters health, safety, happiness, and peace. Love to all.
Ellen Gerardis
Power to the people! Don’t let the politicians destroy you.
BOB
THE GOLDEN RULE,
DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU
WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.
ONE HEART,
ONE LOVE,
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER !
aerie waters
Focusing on this absolute truth, the truth of who we really are…LOVE….in all of our thoughts,speech and actions will end war. I do love everyone in all the world. I do not love violence.And I wilsh everyone, with no exceptions, the peace of their own true being. With Aloha, Aerie
Pastor Ozzy (Tony) Blair
As a Christian.
A true believer in YHWH Christian I feel the Jewish peoples reaching out to heathens will bring about their end. God hates Iranians.
These Iranians are primitive and barbaric threatening to wipe out the entire world in some hate filled rage against our freedoms and peace loving nature through Christ.
We need to attack them and wipe them off the face of the Earth.
Eve
I am an Israeli, and all of us are so tired here of all this wars and mess. I am sure Iranian civilians at most don’t want any wars too. I believe that we can be at peace and honor with our countries as we were before that. History shows that we can have a great peacefull ties with each other. So why to hate?! Why to fight?! In the end we understand that no country will win in this or from this!! So because of politicals and gaverments, that have no heart and their agoistical will and search for power and money, others have to suffer and die! WE DON’T WANT ANYONE TO SUFFER AND DIE!!! NO MORE!!! I don’t want my children and others be raised in a hated and fighting world! Me and all Israelis want PEACE, NO WAR and I am really sure Iranians mostly want that too!
With love from Israel to all Iranian people!