Iranian citizen gives Israel a hand
Social media campaign encourages residents of all countries to quickly and anonymously support Israel in fighting Hamas
Renee Ghert-Zand is the health reporter and a feature writer for The Times of Israel.
With current no-flight orders keeping some Israel supporters grounded, they’ve used their passports in other ways to show solidarity with Israel during Operation Protective Edge.
StandWithUs, a non-profit Israel advocacy organization, asked friends of Israel from around the globe to show they stand with Israel by sending in a photo of their passport. Soon, photos were flooding in, and people were writing “I Stand With Israel” on their hands and including them in the photos with the passports.
So far, some 900 people from nearly 100 countries have participated in the social media campaign, which can be seen on a Facebook page. Among the nations represented are the United States, France, Australia, Germany, Canada, Ukraine, South Africa, Brazil, Georgia, Turkey, India, China and even Pakistan, Indonesia and Iran.
Michael Dickson, Director of StandWithUs Israel is pleased with how widely and quickly the passport photo campaign has caught on.
“The battle for public opinion and support is Israel’s second frontline… This creative campaign allows people to show their support for Israel and is a huge boost for Israelis who are living under fire and are sending their young people to the frontline,” he said.
One brave young Egyptian went a step further and posted a video of himself holding his passport and personally delivering a message of support to neighboring Israel.
“My name is Adam. I am an Egyptian Zionist,” he says. “I support Israel against the terrorist Hamas. I recognize the Jewish State of Israel and its united capital Jerusalem.”
At the midpoint of the video clip, he holds up a placard with a similar message. In addition, it says, “NO TO JIHAD” and “Viva Peace.”
