Occupied Jerusalem: Ruthie Pliskin didn't want Israel's threats of a possible military strike to be the only message her country had for Iran. So the doctoral student from Tel Aviv posted a photo of herself and her cat on Facebook, with a sign in Farsi reading: "We love you, people of Iran."
She says she received enthusiastic responses from Iranians when she posted on an "Israel-Loves-Iran" Facebook page who corrected the sign's spelling and returned warm wishes.
Pliskin is among a small but growing number of Israelis trying to reach out to Iranians, even as Israeli politicians warn with growing frequency and intensity that Israel might strike to halt Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons program.
Israelis mounted an art exhibit in Tel Aviv centered on Iran, built a website in Farsi with news of Israeli daily life, and protested on Saturday against a potential strike on Iranian nuclear installations. They have also posted images endlessly shared on Facebook against a war with Iran.
First time
Meir Javedanfar, an Israeli expert on Iran, said that this marks the first time Israelis have reached out in such a way to another nation in the Middle East. Has it had impact in Iran so far? That's not clear yet, though Israelis say Iranians are responding positively to the Internet outreach. But it appears unlikely that any goodwill being generated by civilians will sway governments. In Israel, surveys show that a majority oppose a solo Israeli attack on Iran without American military cooperation.
Retired Israeli military and intelligence leaders have advised against striking Iran, arguing that Israel doesn't have enough bomb shelters or gas masks to absorb a possible Iranian counterattack.
"Despite all this, our prime minister wants to take us to war," said Tzvika Besor, a Tel Aviv marketing agent who organised Saturday's protest. "And we say no."
A few hundred Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, holding signs reading "No to war".
And another prominent Israeli added his voice in opposition on Saturday. Former Defence Minister Amir Peretz said Israel shouldn't be the one taking on the entire Arab and Muslim world when it was clear Israel would be blamed the day after.
