Israel has taken enmity with Iran, a step further, via Farsi (Persian) Language Program, preparing potential recruits for Israel’s intelligence services. Ben Gurion High School in Petah Tikva, Israel is the only high school teaching Farsi language to help the regime train agents to spy on Iran. It sounds like a Hollywood movie’s script, but this is in fact very much happening!

Once friends and allies, Israel and Iran are the worst of enemies today, despite having no territorial disputes and no common borders to share. Their mutual hostility lies in nuclear weapons. Nonetheless, Israel is always looking at ways to jolt Iran now and then, and no doubt, the Farsi Language Program will have the same impact.

The Iran, Security and Intelligence Program has been developed by retired Israeli General Pini Shmilovich. It is a specialized course in understanding Iran’s people and its Islamist rulers who advocate the destruction of the Jewish state. According to a report by VOA “the course also indoctrinates 16 and 17-year-old teens with propaganda about how Iran is supporting groups that are hostile to Israel and the Islamic Republic’s role in sectarian conflicts across the Middle East Region.”

The students learn to read, write and speak Farsi for five hours a week. “Every two weeks, they memorize about 15 words, to enable them to make basic conversation in Farsi. This is a two-year course. In an interaction with VOA Persian, the students said they were taking the Iran class to boost their chances of doing prestigious intelligence work as part of their compulsory military service after graduation. Israel is one of the few countries in which military service is obligatory for men and women. At 18 years of age, men are required to serve for two years and eight months, while women serve for two years.

This project began in 2014. And so far there are about 50 certified Farsi-speaking students; 20 students have been ‘handpicked’ during the mandatory military service and are now in Israel’s military intelligence community.

Shmilovich said the course will help Israeli spies to be ‘proactive’ with regards to Iran. “I think it’s important that in Israel, there will be enough people who know what Iran is, and who can influence and be proactive in the issue of the relationship between Iran and Israel.” He said the threat from Iran is one of the main issues impacting Israel.