The 'Israel loves Iran' Facebook campaign has begun to receive numerous responses from Iranians, who stared responding to the Israeli initiative that calls on people to announce their love for the Iranians by posting pictures on Facebook.

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Open gallery view One of the Iranian posters on the Facebook page of the 'Israel Loves Iran' blog. Credit: Pushpin Mehina

Up to Saturday night, graphic artists Ronny Edry and his wife, Michal Tamir, who began the campaign, were still trying to persuade Iranians to respond to the dozens of Israelis that put up posters of themselves with the words, "Iranians, we will never bomb your country, we [heart] you."



On Sunday their labor bore fruit, as more and more posts by Iranians started popping up on their Facebook page, in response to their Israeli counterparts.

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“My Israeli friends, I do not hate you; I do not want war. love, Peace,” read many Iranian posters that were posted by Iranians to the new group page. Most of the Iranians, who posted messages to the Facebook group, did so with their faces partially veiled, probably out of fear from the Iranian authorities. On Saturday, Edry said that Iranian group members explained that they could be arrested if recognized in the photos.



“Dear Israeli Friends and World! Iranians love peace and we hate hate!...and we don't need any Nuclear Power to show it!” one poster caption stated.



“I’m from Iran and love your idea and your efforts against war and for peace. I am really happy to get to know you and people like you, and hope to find more people like you. Here in Iran the situation is complicated and many people hate the governments and their bullshit,” another anonymous Iranian wrote in a poster he published.

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Like any other web phenomena, humoristic and cynical responses to the initiative were quick to appear. For example, a mock post by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reading: “Iranians I love you. I truly truly love you. It’s my people I hate.” Another poster promised Swedish girls that Israel would never bomb their country.



In addition to Edry and Tamir’s initiative, a new Facebook group titled “Israelis against a War with Iran,” went up on Thursday. “The newspaper headlines tell the tale: The prime minister is trying to legitimize an Israeli attack on Iran, which is expected soon,” a post on the group’s page reads.



“Most of the Israeli public is opposed to an adventure of this sort that may have catastrophic consequences. Many experts warn of the results an attack on Iran and a declaration of war of this sort may bring. Iran is expected to respond, meaning there would be many Israeli casualties,” the group founders added citing former Mossad chief Meir Dagan’s opposition to an attack.”

Read this article in Hebrew.