Why Netanyahu Is Right to Appeal to the Iranian People

On June 10, Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a video in which the prime minister—after pouring himself a glass of water from a pitcher—addresses the Iranian people, expresses concern about the worsening drought plaguing their country, and offers to share Israeli knowhow in the art of water-conservation; the video concludes with a reference to “the respect and friendship between our two peoples.” In both Washington and Jerusalem, conventional wisdom has long held that such overtures to Muslim peoples from American, and all the more so Israeli, politicians are counterproductive. Sohrab Ahmari, however, in a discussion of the ongoing unrest in Iran and the regime’s crisis of legitimacy, argues that this and other, similar moves by Netanyahu are “absolutely brilliant.” (Interview by Jonathan Silver. Audio, 20 minutes. Options for download and streaming are available at the link below.)