"Believing in peace with Israel": The Shiite activist who survived assassination attempts - and sparked a storm
Rait al-Tamimi, who lived for years in Baghdad, met Khamenei, and Nasrallah's men, is now openly calling for normalization with Israel. In a special interview with N12, he blames Iran and talks about the price he pays: "I am threatened all the time."
For years, Iraqi activist Rait al-Tamimi lived in the heart of Baghdad, was a cleric, and even met with Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Hassan Nasrallah's men. But today, he is voicing a different and highly unusual opinion in the space from which he emerged. In a special interview, he openly calls for peace with Israel, mentions the October 7 massacre — and does not back down even after, according to him, surviving five assassination attempts.
"I was imprisoned during the time of Saddam Hussein and also during the American occupation," says Rait al-Tamimi. "I lived among terrorists and ideologues. I met Khamenei, I met figures from Nasrallah's men — that is, all these wild groups, and I understood things in my own way."
At the heart of al-Tamimi's worldview is also the historical connection between the Jews of Iraq and their homeland. "Throughout history, Jews have always been for us, as Arabs and Iraqis, reliable partners," he says. "The Jewish merchant, the Jewish doctor, and the Jewish lawyer always enjoyed trust and respect from Iraqis. The new Middle East and the Abraham Accords need the Baghdad in which I was born and the one I dream of."
— But do you believe that peace between Iraq and Israel can really happen?
— Yes. I think that normalization or a peace treaty between Iraq and Israel is easier than any peace treaty between any other two countries or peoples, because the justifications for it are very clear. According to the Iraqi constitution, all members of the Iraqi Jewish community should receive back the citizenship and documents that were taken from them during previous regimes. When you count how many Iraqi Jews are in Israel and in the world, you get about 450,000 Jews in Israel and the world.
— But really, is it possible in your view in the current reality, despite the presence of militias in Iraq and the push from Iran?
— Great dreams must start with great souls. Everything that the axis of evil, terror, and killing has is exposed on October 7: killing, rape, killing of children and animals, cruelty, massacre, and betrayal in an inhuman form. These sights are similar to what ISIS did in Nineveh when it stormed the Yazidis, Christians, Turkmens, Sunnis, Shiites, and others of the Iraqi people and massacred them all. These savages proved to the world that hatred still exists, and that peace is still worth fighting for.
The unusual statements of al-Tamimi, and especially his appearances in Israeli media and his direct discourse with Israelis, have sparked sharp criticism, condemnation, and threats against him. However, he insists on continuing to speak and is not willing to fold or let critics silence him.
"Israel is currently a strong country in the region, which has been fighting on seven fronts since October 7 and is dealing with difficult military confrontations," he says. "Some of these fronts are in Iraq, and the axes that Israel is fighting are the same axes that have caused death and destruction in Iraq for at least the last 50 years. Therefore, from my point of view, Israel's war is similar to the war of the Iraqi army. It is the war of light against darkness."
— Are you not afraid of the threats and statements against you?
— Certainly. I am threatened all the time, and I have gone through five assassination attempts. The last one was when they decided to blow me and my son up inside my car in Baghdad, near the headquarters of the Iraqi intelligence apparatus. But in practice, I did nothing.
— So what makes you continue and not go under the radar?
— When they tried to kill me, I realized that if I do nothing and they still try to kill me, I must change the rules of the game and do something to protect myself from being killed. The war was forced upon me, I did not choose it.
The storm around al-Tamimi intensified just last week. Following his appearances in Israeli media, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr attacked him sharply, called him an agent of the enemies of Allah, and even demanded that members of his tribe disavow him. Al-Tamimi, for his part, sees these words as a direct threat and claims that instead of demanding he be put on trial according to the Iraqi law that forbids normalization, al-Sadr is effectively sanctioning his blood.
"If Muqtada al-Sadr respects the law forbidding normalization, which he, his men, and his allies passed in the Iraqi parliament, he should not call to kill me and declare me an infidel, but demand to put me on trial in accordance with the law forbidding normalization," emphasizes al-Tamimi. "He called to kill me through fatwas of death and hatred. This is the real crisis."
— How do you see the launches from Iraq in recent days?
— Today there are cells of the Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah, and the Houthis on Iraqi soil, who are involved in actions against Israel and in the escalation against it. They are few in number, but until now they have not suffered a heavy blow, because President Donald Trump wanted calm in the Iraqi arena and its isolation from the war with Iran. They have logistical infrastructure in Iraq and high mobility within the country. There is a struggle between them and the Iraqi government and Iraqi security forces.
Despite the threats and the price he is paying, al-Tamimi does not hide where he wants Iraq to turn. From his point of view, the choice is between continuing to belong to the Iranian axis and a different future of peace and regional partnership. "Our interest is with Israel, with a country governed by law and believing in pluralism. I cannot give up all this and go with the axis of evil, hatred, and terror in the region."
