In Tel Aviv, Iranian-Israelis chew over nuke deal

TEL AVIV — The TV on the wall was showing a live stream from Vienna, with flags fluttering and politicians standing solemnly, as the agreement with Iran was announced. But while the nuclear deal may have been on everyone’s lips, the best deal on the menu at Shimshiri Restaurant, a staple for Persian catering in this city, was owner Moluk Hanasa’s gondi soup, the Persian version of matzah balls.

“It’s my specialty,” said the 65-year-old Hanasa, as she sat chopping cucumbers for salad.

Hanasa gave more attention to the restaurant patrons and the cucumbers than the drama unfolding on TV, but she kept an eye on the set. “I have a sister and family in Persia [Iran], so it’s important to know what’s going on,” she said, which was why her son and co-owner, Avi, changed the channel from a Turkish soap opera.

Unlike the gloom and doom of most Israelis, Hanasa remains optimistic. “I really hope they will use nuclear [energy] for their daily needs, and not for war. What happens in war? Just hatred and racism are the results. I hope that there are people there that love peace and want peace as much as we do,” she said.

Hanasa’s optimism was very much in the minority, however, on Nahalat Binyamin Street in Tel Aviv’s traditionally Sephardi Florentine neighborhood on Tuesday. Just across the street from Shimshiri is Salimi, a more casual Persian eatery that caters to a hardworking lunch crowd. As plates of steaming meats and roasted tomatoes streamed out from a big grill in the kitchen, the mood turned gloomy when the discussion turned to Iran.

“Israel doesn’t need to listen to the US, they need to stand by what we need,” said Shamyen Avraham, 53, a clothes store owner who still has four uncles and an aunt in Iran. “Even though the US supports us, there are simply some things that we cannot stand for. Iran has a strong card in their hand to play, they have the biggest threat in existence,” he added, tucking into a lunch of kebabs and dill-infused Persian rice. The daily special was a red sauce with dried apricots and prunes cooked so long they melted off the pits.

Avraham said that while he isn’t a fan of Benjamin Netanyahu’s economic policies, he believes the prime minister tried his best in regards to Iran. “He had all of Europe and the US opposing him,” he said.

Barry Avidan, a choreographer from Havatzelet Hasharon who is not Persian but loves the food, echoed Avraham’s sentiment. “Bibi did the best he could; you can’t go against the whole world,” he said. “Maybe they have to attack in order for the world to understand. People don’t see this danger, they think it’s actually a good agreement.”

“It’s like the agreement with Hitler [the German-Soviet non-aggression pact of 1939], everyone thought it was okay, but it led to the biggest tragedy in the world,” Avidan added. “I’m really concerned all of this is one big game that will give them more time to develop the bomb.”

Rafi, a 55-year-old lawyer from Jerusalem who declined to give his last name, said he wants to know America’s “hidden” motives in pressing for the deal. “How is it that a country that is encouraging worldwide terror will continue to get money to create more world terror?” he asked. “There must be some hidden interests between America and Iran, mostly economic interests. Obama needs to think of Israel — we are the central victim here.”

American financial support of Israel can’t solve every problem, Rafi added. “With North Korea, they said, ‘Oh, they’ll never have the bomb.’ And now they do. They can do this agreement, but it doesn’t hermetically seal the idea that Iran won’t have nuclear weapons.”

Nadav Loren, 28, an investment banker from Rishon Lezion, came to eat at Salimi with his colleagues in honor of the announcement of the Iran deal. “I’m Persian and I still have family there, but they don’t feel any threat and they’re not affected by the deal announcement,” he said. “My uncle runs a Jewish school in Tehran. The Iranian government is more against Zionism than against the Jews.”

He said his family in Iran was worried, however, that the deal could endanger the existence of the State of Israel.

“This is a historic mistake,” said Loren, echoing Netanyahu’s criticism of the deal. “I didn’t vote for Bibi, but there’s no opposition and coalition in this story. This leaves our country open to a nuclear attack.” He added that perhaps Netanyahu should have concentrated more on closed-door meetings with politicians than making noise in the public arena.

“I want to tell Obama, I understand he has his intentions, and he wants to solve things diplomatically, but there are some things you can’t solve diplomatically,” he said. “The agreement says Iran can’t develop the bomb for ten years, ok. But I’m worried about the future of my children.”