View source for Social:Tehran – Haifa – Tel Aviv

'''[[Place:Tehran|Tehran]] – Haifa – [[Place:Tel Aviv|Tel Aviv]]''', or '''TeHTel''', is a project that connects [[Religion:Iran|Iran]]ian and [[Place:Israel|Israel]]i citizens, and creates new bridges between the cultures.
==Overview==
The project, launched in March 2012, operates at the Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies at the [[Organization:University of Haifa|University of Haifa]]. TeHTel includes a [[Social:Persian language|Persian]] website, and profiles on international and Persian-language [[Social:Social network|social network]]s.<ref>{{cite news| first=Aviv | last=Mizrahi | url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4202438,00.html | script-title=he:TeHTel: לקרוא את דפני ליף בפרסית | publisher=Ynet | date=17 March 2012 | access-date=18 November 2014 |language=Hebrew |trans-title=TehTel: reading Daphni Leef in Farsi}}</ref> The project's website received millions of pageviews, its articles are quoted and copied by major Iranian media channels and websites, and Iranian users posted tens of thousands of comments in Persian in response to content published by the project.<ref>{{cite news| first=Yoni | last=Shadmi |url=http://theliberal.co.il/%D7%9C%D7%93%D7%91%D7%A8-%D7%A2%D7%9D-%D7%94%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D/|script-title=he:לדבר עם האיראנים | publisher=Liberal Magazine | website=theliberal.co.il | location=Israel | date=17 August 2015 | access-date=18 November 2014 | language=Hebrew |trans-title=Speaking with the Iranians }}</ref>

The project's staff keep in daily contact with Iranian citizens.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

==Project description==
TeHTel created a network of hundreds of Israeli content partners, including major Israeli media organizations and independent bloggers and photographers. The project's editors pick different articles originally published in Hebrew by the content partners, translate the selected articles to Persian, and publish the translated content in Persian-language websites and social networks.

The translated content serves as a basis for dialogue between Israeli and Iranian citizens, as well as internal Iranian discussions. The project publishes articles in a variety of topics, from everyday life in Israel, through culture and politics, to economics and Middle Eastern issues. According to the University of Haifa, the project is careful to avoid propaganda and public relations articles.<ref>{{cite news | first=Gal | last=Mor |url=http://www.holesinthenet.co.il/holesinthenet-media-story-2311|script-title=he:טהראן-חיפה-תל אביב: האתר הישראלי ששובר את מחסום האיבה | work=www.holesinthenet.co.il | location=Israel | publisher=Holes in the Net |date=1 June 2013 |access-date=18 November 2014 |language=Hebrew |trans-title=Tehran – Haifa – Tel Aviv: the Israeli website that breaks the hatred barrier}}</ref> Thus, the project deals with sensitive issues, such as tensions in Israel between Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews,<ref>{{cite news | first=David | last=Avraham | url=http://b.walla.co.il/item/2718608|script-title=he:"השד העדתי" של אמנון לוי הפכה ללהיט אנטי-ישראלי באיראן | publisher=Walla! News |date=6 February 2014 |access-date=18 November 2014 |language=Hebrew |trans-title=Amnon Levi’s ‘ethnic demon’ becomes an anti-Israeli hit in Iran}}</ref> and the cost of living in Israel.

