At town hall with Iranian exiles, Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter defends Israel’s decision not to topple the Tehran regime, says democracy must reflect the will of the people. ‘We’ve set the stage, now it’s up to them to bring change.’
Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter recently met with Iranian exiles who fled the Ayatollah regime, during a gathering organized by Iran International.
The attendees praised Israel’s actions and the successful strikes on nuclear facilities, missile infrastructure, and government institutions, but also criticized Israel for refraining from toppling the regime in Tehran.
Responding to town hall moderator Fardad Farahzad, Leiter explained: “You can’t establish democracy top down. It doesn’t work.”
He added, “We have created the backdrop. We’ve created the props on the stage, and hopefully they’re enough for there to be capitalized upon and for change to be brought about.”
Leiter also said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke “with a tremendous passion and hope that the world will change and that the Iranian regime will change.”
“That’s a wish, but that can’t be a military goal,” he said. “Democracy is, in of itself, an expression of the people’s will. So how can you ignore the people’s will by forcing it?”
