1950–1951 Baghdad bombings

Key Points

• Responsibility for the bombings is disputed, with allegations pointing towards an Israeli or Iraqi Zionist underground movement.
• The alleged motive was to encourage Iraqi Jews to immigrate to Israel as part of Operation Ezra and Nehemiah.
• However, significant Jewish immigration to Israel had already occurred prior to the bombings, raising questions about this alleged motive.
• Other possible culprits, such as a nationalist Iraqi Christian army officer, have been suggested.
• Israeli involvement is considered unlikely due to Israel's struggles in coping with the existing influx of Jewish immigrants.

Detailed Summary

• The 1950–1951 Baghdad bombings targeted Jewish and Western interests in Baghdad, Iraq, causing casualties and damage.
• The perpetrators remain unclear, with the Iraqi government convicting several Iraqi Zionist agents, although their guilt has been questioned by historians.
• Critics of the Zionist involvement theory point to the significant Jewish immigration to Israel prior to the bombings, as well as the lack of mention of the bombings in British intelligence reports and Iraqi trials.
• Alternative theories have proposed the involvement of a nationalist Iraqi Christian army officer or others with motives unrelated to Israeli or Zionist interests.
• Israeli involvement has been deemed unlikely given the country's struggles in handling the existing Jewish immigration at the time.

Conclusions

• The responsibility for the 1950–1951 Baghdad bombings remains inconclusive, with various theories and conflicting evidence.
• The motive of encouraging Jewish immigration to Israel has been challenged by the high level of immigration prior to the bombings.
• Other potential motives and culprits have been proposed but lack concrete evidence.