(CNN) -- In a picture posted on Facebook, a man in a white shirt holds his daughter in his arms. She holds an Israeli flag. The caption reads: "Iranians we will never bomb your country. We ♥ you." A response on the same page: An Iranian tells the story of being forced to walk over an Israeli flag every day when entering his school. Years of being taught to hate the Israeli flag had an effect, he says. But "after seeing your daughter holding the flag, I do not feel that way anymore, and I am so happy. Now: I love that blue, I love that star, I love that flag."
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Ethan Zuckerman: Israelis' Facebook page reaching out to Iran drew big response
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He says it's tempting to dismiss impact, but social media efforts produce unexpected outcomes
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He says one effect is replacing faces of leaders in conflict with faces of ordinary human beings
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Zuckerman: Social media lets citizens bypass leaders, speak for themselves
Iranians know that expressing solidarity with Israelis online could lead to harassment or arrest and are finding ways to reach out -- often making clear that their sympathies are with "the @placeholder people" instead of the state of Israel -- without putting themselves at undue risk.