The Transformation of Iran-Israel Relations and the Impact of Radical Ideologies
An expert mentioned that Iran and Israel had warm ties until the rise of the Islamic regime in Iran.
News Analysis
On April 13, Iran launched missile and drone attacks against Israel, retaliating for an alleged Israeli bombing near the Iranian embassy in Syria. Israel responded with strikes on military targets in Iran on April 19.
Before 1979, Iran and Israel were close allies. However, after Iran’s Islamic Revolution, the relationship soured, with Iran becoming one of Israel’s top enemies.
In a discussion on NTD’s Chinese-language program “Pinnacle View,” panelists delved into the conflict between Iran and Israel. NTD is an independent Chinese TV network based in the US.
Enemy of the Regime
According to Li Jun, since Ayatollah Khomeini’s rise to power after the Islamic Revolution, Iran adopted an anti-Semitic stance and declared Israel its enemy.
Historically, Iran and Israel had a close relationship, going back to the ancient Jewish and Persian civilizations. However, the 1979 revolution changed everything.
In 651 A.D., Persian Jews faced discrimination under Arab rule until the Safavid dynasty lifted the restrictions in 1661. The friendship between Jews and Iranians continued until the 20th century.
After Israel’s establishment in 1948, Iran’s ties with Arab countries strained, leading to warm relations with Israel. But the Islamic Revolution altered this dynamic.
Similarities Between Islamism and Communism
Iran’s regime, following the fall of the Pahlavi monarchy, turned ideological under Ayatollah Khomeini. Not aligning with Western democracy or Soviet communism, the regime aimed to govern with Islamic law.
Zheng Xuguang likened Iran’s Islamic revolution to China’s Communist Party takeover, both adopting anti-Western stances and spreading ideology abroad.
Iran’s support for groups like Hamas mirrors the Soviet Union’s export of communism, according to Zheng.
A Backward Trend
Guo Jun noted that countries like Iran have experienced reversals in modernization due to various factors like inequality and revolutions.
Iran’s swift economic growth under the monarchy led to the revolution in the late 1970s, paving the way for the Islamists in power today.
Countries like Cuba, Argentina, and Venezuela have also regressed due to adopting communism, socialism, or radical Islamism.
Michael Zhuang contributed to this analysis.
