Azerbaijan, Baku, June 22 / Trend , U.Sadikhova /
As long as Iran does not change the regime of Ayatollah Khamenei, the relationship between Israel and Iran will not improve, and therefore, the election of another president will not be a turning point in relations between the two countries, experts say.
"Even if [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad goes and [Mir Hussein] Mousavi come, I do not think there will be changes [in the Iran-Israeli relations], Zeev Maghen, an analyst on the Iranian program of the Israeli Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies told Trend in a telephone conversation. - As long as there is a regime of Khamenei in Iran, Iran will not make reconciliation with Israel that does not want either Ahmadinejad or Mousavi.
In an interview with German weekly magazine Build, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "peaceful relations between Iran and Israel could be established if the power changes in Tehran, Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported.
There is no conflict between the Israeli and Iranian peoples, and the current relationship can be improved if the regime changes [in Iran]," said Netanyahu.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling the Holocaust "a big mistake" and calling to "wipe Israel off the face of the earth", was re-elected on 12 June, the results which the opposition urges to cancel.
The election resulted in a wave of mass protests of opposition, which were largest demonstrations since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 in the country and overthrew the Shah regime. Iran has accused Western media of inciting riots in the country.
Ahmadinejad's main opponent was former Prime Minister of Iran Mir Hussein Mousavi, which is a supporter of reforms in the country.
But despite that Mousavi does not make sharp statements against Israel, he also does not seek to improve relations with that country. During tele-discussions with Ahmadinejad, Mousavi said that "it is necessary to hold a referendum amongst Jews, Muslims and Christians for self-determination of their future and to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."
Mousavi spoke against Ahmadinejad's hostile attitude towards Israel.
Relations between Iran and Israel broke after the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, after overthrow of the Shah regime. Supreme Leader of Iran Imam Khomeini declared the termination of relations with Israel and any contact with it because of the wars of Israel with the Palestinians and Syria.
"Israeli people have no hostilities what's ever toward the people of Iran," Mark Regev, an official of the Israeli government, told Trend by telephone from Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Netanyahu believes that "the people of Iran is ready to elect a different government if there would be an opportunity to vote freely."
"I think that the mask was disrupted from the Iranian regime, - he said in an interview with German newspaper. - We can see that the Iranian people yearn for freedom."
Some 19 people were killed as a result of Saturday clashes with police in Tehran, CNN reported, citing the sources at the hospital. According to unofficial data, number of dead was 150 people.
However, experts believe that even if the opposition led by Mousavi would be able to win the election, this is unlikely to lead to improved relations between Iran and Israel.
"Even if that those happen Mousavi is no more robber of Israel as Ahmedinedjad is and the only kind of regime change that could lead to peace between Israel and Iran," said Maghen.
"Only a change of regime could lead to peace between Israel and Iran - said Maghen, a lecturer on the history of the Middle East at Bar-Ilan University. - If Khamenei [supreme leader] will be changed and the whole system will change, then the peace is possible."
Supreme Leader of Iran is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who approves president after the general election.
However, it is considered in Iran that even if the supreme leader changes, the relations between Israel and Iran will never be improved, since the conflict between them has deep roots.
According to Said Yari, head of the Iranian center for protection of national interests, the disagreement with the Israeli government is contrary to Iranian understanding and interests in the region.
"Even if changes take place in the structure of Iran's leadership and the Iranian supreme leader [Khamenei] changes, changes in the Iranian-Israeli relations will not happen," Yari told Trend by telephone from Tehran.
He said the disputes between Iran and Israel less depend on changes in government and leaderhip.
Israel accuses Tehran of undermining security in the Middle East. Iran is the main ally of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Lebanese opposition Hezbollah Party and supplier of arms for them. Tehran is also a strategic partner and ally of Syria, supporting armed resistance of Hamas and Hezbollah in the region.
However, analyst on Iranian politics Alirza Nurizade believes that if Mousavi could become president, the relationship between Israel and Iran will come out of the crisis, but they will not improve.
"Mousavi has no intention to create a crisis in foreign policy, at least because he would not deny the Holocaust, Nurizade, head of the Israeli-Arab Research Center, told Trend by telephone from London. - Iran will protect the rights of the Palestinians like other Muslim country, but will not call for the destruction of Israel."
Arab and Muslim countries support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and return of five million Palestinian refugees to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Nurizade believes that it is not necessary to wait for peace from Israel and Iran, but if the Arab countries would agree to reconsider relations with Israel, then Tehran will have no choice other than to go to talks with Israel.
During the first term of governance of former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami from 1997 to 2001, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Hassan Habibi, said that "the Iranians will support any decision by the Palestinians."
If Syria and Israel talks about returning the Golan Heights occupied by Israel in 1967 will be successful and the Palestinians sign an agreement with Israel, then Iran has no other option but to dialogue with Israel, added Nurizade.
T.Jafarov (Baku) contributed to the article.
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Only change in ruling regime in Iran could improve its relations with Israel: experts
