03 — OPERATION
The King David Hotel Bombing (1946)
The 1946 bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem is one of the most important pre-state events in Israeli history — and it is often wrongly described in relation to the Mossad. The A–Z records it as documented and explicitly not a Mossad operation, because the institution did not yet exist in that form.
Evidence Assessment
The event, its date and its pre-state context.
No verified Mossad role exists; the claim should not be repeated.
Key Facts
- Date:
- July 1946
- Location:
- Jerusalem (King David Hotel)
- Context:
- Pre-state; British Mandate period
- Evidence:
- Documented; not a Mossad operation
A pre-state event
The bombing killed dozens and became a defining — and contested — event of the British Mandate period. It predates the foundation of the Mossad in its modern form by three years.
Why the correction matters
Popular accounts sometimes fold pre-state attacks into the Mossad's story. The encyclopedia is explicit: the King David bombing is documented history, but attributing it to the Mossad is an anachronism.