Zionist Involvement in Iraqi Bombings

In Three Worlds, Shlaim states that he has uncovered what he describes as “undeniable proof of Zionist involvement” in the bombings of Jewish targets in Baghdad between 1950 and 1951.

He argues that some of the bomb attacks on Jewish community sites were carried out by agents associated with the Zionist underground and Mossad as part of an effort to create fear among Iraqi Jews and accelerate their emigration to Israel.

Shlaim’s conclusion is based on personal research, which he says includes interviews and archival materials that led him to believe three of five bombings were the work of the Zionist underground in Baghdad, and that the motive was not to kill but to frighten Jews into leaving.

He suggests that the involvement of Mossad and Zionist underground operatives was intended to quicken the transfer of Iraqi Jews to the newly established State of Israel in the early 1950s.

Shlaim presents this claim as part of a broader examination of the effects of Zionism on Jews from Arab lands, framing the bombings as one aspect of how the Zionist project transformed the historic position of Jews in places like Iraq.