How did Iranians and Israelis become allies again?
The Iranian empire's foundation was Zoroastrianism and its core values "good thoughts, good words and good deeds".
It is undisputed that Iran has long been on the good side with the Jewish people. Almost 2600 years ago, the Iranian Shah, Cyrus II of Achaemenids (Cyrus the Great) conquered Babylon and freed Jews from the captivity of Nabonidus, ordering freedom of religion for all. Later on, numerous Jews had found themselves in high ranks of the Persian empire. But where does tolerance originate?
The Iranian empire’s foundation was Zoroastrianism and its core values “good thoughts, good words and good deeds”; a harmonious nation with people from diverse backgrounds, striving to build better things and improve people’s lives while preserving the environment.
Fast-forward to the 20th century when in World War II, Iran once again welcomed Jewish refugees. Iran had revived its core values through a constitutional movement with the rise of Reza Shah Pahlavi. Followed by his successor, Mohammad Reza Shah, Pahlavi’s unprecedented reforms such as expanding freedom of religion and removing Islamic preconditions for government officials helped Iran’s Jews thrive.
After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Jews were among the first to suffer under the new Islamist-Socialist regime. Prominent Jewish figure Habib Elghanian was executed on accusations of ties with Israel, many Jewish-owned businesses were confiscated, and the community as a whole became an easy target, often labelled as Israeli agents. The new regime imposed restrictions on religious minorities, including closing synagogues and limiting rights under Islamic law.
The ties of Islamist-Socialist revolutionaries with Yasser Arafat’s Fatah were widely celebrated by them in the media and government discourse. To Iranians’ dismay, the Islamic Republic regime actively campaigned against Israel, aimed at wiping it off the map. The notion was wildly out of sync with the beliefs and the collective conscience of the Iranians.
As time passed, Iranians grew increasingly resentful of the regime’s support for the Palestinian cause. The state’s relentless propaganda about the “oppressed people of Palestine” fed frustration. Iranians saw that the progressive and stable government of the Shah was toppled with the help of Palestinians, and their nation was destabilised and impoverished for foreign benefit, as if it had been colonised. This culminated in the protests of 2017, where they chanted “Death to Palestine”, a direct response to the regime’s destabilising policies that served external causes at Iran’s expense.
Iranians have repeatedly tried to show to the world that they are a peaceful people, distinct from the regime that rules over them. On October 29, 2016, marking the anniversary of Cyrus the Great’s conquest of Babylon, patriotic Iranians gathered at his tomb, chanting “Cyrus is our father, Iran is our nation.” In 2009, protesters voiced their dissent by chanting “Neither Gaza, nor Lebanon, I’ll give my life for Iran.”
Patriotism in Iran is intertwined with monarchy. Reza Shah II Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah, has consistently promoted peaceful relations with other countries. In April 2023, he visited Israel, saying, “The ancient bond between our people can be rekindled for the benefit of both nations.”
The vicious attack on Israeli civilians on October 7 shocked Iranians too.
The regime’s celebration of the attack, alongside global displays of antisemitism, was the final straw. The exiled Shah’s message of condolences to the Jewish victims galvanised Iranians, both inside and outside the country, to publicly stand with Israel. Despite the risks and suspicions, Iranians participated in vigils and expressed solidarity with the Jewish victims, signalling a broader shift in attitudes.
As Israel defends its borders by taking out the Quds Force mercenaries and terror proxies of the Islamic Republic regime, namely Hezbollah and Hamas, the regime in Iran is pushed closer to the long-awaited collapse.
A new horizon of peaceful coexistence for the region is emerging. The exiled Shah’s efforts for regime change are gaining international support, as the regime’s extended arms of violence around the world are being cut down.
Iranians are intensifying their efforts to bring about this change, and their goal now aligns with Israel’s right to self-defence.
Daniel Taghaddos is a co-founder of the MehrEran Foundation.
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