Don't mess with Israel, open letter to Iranians says
Israeli citizens write letter reading, 'Your current leadership will be held responsible for the destruction of the Iranian nation'; initiators hoping to get 100,000 Israelis to sign letter, distribute it to Ahmadinejad's blog, Iranian Mission to the United Nations and official Iranian internet sites
"People of Iran, beware. Your leaders are taking you down a dead-end street. If they continue, it will end in a terrible blow to the Iranian people and their country and bedlam in the whole region, an open letter written by a group of Israeli citizens begins.
The writers of the letter are hoping to get 100,000 Israelis to sign the letter and then plan to send it to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Ran Porat, deputy editor and security affairs reporter at internet site Omedia, who came up with the idea for the letter, explains: "It is about making a statement – for the Israeli public, instilling the feeling that there is something we can do, and for international public opinion, so they realize that we, in Israel, are taking this problem seriously."
In addition, he says, the letter is making a statement to the Iranian public. "We are separating the Iranian public from their leadership. We support the Iranian people in their struggle to release themselves from an oppressing regime, and we know that they are not looking for war with us," Porat says.
The writers of the letter are telling the Iranian people that Ahmadinejad is "leading a monstrous and shameful attempt to vilify the memory of the six million Jews who were destroyed in the Holocaust, with a dubious academic excuse. By doing this he is viewed by the nations in a ridiculous light and he is giving Iran the image of a racist, boorish country, that propagates hatred and lacks basic humanitarian values.
"Your regime is working diligently to acquire nuclear capabilities for military purposes. It would appear that they would not shy away from methods that could cause the death of thousands or even millions of you and others," reads the letter.
'Small contribution to our sense of security'
The letter calls attention to the fact that the Jewish nation has survived many attempts to obliterate it, and will never tolerate its existence being threatened again.
"Your current leadership will be held responsible for the destruction of the Iranian nation if they continue to challenge Israel and the entire world, but you will all pay the price," the letter warns the Iranian people.
The intent is to distribute the letter to Ahmadinejad's blog, the Iranian Mission to the United Nations, official Iranian internet sites, Iranian opposition sites and "anyone else who will listen and can pass on the message to the Iranian people."
Porat says that they are not deluding themselves that they might significantly change reality with this letter, but they feel that it is their "small contribution to reinforcing the sense of security in Israel, and to shedding light on a problem that is a threat to the whole world."
The letter organizers say that since it was published on Wednesday, several hundreds of people have already signed it. They believe they will reach their goal of 100,000 signatures. "People are aware of the magnitude of the Iranian threat, and this is our way to enable them to do something about it," Porat says.
