Jerusalem:  This week, the exiled Iranian crown prince is due to pay a visit to Israel, reflecting both the animosity that exists between Israel and the Islamic Republic today and the close ties that his father once had with the Jewish state.

The last shah to rule Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Reza Pahlavi, announced on Sunday that he would be delivering "a message of friendship from the Iranian people."

According to Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel, who will host him, he is scheduled to take part in Israel's annual Holocaust memorial service on Monday night.

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He will also meet with representatives of the local Baha'i community and Israeli Jews of Iranian descent, visit a desalination plant, see the Western Wall, and more.

Gamliel praised Pahlavi for making the "brave decision" to travel to Israel for the first time, according to her. In contrast to the extremists who control Iran, the crown prince "symbolises a leadership different from that of the ayatollah regime, and leads values of peace and tolerance," she said.

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Just before his cancer-stricken father Mohammad Reza Pahlavi abdicated the throne and fled to exile, Pahlavi left Iran at the age of 17 for military flight school in the US. Following the revolution, the Islamic Republic was established, the US Embassy in Tehran was taken over, and the last remnants of the monarchy supported by the United States were overthrown.

Pahlavi, who is still a US citizen, has called for a nonviolent uprising to usher in a parliamentary monarchy, uphold human rights, and modernise Iran's state-run economy.

It is unknown if he can mobilise support for a takeover of power. His father benefited from a 1953 coup that was supported by the CIA and ruled with opulence and repression. The late shah maintained strong military and diplomatic ties with Israel.

That came to an end in 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Iranian revolution, declared Israel to be a "enemy of Islam" and severed all ties. The nations are now bitter rivals. 

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Iran is seen as the biggest threat by Israel due to its support for hostile militant groups on its borders, calls for the destruction of Israel, and nuclear programme. Iran disputes claims that it is pursuing a nuclear weapon made by Israel and its allies in the west.

"I want the people of Israel to understand that the Iranian people are not represented by the Islamic Republic. For the benefit of both countries, the long-standing ties between our people can be rekindled, Pahlavi wrote on Twitter.