A worker at the Eshkol Water Filtration Plant in northern Israel. (Flash90)

“The Iranian regime shouts ‘death to Israel.’ In response, Israel shouts ‘life to the Iranian people!’” Netanyahu said.

By: Yona Schnitzer/TPS and United with Israel Staff

Israel’s Foreign Ministry launched a website in Farsi aimed at sharing Israeli water technologies directly with the Iranian people, who are suffering from an unprecedented nationwide drought.

The site provides tips on how to save water and improve their use – unique methods which have been refined by Israelis over the decades.

“The Iranian people are victims of a cruel and tyrannical regime that denies them vital water,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday in a video message recorded in English with Farsi subtitles. “Israel stands with the people of Iran, and that is why I want to help and save countless Iranian lives… Millions of Iranian children are suffering due to mismanagement, incompetence and the theft of vital resources by the Iranian regime.”

According to Iran’s meteorological center, 96 percent of Iranians suffer from some degree of drought, while up to 50 million may be forced to leave their homes as a result of the environmental damage. The year 2018 was the driest in Iran over the past 67 years. This trend has continued for over 30 years, and the constant decline in precipitation indicates that drought will continue and even get worse.

Netanyahu said that like Iran, Israel also faces water shortages and has invented cutting-edge technologies to overcome the challenge.

“Israel recycles nearly 90 percent of its wastewater, that’s far more than any other country on earth… Israel has the know-how to prevent an environmental catastrophe in Iran,” the prime minister said.

Netanyahu added that he wanted to “share this information with the people of Iran,” but that “sadly,” Iran bans Israelis from visiting the country. Therefore, Israel will “have to get creative,” he continued, announcing that Israel has launched a Farsi website with detailed plans on how Iranians can recycle their wastewater.

“We will show Iranian farmers how they can save their crops and feed their families,’” he stated.

“The Iranian regime shouts ‘death to Israel.’ In response, Israel shouts ‘life to the Iranian people!’ The people of Iran are good and decent, they shouldn’t have to face such a cruel regime alone. We are with you. We will help so that millions of Iranians wouldn’t have to suffer. The hatred of Iran’s regime will not stop the respect and the friendship between our two peoples,” Netanyahu concluded.

Innovative Diplomacy

Sharona Avginesaz, director of the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s digital media in Farsi, told IDF Radio on Monday that Israel is differentiating between the Iranian people, to whom it wants to show friendship, and the regime.

The information is also passed through the Telegram messaging application. Thousands have already joined the channel, and the responses are very positive, she said.

This innovative approach follows another recent message by Netanyahu to the Iranian people in which he expressed admiration for their creativity and culture.

Israel is world-famous for its advanced water technologies, which provides solutions to even the driest and most barren areas on earth. With many years of experience in making its southern desert, the Negev, bloom, Israel has become a leading force in providing aqua know-how to countries around the planet.

Although Israel has experienced drought in recent years, it is managing an over-capacity of water due to intense water management and desalination production. Other countries are turning to Israel for help.

Over the years, Israel has transformed itself from a country with serious water shortages to a global water powerhouse, exporting its prowess to arid regions around the world.