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"Neither Gaza, nor Lebanon, I will give my life only for Iran." That was the slogan of the opposition on Quds (Jerusalem) day: a day that since the revolution of 1979 has been devoted to solidarity with Palestinians, a day in which no one had ever dared challenge that assumption. This year the opposition broke with that habit.

The slogan was meant for the Islamic establishment and for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who seems to many Iranians to be more concerned about the plight of Hamas and Hezbollah than about Iranians. And once the opposition rally was attacked, they shouted: "Torture, rape, false confessions will no longer silence us" – a direct reference to the brutal post-election clampdown.

Criticism of the government's strong pro-Palestinian stance has become more vocal recently. A banner showed a young boy who seems injured, walking barefoot with his T-shirt torn. He had the green band of the opposition round his wrist. The slogan on it says: "Palestine is here." And a popular song by Kiosk, an Iranian underground band, says: "We haven't a penny to spare: but all our ... >>>