A Father's Love

It's nice to see that this Iranian father understands something that his government clearly does not:

"I can't thank the Jewish people enough for all the love and support we've been getting," said the father of the Iranian boy flown to Israel for emergency brain surgery over the weekend.

According to several news sources, including YNET:

The 13-year-old arrived in Israel from Turkey on Friday, after Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit and the Shin Bet gave an ex-gratia authorization to the move, due to his grave medical condition. A special authorization was required as Iranian citizens, who are essentially residents of an enemy state, are forbidden from entering Israel The boy's father and grandmother stayed by his side at the Safra Children's Hospital, a facility adjacent to the Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, throughout the weekend.

"I ask you, all of you, to pray for my son. A father's love for his son goes beyond borderlines and religion... It is important to me that you know that the majority of Iranians don't hate Israel. We are all people and we all have the same feelings.

"All I want now is to hear my son's laughter again. I'm sure any parent in my condition would do anything they can to save their child. My wife and my baby daughter are waiting for us back in Tehran. We are all praying for the best," he added.

The boy underwent an extensive battery of tests since arriving at the Safra
Hospital. "The tests have shown that the disease has spread throughout his
brain, the central nervous system and the spinal cord," Prof. Amos Toren, head
of Hemato-Pediatric Oncology Unit, told Yedioth Ahronoth.

"His condition is too grave for us to operate on him, so we're trying aggressive chemotherapy, in hopes that it would help."

What this shows, above all else, is that a father's love is stronger than national interests and reminds us of Golda Meir's message that when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us, there will be peace. Here's one Arab family that clearly loves their son more than they hate us - we can only pray that his son is granted a full and speedy recovery.