Iranian opposition activists met with Israelis: 'We need to build trust'

Israelis and exiled Iranian opposition activists held a joint conference in Jerusalem to formulate a vision for the day after the fall of the ayatollahs' regime. Participants called for building trust and cooperation between the peoples and preparing for the reconstruction of the Islamic Republic. Among the speakers were Tom Wagner, Lily Mo, and Panthéa Modiri, who discussed the transition from political protest to building civil infrastructure.

Last Wednesday, Israelis and exiled Iranian opposition activists gathered in Jerusalem for a joint conference aimed at formulating a practical strategy and civil infrastructure for the day after the fall of the regime in Tehran. The discussion was intended to move the discourse from the stage of political protest to the operational stages of rebuilding the state, while outlining a vision for a historic alliance between the peoples. Participants drew on the legacy of King Cyrus and Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl as inspiration for building infrastructure and future cooperation. Tom Wagner, CEO of the Abraham Movement and the organizer behind the meeting, said: "Cyrus not only freed the Jews, he gave them the tools to establish their national home. It's time to repay our debt. It's time for Zionism 2.0, to spread our knowledge to neighboring peoples yearning for national revival." Lily Mo, who led the protest against the regime in Europe, spoke about the joint protest with Israelis and the moment when the Sun and Lion flag was raised alongside the Israeli flag on the streets of London. Panthéa Modiri, a journalist and filmmaker, described the resistance to the regime among Iranians: "Most Iranians do not like the regime; they have learned to adapt to it. They are neither part of the regime nor part of the organized opposition." She called for moving "from a coalition of captives to a coalition of builders" and emphasized that "trust is not an emotion; it is a social infrastructure and must be built." The conference aimed to examine how to move from a stage of political protest to creating a foundation for the reconstruction of Iran.