(June 25, 2025 / JNS) Knesset Member Dan Illouz of the Likud Party on Monday hosted a first-of-its-kind closed online meeting between Israeli lawmakers and members of the Iranian opposition to the current regime in Tehran.

The meeting, which included Israeli lawmakers from both the coalition and the opposition, focused on establishing direct dialogue with Iranian opposition representatives from various factions and countries. Participants discussed the current sentiment within the Iranian public and explored steps that could help accelerate the collapse of the extremist regime in Tehran.

“Cooperation with freedom-seeking voices among the Iranian people is not about dictating their future—it’s about preparing for a better one, for all of us in the region, when the Iranian people choose liberty,” Illouz told JNS on Wednesday.

“Only the Iranian people can take their freedom into their own hands. No one else can do it for them—but we can stand ready to support their aspirations and amplify their voices,” he said.

“Just as the Abraham Accords opened a historic chapter of peace with Arab nations, we can already begin to imagine the Cyrus Accords—a regional alliance between two ancient civilizations, working together in science, medicine, culture, and tourism,” he continued.

“Of course, such a future cannot materialize under the current extremist regime. But we must plant the seeds now—so that when the Iranian people rise to claim their freedom, we are ready to meet them with open arms and fertile ground for partnership,” Illouz added.

Iranian opposition representatives emphasized that the majority of Iranians oppose the regime but are waiting for a signal from the free world. They urged Israelis to support a united Iran, warning that doing otherwise could jeopardize the opportunity for stability in the Middle East.

Suggestions discussed during the meeting included practical steps, such as organizing a summit in Jerusalem with both Israeli lawmakers and Iranian opposition leaders, focusing on the potential for an Israeli-Iranian partnership.

The meeting was part of a collaboration between the Or Torah Interreligious Center, a branch of the Or Torah Stone Network, and the Middle East Center.

“This is a very important dialogue. Israel and the Iranian opposition have many common interests and also common values,” said Tom Wagner, founder of the Middle East Center, who coordinated the participation of senior Iranian opposition figures in the meeting.

“The entire Israeli public, and especially its leaders, should be involved in a constructive dialogue with freedom and peace lovers in the Middle East who see Israel as an address for cooperation—and there are many of them,” he added.

Rabbi Dr. Aharon Ariel Lavie, director of the Or Torah Interreligious Center, said that participants had agreed to join forces in initiating direct dialogue, which they hope will lead to Iran’s transitional government toward a new future.

“The overthrow of the regime is closer than ever, but it is only the beginning of the process,” he said. “After that, we will have to invest an entire generation of joint work in building a new Israeli-Iranian partnership, and tonight we sowed the seeds for this.”

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