The message that the Iranian queen and crown prince wanted to convey in their meeting with Innovation, Science, and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel was clear: “The Iranian people love Israel, and they want the ayatollah regime to be replaced,” Gamaliel told The Jerusalem Post.
The queen and crown prince are the two figures who are seen by many as the main opposition to the current Islamist regime in Iran.
A few days ago, Gamliel met with the crown prince again, along with his mother, Farah Diba, the widow of the late Shah, who passed away in the 1980s.
“The meeting was very emotional,” Gamliel said. “It gave us a glimpse of what could be the day after the Iranian regime falls – when we can develop relationships between our nations.”
The crown prince and his mother went into exile from Iran along with their family after Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran from exile and established the Islamist regime we know today. They both dream of returning to a free Iran – one without oppression against women or any other citizens.
“She is in great pain when she sees the situation of women in the country,” Gamliel told The Post. “Farah receives countless letters from Iranians, describing the dire economic situation and the harsh oppression they face. Anyone who opposes the regime is imprisoned, tortured, or executed. This makes it extremely difficult for people to challenge the regime.”
Gamliel has been in contact with Iranian Crown Prince Reza Cyrus Ali Pahlavi for several years. She even facilitated his visit to Israel in 2023. Pahlavi, the son of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, represents, for many Iranians, a longing for the Iran of the past – a secular and Western-oriented Iran.
“The Iranians are a people with an ancient and rich culture, a people with pride, and they all yearn for freedom and seek connections with the free world,” Gamliel told The Post. “When the crown prince visited Israel, as we stood together at the Western Wall, we spoke about the Cyrus Accords as part of the Abraham Accords.”
As minister of innovation, science, and technology, Gamliel believes Israel could help solve many of Iran’s pressing issues, such as water shortages and air pollution.
“I am very optimistic that this change will come much sooner than people expect,” she said. “There’s no reason why it shouldn’t. The Iranian people understand that their government is exploiting them. The ayatollahs are cracking down on their own citizens while funneling money to Iranian proxies. Iran’s nuclear threat endangers world peace, and we will not stand by. We will not allow a nuclear Iran.”
Gamliel said she shared with the crown prince and his mother during the meeting that in Israel, some Jews still place a picture of the shah on their tables during Iranian holidays such as Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
At the end of the meeting, all the participants were optimistic, Gamliel said.
“I told them that just as we say in Judaism, ‘Next year in a rebuilt Jerusalem,’ we say, ‘Next year in Tehran,’” she said.
The Gaza solution
“Trump is a businessman,” Gamliel said. “He wants to see the right results, and this is the right plan.”
The only solution for Gaza is a plan to relocate the Gazans to other countries and build something different in Gaza itself, she said.
Gamliel, who was the intelligence minister in 2023, said she was not surprised by Trump’s concept. Two days after the October 7 massacre, she convened a discussion on Gaza that was called, “Alternatives for ending the war in Gaza.” The central proposal, which was shared with the National Security Council and cabinet ministers, was a voluntary evacuation plan for Gaza residents.
“I prepared a plan recommending the evacuation of the population in the Gaza Strip, because right now, the situation there does not allow for any progress,” Gamliel told the Post. “We saw the return of the Bibas family’s bodies. Palestinians in Gaza brought children to watch it as if it were some kind of weekly spectacle.
“This just shows the monstrous mindset that has resulted from 20 years of brainwashing. To cleanse this mentality, deradicalization is necessary. That’s why people must be given the option to leave and live in a better place.”
Even before the war, there was significant demand for leaving Gaza, and hundreds of thousands had already left, she said, adding that even during the war, tens of thousands managed to escape through bribery.
“We tried to promote the plan and explored which countries would be willing to take them in,” Gamliel said. “It’s a massive operation. We also ensured it was examined from the perspective of international law to make sure everything aligns with existing legal frameworks. That’s why the emphasis is on voluntary departure.”
Israel is currently working to establish the necessary technical infrastructure for such an initiative, and several discussions have already taken place on the matter. Gamliel emphasized that the biggest challenge remains finding countries willing to host Palestinian refugees and providing them with viable alternatives.
“I believe Trump knows how to direct this effort to the right places,” she said. “Another challenge is that we are fighting a terrorist organization that controls the entire region. The demand for voluntary evacuation – what we call humanitarian departure – would save lives. But because it would reduce human shields, Hamas would have no interest in allowing it.”
Looking at the broader perspective, Gamliel concluded that everyone understands this is a win-win situation.
“This will not harm the Palestinians,” she said. “People want to build a government without oppression. This is for the sake of future generations.”