Israeli articles published by TeHTel are frequently copied and quoted by online Iranian media, such as Raja News and YJC,<ref>{{cite web| title=Israeli female soldiers on duty | url=http://www.yjc.ir/fa/news/4076864/%D8%AF%D9%87-%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%B9%DA%A9%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%B1-%D9%87%D9%86%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%88%D8%B8%DB%8C%D9%81%D9%87 | website=www.yjc.ir | location=Iran | publisher=YJC | access-date=18 November 2014 }}</ref> a website affiliated with the conservative Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The project's staff regularly communicates with thousands of Iranian citizens. Users speak about their lives and political ideas, and sometimes share intimate details about themselves.<ref>{{cite news| first=Dudi | last=Cohen | url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4220113,00.html | script-title=he:איראנים בפורום ישראלי: "רוצים להגיע לישראל | publisher=Ynet | date=24 April 2012 |access-date=18 November 2014 |language=Hebrew |trans-title=Iranians in an Israeli Forum: we want to come to Israel}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| first=Dudi | last=Cohen | url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4267496,00.html | script-title=he:איראני רצה להתאבד, וזכה לחיבוק מישראלים | publisher=Ynet | date=24 April 2012 | access-date=18 November 2014 | language=Hebrew |trans-title=An Iranian Citizen wanted to commit suicide, and received help from Israelis}}</ref>

From time to time, the project creates joint Iranian-Israeli activities.

The project also promotes and markets content created by Iranians to Israeli audiences. The project publishes [http://tehtel.com/%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-1323-%D8%B3%D9%81%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86.aspx Hebrew translations] of articles by Iranian bloggers, including photographic journeys in Iran. In addition, the project publishes Iranian content in Israeli media venues. Through the project, Iranians published articles in prominent Israeli newspapers.<ref>{{cite web| last1=Mansouryar | first1=Mohammad | last2=Shadmi | first2=Yoni | title=Skyping beyond governments | url=http://www.tehtel.com/%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87-1103,75-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87-%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%B1%DA%A9-%D8%B5%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A2%D9%85%DB%8C%D8%B2-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D9%88-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%B2%D8%B1%DA%AF-%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%DB%8C%D9%84.aspx | publisher=Yedioth Ahronoth, as published by TeHTel | access-date=18 November 2014 }}</ref> In another case, the project's staff translated to Hebrew a video clip shot in Tehran by a local Iranian studio, and helped the clip reach Israeli mainstream audiences.<ref>{{cite news| title=What Iranians really want: A unique glimpse in honor of the Persian New Year | first1=Kenan | last1=Ido | first2=Jonny | last2=Silver | url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.584789 | newspaper=Haaretz | date=11 February 2014 | access-date=18 November 2014}}</ref>

==Iranian response to TeHTel==
A month after TeHTels launched, the Iranian senior official Mohsen Rezaee denounced the project. Rezaee is the former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard corps, a candidate in the Iranian presidential elections, and the current secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council. 
Rezaee claimed that the project is "a new espionage tool of the Israeli regime," adding that "although the project's editors claim that the site is designed to create friendships between the two peoples, it seems that the main purpose is to create a new espionage and intelligence gathering technique against Iran". Following Rezaee, a number of sites associated with high ranking Iranian government officials denounced the project.<ref>{{cite news | first=Dudi | last=Cohen | url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4216888,00.html | script-title=he:בכיר איראני נגד אתר ישראלי: "כלי ריגול חדש | publisher=Ynet | date=17 April 2012 |access-date=18 November 2014 | language=Hebrew |trans-title=A senior Israeli official attacks an Israeli web site: "a new tool for espionage" }}</ref> 
In response to Rezaee, the project's staff published an open letter, calling for dialogue.

A month after the incident, a group named "the cyber fighters and officers of Kerman Province", a group of Iranian hackers affiliated with conservative elements, published a harsh condemnation of the project. In the same month, the project was attacked by Iranian hackers.<ref>{{cite news| author=Globes service |url=http://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1000745170| script-title=he:האקרים איראניים תקפו את אתר ההידברות הישראלי-איראני"  | publisher=Globes |date=1 May 2012 |access-date=18 November 2014 |language=Hebrew |trans-title=Iranian Hackers attacked the Israeli-Iranian dialogue website"}}</ref>

== See also ==

* Israel Loves Iran

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tehtel.com/ TeHTel website]

[[Category:Collaborative projects]]

{{Sourceattribution|Tehran – Haifa – Tel Aviv}}