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About 20 supporters mainly comprising the Hasid
family and some of their friends gathered on Wednesday in an
upscale Jerusalem neighborhood and cheered for a team that most
Israelis consider a representative of their arch-enemy.
Israel has long been locked in a shadow war with Iran, which
supports Islamist militants in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon and
whose nuclear program is widely believed to have been targeted
by Israel's intelligence services.
But Tzion Hasid, 84, a prominent member of Israel's Iranian
community and a Jerusalem building contractor, who came to
Israel from Isfahan in 1966 with other family members, said that
despite the political enmity between the two Middle Eastern
powers, Israelis of Iranian origin felt great affection for
their former compatriots.
"I came from Iran to the land of Israel, the land of our dreams,
but not even for one moment in over 60 years have we forgotten
our (old) country," Hasid said.
"We still have feelings of respect for all Iranians ... We want
peace with them and we hope that even next year, our (Israel's)
leaders and theirs will meet and make peace for the benefit of
both our people."
Israelis of Iranian origin number between 350,000-400,000. Many
emigrated in the 1920s, 1950s and 60s and some came after the
Islamic Revolution of 1979, said Pierre Lavi, 53, a Jerusalem
author and publisher.
Regardless of Iran's underdog status in the match, and even
after they went 1-0 down to Diego Costa's 54th minute goal which
sealed the win, the group continued with repeated chants of
"Iran, Iran".
The clapping and singing by the gathering of the older
generation who were born in Iran and came to Israel in the 1960s
was backed up, although not as vehemently, by younger
generations who were born in Israel.
Lavi, who was brought to Israel as a four-month-old baby by his
parents, admitted quietly that he was a supporter of Spain.
"Just don't tell the others," he whispered.
"The football is a way to remember what they miss about Iran but
I don't think they are really fans of the Iranian team, perhaps
some are, but not all of them," Lavi said.
(Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Alison Williams)
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