We, Iranians and Israelis, share grave concerns for the future of our countries and the region. Israel and Iran have been engaged in indirect conflict for decades; a conflict that puts the entire region in danger, and especially the people of these countries. Following the exchange of fire last year, the Israeli attacks starting Friday morning, and the Iranian attacks starting Friday night, the conflict has now entered us into a new phase. Already around 200 civilians have been killed in Iran and at least 23 in Israel. This is a reminder of the price paid by citizens in war.
Iranians, Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in safety and dignity. Attacks on civilians should be condemned everywhere. The respective governments of our country have helped plunge our people into this war that doesn’t represent our interests. Continued bloodshed won’t bring security for any of our nations.
We call on both sides and the international community to take immediate steps toward ending the violence. They must find a way to bring all parties on the path of diplomacy. An immediate ceasefire should be the first step toward a broader diplomatic solution.
We refuse to accept the inevitability of violent conflict as the only way forward between our nations, Israel and Iran, or their positioning as eternal arch-enemies. The endless and senseless wars of this region won’t benefit our people, all of whom have the right to live in peace and security.
Initial signatories:
Reza Alijani, Political activist
Touraj Atabaki, Historian
Arash Azizi, Historian
Sivan Balslev, Historian
Gershon Baskin, Co-Head of Alliance for Two States
Behrooz Bayat, Nuclear analyst
Susie Becher, Political Analyst
Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Political scientist
Jonathan Brack, Historian
Mansour Farhang, professor and former diplomat
Mehrangiz Kar, Human rights lawyer
Kazem Kardavani, Sociologist
Liora Hendelman-Baavur, Historian
Orly Noy, Journalist
Dariush Madjlesi, Political activist
Saeed Paivandi, Sociologist
Ahmad Purmandi, Political activist
Hassan Sarbakhshian, Documentary filmmaker
Hillel Schenker, Co-Editor of Palestine-Israel Journal
Lior Sternfeld, Historian
Sharon Tal, Actress
Parvaneh Vahidmanesh, Writer
Hadi Zamani, Economist
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You can add your signature here. You don’t need to be Iranian or Israeli to sign!
For media or other enquiries, please contact:
Arash Azizi (arash.aziziii@gmail.com) or Lior Sternfeld (lbs18@psu.edu)
This call was originally published here (in English, Persian and Hebrew).