Talk:1950–1951 Baghdad bombings

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Is this correct?

<comment by sock of banned editor redacted>

Edit request: Misleading paragraph distoring Gat

I've been reading the Gat and I think there's some things that could do with clarification.

I think this paragraph in the "Claims for Israeli or Iraqi Zionist involvement" section is misleading and should be cut:

According to Gat, Avnery wrote "without checking the facts...Marion Woolfson ... goes on to distort the dates of the explosions and the number of registrees, in order to prove her contention...Avnery’s article and Marion Woolfson’s book served as the basis for the arguments of the Palestinian author Abbas Shiblak".

I've copied the full footnote it shortens below for reference.

The Lavon Affair was used by some journalists and writers as proof of criminal actions carried out in Iraq by the Israeli representatives there. Uri Avnery, without checking the facts, wrote, ‘Suddenly some thing mysterious happened. Bombs started exploding in synagogues [he does not specify] and elsewhere at places frequented by Jews. Panic occurred, and the number of those seeking to leave grew overnight … After the disclosure of the Lavon Affair, … the Baghdad Affair became more conceivable.’ Avnery, My Friend the Enemy, pp. 135–6. Avnery wrote that the Baghdad Affair was first disclosed by his newspaper Ha-Olam ha-Zeh on 20 April 1966, where it was claimed that the explosions were the work of Israeli agents sent by Ben-Gurion. A similar position is cited by Marion Woolfson in Farewell to Babylon, pp. 183–201. She bases herself among others on Avnery's article in Ha-Olam ha-Zeh. She goes on to distort the dates of the explosions and the number of registrees, in order to prove her contention. Avnery's article and Marion Woolfson's book served as the basis for the arguments of the Palestinian author Abbas Shiblak, who wrote: “It is clear that the explosions came at a critical time, when other factors seem insufficient to ensure mass emigration … Whenever the fears [of the Jews] abated, a new explosion shattered the sense of security, and the chances of remaining in Iraq appeared bleaker.’ Abbas Shiblak, The Lure of Zion, pp. 123–4. See also: W.C. Eveland, Ropes of Sand, pp. 46–9; O. Hirst, The Gun and the Olive Branch, pp. 155–70. A similar position, though from a totally different viewpoint, is expressed by Shimon Mendes in his article ‘The Immigration from Iraq and the Government of Israel’ published in Ha'aretz on 22 May 1966. Mendes wrote: ‘Whether they did not know what to do or whether they did not wish to risk any initiative, the community leaders remained silent. Someone had to act, and he took the appropriate action at the right time. For only an act like the explosions would have brought them to Israel. Anyone who understood politics and developments in Israel was long aware of that. But not everyone sees it as a mishap, and those who called it this do injustice to David Ben-Gurion and to the memory of Shalom Salah “and Yosef Basri, whose names should be remembered alongside those who gave their lives for the country.”

The footnote is from a section of the book discussing the impact of the bombings, and whether they lead to mass migration(see taking issue with Woolfsons supposed distortion of the number of refugees, which is not relevant to attribution)- it's problems with the Woolfson and Avnery are whether they are correct about the impact of the bombings on imigration, not attribution of the bombings to Israeli or Iraqi Zionist.

I don't think it makes substansive points either way on attribution, and the material should be added in the "Effects on Iraqi Jewish emigration" section(which seems in need of extension)

If people aren't ok with that a possible replacement paragraph, focusing on his contention of factual failiures in the Avnery and Woolfson could be:

Moshe Gat asserts that Avnery wrote "without checking facts", that Woolfsons writing serves to "distort the dates of the explosions" and that these works "served as the basis for the arguments of the Palestinian author Abbas Shiblak"

Adacable (talk) 11:41, 17 April 2024 (UTC)

I've done the "possible replacement paragraph" rewording. The rest of this is too complex for me (and apparently most other edit request responders since this has languished for over a month) to understand. If you still want to peruse this it would be wise to copy the entire article to a userspace sandbox and make your edits there rather than requiring responders to synthesize like that. * Pppery * _{it has begun...} 21:51, 21 May 2024 (UTC)

References

This article is a mess

I foolishly tried to clean it up, then just stopped because there is so much repetition. Also, there are a number of references with extensive quotes that don't agree at all with the article content! I'll mention a few below. Then there's the fact that Iraq was allied with Nazi Germany and Italy during World War 2, so that wouldn't have helped Iraqi government attitudes to Iraqi Jews circa 1941. Not sure if that's covered by any WP:RS though. I'm not getting involved any further as every Zionism-related Wikipedia article quotes Ha'aretz and these "New Israeli Historians" like Benny Morris, and because there are so many disgruntled and argumentative people with strong opinions about anything and everything Levantine who are editing. It is too contentious for me.--FeralOink (talk) 22:33, 24 May 2024 (UTC)

Regarding article and source disagreement, there's this:

