Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was exiled after the 1979 Iranian revolution, visited Israel on Yom HaShoah.
Pahlavi announced his trip on April 16, stating that he planned “to deliver a message of friendship from the Iranian people, engage Israeli water experts on ways to address the regime’s abuse of Iran’s natural resources and pay respects to the victims of the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah.” “I want the people of Israel to know that the Islamic Republic does not represent the Iranian people,” he added. “The ancient bond between our people can be rekindled for the benefit of both nations. I’m going to Israel to play my role in building toward that brighter future.”
I am traveling to Israel to deliver a message of friendship from the Iranian people, engage Israeli water experts on ways to address the regime’s abuse of Iran’s natural resources and pay respects to the victims of the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah.
I want the people of Israel to… pic.twitter.com/wyzlqqm9A2
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) April 16, 2023
After landing in Israel on April 17, Pahlavi tweeted that he and his wife Yasmine “are very happy to be here and are dedicated to working toward the peaceful & prosperous future that the people of our region deserve. From the children of Cyrus, to the children of Israel, we will build this future together, in friendship.” It is the first time that Pahlavi has ever visited Israel.
Yasmine and I just arrived in Israel. We are very happy to be here and are dedicated to working toward the peaceful & prosperous future that the people of our region deserve. From the children of Cyrus, to the children of Israel, we will build this future together, in friendship. pic.twitter.com/yN4UO3ecQ0
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) April 17, 2023
Pahlavi and his wife attended the national Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Yad Vashem on April 17 and afterwards met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife. Pahlavi also visited the Dee family to give his condolences after the family lost sisters Rina and Maia and their mother Lucy to an April 7 terror attack. Additionally, Pahlavi and his wife prayed at the Western Wall and met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
It is especially meaningful for me to be here on #YomHaShoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. Today, I join Holocaust survivors and their families at @yadvashem to help keep the memory of Holocaust victims alive. As author Elie Wiesel said, without memory there is no hope. https://t.co/XQ4H3mXqP6
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) April 17, 2023
“So said Cyrus, the king of Persia, ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of the heavens delivered to me, and He commanded me to build Him a House in Jerusalem, which is in Judea.’” – Hebrew Bible, Ezra 1:2
2,500 years ago, Cyrus the Great liberated the Jewish people from… pic.twitter.com/HIVOj5RvoZ
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) April 18, 2023
“So said Cyrus, the king of Persia, ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of the heavens delivered to me, and He commanded me to build Him a House in Jerusalem, which is in Judea.’” – Hebrew Bible, Ezra 1:2
2,500 years ago, Cyrus the Great liberated the Jewish people from… pic.twitter.com/HIVOj5RvoZ
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) April 18, 2023
Thank you, President @Isaac_Herzog, for your warm welcome and words of friendship toward the Iranian people. I, in turn, express my wishes for a future in which Iran and Israel renew their historical bonds in pursuit of greater security and prosperity for both of our nations. pic.twitter.com/PBWKqQPCp9
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) April 18, 2023
Alireza Nader, engagement director at the National Union for Democracy in Iran, tweeted: “Israel is in essence the first state to recognize the #Iranian national revolution & its singular leader, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza). A move of great foresight.”
Israel is in essence the first state to recognize the #Iranian national revolution & its singular leader, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza). A move of great foresight. #CyrusAccords pic.twitter.com/auqTJypCpS
— Alireza Nader علیرضا نادر (@AlirezaNader) April 18, 2023
American-Israeli writer and speaker Emily Schrader tweeted, “As an Israeli I can’t tell you how powerful it is to see this kind of solidarity against terrorism from Iranian Crown prince @PahlaviReza and Yasmine! With such leadership Israel and Iran will be reunited in our centuries of friendship.”
As an Israeli I can’t tell you how powerful it is to see this kind of solidarity against terrorism from Iranian Crown prince @PahlaviReza and Yasmine! With such leadership Israel and Iran will be reunited in our centuries of friendship. pic.twitter.com/jJx12WRVy5
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) April 18, 2023
Pahlavi’s visit to Israel comes as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi threatened to annihilate Tel Aviv and Haifa in an April 18 speech; Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said at a recent press conference that Pahlavi’s visit to Israel isn’t “worthy of discussion.”
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