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.