"According to Adam Shatz, the Mossad had been promoting Jewish emigration since 1941 and used stories of Jewish mistreatment to encourage the Jews to leave.[25]"

It would have made sense for Iraqi Jews to flee Iraq in 1941, given that the German embassy in Baghdad bought a major newspaper, Al-alam Al-arabi and used it to publish Mein Kampf in Arabic as well as establishing "Al-Fatwa", a Hitler Youth group for Iraqis! The governor of Baghdad even told Jews to pack suitcases and to wait to be taken to "detention camps" "for their own safety". Sounds rather familiar. The Luftwaffe had already sent two squadrons of bombers and Messershmitzes from Germany as part of Fliegerführer Irak (Flyer Command Iraq) with help from Vichy France. Yet Reference 25 doesn't even mention any time interval prior to 1948, nor Mossad! Instead, it says,

"On 15 May 1948, three months after the Wathba, the state of Israel was proclaimed, the Arab armies invaded, and al-Said imposed martial law. A week later, newspapers in Iraq were calling for a boycott of Jewish shops, to 'liberate' Iraqis from the 'economic slavery and domination imposed by the Jewish minority'. This suspicion of Jews was encouraged by a weak and reviled government... the arrival in Iraq of eight thousand Palestinian refugees did nothing to calm things. Responding to a wave of popular anger, the Iraqi government declared Zionism a capital offence, fired Jews in government positions..."

Next, there's this. "Historian Moshe Gat reports that "the belief that the bombs had been thrown by Zionist agents was shared by those Iraqi Jews who had just reached Israel".[57] Sociologist Phillip Mendes backs Gat's claims, and further attributes the allegations to have been influenced and distorted by feelings of discrimination.[21]." However, Reference 21 does not support that at all:

"Historian Moshe Gat argues that there was little direct connection between the bombings and exodus. He demonstrates that the frantic and massive Jewish registration for denaturalisation and departure was driven by knowledge that the denaturalisation law was due to expire in March 1951. He also notes the influence of further pressures including the property-freezing law, and continued anti-Jewish disturbances which raised the fear of large-scale pogroms. In addition, it is highly unlikely the Israelis would have taken such measures to accelerate the Jewish evacuation given that they were already struggling to cope with the existing level of Jewish immigration. Gat also raises serious doubts about the guilt of the alleged Jewish bomb throwers. Firstly, a Christian officer in the Iraqi army known for his anti-Jewish views was arrested, but apparently not charged, with the offenses. A number of explosive devices similar to those used in the attack on the Jewish synagogue were found in his home. In addition, there was a long history of anti-Jewish bomb-throwing incidents in Iraq. Secondly, the prosecution was not able to produce even one eyewitness who had seen the bombs thrown. Thirdly, the Jewish defendant Shalom Salah indicated in court that he had been severely tortured in order to procure a confession."

Yet the article and some of the Wikitags (one of which was in the lead and I removed), have comments to the effect of, "According to who is there uncertainty?" with allegations that the bombings were all Mossad's fault. Okay, enough... sorry for rant. I'm already involved in other articles alleging that Zionists and Nazi Germany were collaborating to realize their common goals. It is all so messed up.--FeralOink (talk) 23:52, 24 May 2024 (UTC)

Agreed that the article is a mess, but over-reliance on Gat is one of the main problems. However, you are not correct about Mendes. The sentence you quote is supported by his article: "In addition, many of the Iraqi Jewish immigrants shared the belief that the bombs had been thrown by the Zionist underground to persuade them to move to Israel" and "Certainly memories and interpretations of the events have further been influenced and distorted by the unfortunate discrimination which many Iraqi Jews experienced on their arrival in Israel". Also, the recent revelations of Avi Shlaim belong both in the lead and the body, as they are based on testimony of involved people and not just analysis of outsiders like Gat. Zero^talk 01:45, 25 May 2024 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 13 December 2025

Change the wording in the “Responsibility for the bombings” section to reflect recent scholarship.

Specifically:

1) Replace statements implying that responsibility for the bombings “remains unresolved” with wording that distinguishes between the absence of proof of a formal Israeli government order and historical conclusions regarding Zionist underground involvement.

Suggested wording: “While no documentary evidence has surfaced demonstrating a formal order by the Israeli government, several historians have concluded that Zionist underground networks operating in Iraq were responsible for at least some of the bombings.”

These changes aim to reflect the weight of recent reliable secondary sources without asserting the existence of a formal Israeli government directive. Danielassayag (talk) 11:36, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want made. Please cite the work of the "several historians" you refer to. Day Creature (talk) 16:24, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

False narrative of two sides

By citing a dubious Zionist propagandist, they are attempting to shift responsibility for the bombings. These claims are given a ridiculously prominent place in this article, which is supposed to be encyclopedic... --Severino (talk) 21:52, 1 May 2026 (UTC)