Iranian Jews in Israel rally to show support for the protest movement in Iran
More Israelis are showing support for the protest movement in Iran, as was evident on the one-year anniversary of the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and the beginning of the Iranian protests.
On Sunday, a group of Israelis in the city of Holon – especially those of Iranian background – marked the first anniversary since Amini's death with a large rally in support of the women protesters in Iran.
Amini, a young Kurdish Iranian woman, was reportedly killed by the ayatollah regime’s “morality police" in 2022 after being arrested for not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, according to the Islamic Republic’s strict regulations. Reports say the young woman fell into a coma after being beaten by Iranian officials and died of brain trauma.
Sunday's rally attendees included politicians and representatives of Israel-Iran organizations.
“As a woman and as an Israeli, I could not stand silent when women rights are being trampled on simply because they are women,” said Anat Knoori, a public activist for the Israeli Ministry of Economy, during a speech at the rally.
“The people of Israel support the righteous struggle of the Iranian people for freedom and liberty, and the women in Israel support the struggle of the women in Iran against a brutal oppressive regime.”
The demonstrations in Iran have received extensive media coverage and garnered much sympathy in Israel since the incident which led to Amini's death.
“There was a strong sense of solidarity and support on the part of Israelis. Already back then it was clear that if the Iranian regime changes in any way, Israel is set to be one of the main beneficiaries,” said Beni Sabti, a research fellow at the Iran program of the Israel Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).
“The crackdown in Iran, the suppression, is the same violence directed against Israel. The same people at the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]. They arrive to Syria and to Lebanon to help Hezbollah, and then they go back to Iran suppressing and hurting people.”
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
