Yesterday, in the heart of Tehran, a banner hung by citizens from a centrally-located bridge in Tehran says, “We stand with Israel” and “Vahid is our voice”, referring to Iranian opposition activist Vahid Beheshti. The banner was seemingly in respnse to Beheshti recent visit to Israel where he spoke at the Knesset Israel Victory (KIVC) caucus in front of ministers and Members of Knesset.
Beheshti speaking at the Knesset Israel Victory Caucus with the co-chairs MK Ohad Tal and MK Evgeny Sova
Credit: Michael Katz
The banner was revealed by Iran International, a Persian language news television channel headquartered in London aimed at Iranian viewers and broadcasting free-to-air by satellite.
“Soon you will have to deal with the elephant in the room, which is the Iranian government, and you should not be afraid of attacking Iranian bases in Iran. This is the only language they understand,” Beheshti told a packed room in the Knesset at the KIVC on January 2nd. “The good news is that you have an army of 80 million Iranians who are thirsty for freedom and democracy, who since 2009 have been trying to overthrow the government but have not yet succeeded, because of the barbaric violence of the Iranian regime. If you support the Iranian people, you will see how they will lower the head of the octopus and we will all experience peace.”
“The Iranian government is at its greatest weakness in 44 years. They were aware of the attack on the 7th of October in advance, they thought that after the terrible attack they would achieve a total ceasefire within two months, but it did not happen. Help us overthrow the government, try to imagine what the Middle East would look like without the Iranian government, just imagine.”
Beheshti was the first Iranian opposition activist to speak in the Knesset. During his time in Israel, he also toured the communities in the Gaza envelope, met the families of hostages, expressed support for Israel on behalf of the Iranian people, and called on Israel to focus its efforts directly against the head of the Iranian octopus, whose tentacles are attacking the Jewish State around the region.
The event in the Knesset was the first time Ministers, Members of Knesset, security, diplomatic and political leaders presented “day after” plans and spoke about how to turn a victory on the battlefield into something more permanent.
The KIVC was created in 2017 and has Members of the Knesset from both the coalition and opposition and is assisted by the Middle East Forum’s Israel Victory Project.
Beheshti’s visit to Israel was widely covered in the international media and specifically by Persian language media popular with the people and opposition within the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The banner reads: “Vahid Beheshti – The whole nation is with you. We stand with Israel.”
