Name: Iran and Israel: Peace is possible
Uploaded: 2013-10-09T15:08:35Z
Duration: 10 min 31 s
Description: Iran and Israel: two nations with tense relations that seem existentially at odds. But for all their antagonistic rhetoric, there is a recent hidden history of collaboration, even friendship. In an informative talk, Trita Parsi shows how an unlikely strategic alliance in the past could mean peace in the future for these two feuding countries.

Iran and Israel: two nations with tense relations that seem existentially at odds. But for all their antagonistic rhetoric, there is a recent hidden history of collaboration, even friendship. In an informative talk, Trita Parsi shows how an unlikely strategic alliance in the past could mean peace in the future for these two feuding countries.

Iran and Israel: Peace is possible

The rivalry between Iran and Israel is a recent development rooted in shifting geopolitics, not timeless hatred. As recently as 1987, an Israeli prime minister publicly called Iran a geostrategic friend, despite harsh public rhetoric from both sides. For centuries, relations between Jewish and Iranian peoples have often been positive, from Cyrus the Great’s liberation of Jews in 539 B.C. to secret intelligence collaborations during the Cold War. Their current enmity emerged only after shared external threats faded, showing that conflict is not inevitable and peace remains possible.