As Israelis, Iranians and many others in the region wait tensely to see whether President Trump decides to attack Iran, perhaps leading to a potential new round of Israeli-Iranian warfare, three Israelis and three Iranians met in Vienna for a panel and workshop on Thursday, February 12. Under the heading “De-Escalation, Peace and Freedom in the Middle East: Iranian and Israeli Voices in Dialogue”, the encounter was hosted by the Bruno Kreisky Foundation for International Dialogue.  This was a development and public launching of an Israeli-Iranian initiative begun a few months before the June 2025 12-day Israel-Iran War.

In the middle of that war, we formulated and released the following statement:

Iranians and Israelis call for ceasefire and diplomacy 

We, Iranians and Israelis, share grave concerns for the future of our countries and the region. Israel and Iran have been engaged in indirect conflict for decades; a conflict that puts the entire region in danger, and especially the people of these countries. Following the exchange of fire last year, the Israeli attacks starting Friday morning, and the Iranian attacks starting Friday night, the conflict has now entered us into a new phase. Already around 200 civilians have been killed in Iran and at least 23 in Israel. This is a reminder of the price paid by citizens in war. 

Iranians, Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in safety and dignity. Attacks on civilians should be condemned everywhere. The respective governments of our country have helped plunge our people into this war that doesn’t represent our interests. Continued bloodshed won’t bring security for any of our nations. 

We call on both sides and the........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)