Diplomatic tensions continue to escalate between Israel and Iran. But prospects for peaceful reconciliation are looking up if you turn to Facebook.
A married pair of graphic designers from Tel Aviv, Ronny Edry and Michal Tamir, are using a Facebook Page called Israel Loves Iran to tell the Iranian people that they don't want a war.
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The Page -- and a similar Page copying its mission -- have now garnered more than 9,000 Likes between them.
The effort began when Edry, who says he often shares his poster designs on Facebook, posted an image of himself and his daughter to design school Pushpin Mehina's Page. The caption read: "Iranians, we will never bomb your country, we
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"Making posters is my way of reacting to things, so I just made this poster because it's what I wanted to say," Edry told Mashable "I didn't think it would be this big or this crazy, but so many people relate to the message. I was under the impression I was the only one."
Since first sharing his poster to the Facebook Page Saturday, Edry says he's overwhelmed by the positive response. By Sunday, Iranians had begun posting anonymously to the group (Facebook is banned from Iran) and sharing their own posters and messages.
"We also love you. Your words are reaching us despite the censorship," an Iranian Facebook user replied to the posters. "The Iranian people, apart from the regime, do not hold a grudge nor animosity against anyone, especially not the Israelis … We never saw Israelis as our enemies. As such, the regime cannot gain public support for war."
Edry says he'd never met an Iranian before starting the campaign. He assumes most other Israelis haven't either. One former student told Edry that she Facebook-chatted for two hours with another graphic design student from Iran, with whom she connected through the group.
"This is the first time this has happened in Israel, because everyone is scared" he says. "We talk about violence and defense, and we never get to the other side. All we know of Iran is the face of Ahmadinejad on TV."
Edry initially had a fundraising component to the campaign, hoping to raise $7,500 to buy advertising spots on global channels and a Times Square billboard. He is now reconsidering the monetary aspect of the campaign, as he's now received coverage on CNN, Al Jazeera and other major outlets.
"As a man of peace, I'm like, 'maybe we started something big, just maybe,'" Edry says.
Do you think Facebook is a good way to campaign with people from across the world? Is diplomacy best left to governments? Let us know what you think of the campaign in the comments.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
