The tension that dominates headlines surrounding the war between Israel and Iran is too often framed as a clash between two nations locked in irreconcilable conflict. However, this is a dangerously misleading narrative.
The true confrontation is not between the Israeli and Iranian peoples, but between the values of open societies and the repressive ambitions of the Iranian regime. Israelis do not stand against Iranians; we stand with them.
This distinction is not mere semantics. It is a moral and strategic imperative.
The radical ayatollah regime, not its people, is the driver of aggression in the region. It is the regime that funds terror across borders, suppresses dissent at home, and pursues a nuclear arsenal while incessantly threatening to annihilate another nation.
The Iranian people, by contrast, are victims of the very same tyranny. Their aspirations – for dignity, liberty, and global engagement – are little different from ours.
Indeed, history reminds us of what once was and what could be again. Before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Israel and Iran enjoyed close and productive ties. Trade flourished, embassies were open, and there was mutual respect between two ancient civilizations with shared regional interests.
That era was sadly and abruptly ended by the radical shift in Tehran’s leadership, not by some inherent animosity between peoples.
Yet despite the decades of estrangement and propaganda since then, the memory of partnership lingers. It serves as a foundation, not just for hope, but for the serious work of imagining a better future.
Israelis know that Iranians are not inherently hostile. On the contrary, many Israelis of Iranian descent maintain deep cultural connections to the land of their ancestors, while many Iranians, even under censorship, have found ways to express admiration for Israel’s resilience, innovation, and pluralism.
Israel’s pluralism stands in stark contrast to Iran’s regime of enforced fanatical orthodoxy. Israel is a nation of religious diversity and democratic discourse, however imperfect.
Iran’s regime, meanwhile, imposes a singular ideology through coercion, crushing not only Jews, Christians, and Baha’is, but also dissenting Muslims and women who dare to demand basic rights.
These are not just internal policies; they are expressions of a worldview fundamentally at odds with the values of open societies everywhere.
The danger the Iranian regime poses extends far beyond Israel.
Exporting the Islamic revolution
Arab nations, Gulf states, and Western democracies increasingly recognize that Tehran’s ambitions – nuclear, ideological, and military – are a shared threat to regional and global stability.
That recognition is reshaping alliances across the Middle East. It is also reinforcing a crucial truth: confronting the regime does not mean rejecting the Iranian people. It means standing in solidarity with them.
The international community must not lose sight of this distinction. When the Iranian regime calls for the destruction of Israel or denies the Holocaust, it must not be dismissed as bluster.
These are genocidal ideologies, and they demand unambiguous condemnation. Silence or equivocation emboldens extremism, not just in Tehran, but in every corner of the world where such hatred finds an audience.
Nevertheless, even in the face of these threats, Israel holds onto hope – hope for a different Iran, not simply geopolitically, but fundamentally, where its people are free to shape their own destiny. That hope is not naive; it is rooted in the understanding that history can turn and that regimes can fall.
As chair of the Center for Jewish Impact, I have the privilege of seeing Israeli society with its strength, complexity, and moral clarity. Israelis value democracy not as a slogan, but as a lived reality, and consistently show a deep-rooted commitment to freedom and human dignity.
This spirit enables us to distinguish between regimes and peoples and to extend a hand, even across deep divides.
One day, Israelis and Iranians could once again collaborate as partners economically, scientifically, and culturally. There is no reason such a future cannot exist, except for the regime that now stands in its way.
It has been over four decades since that future was first interrupted.
In historical terms, that is not so long. Peoples with longer histories have reconciled after bitter divisions. The potential for renewed connection – between scientists who work for the betterment of society, artists, entrepreneurs, and citizens – is real, if we nurture it with clarity and resolve.
We must never allow a brutal regime to define the relationship between our peoples. The Iranian people are not our enemies. They are our neighbors in spirit and our allies in waiting.
When the day comes that they can speak and act freely, Israelis will be ready to greet them not as adversaries, but as partners in building a more peaceful, prosperous, and free Middle East.
The writer is the chairman of the Center for Jewish Impact and a former CEO of World ORT and the World Jewish Congress.