"Join the Italian Side" – Propaganda Broadside in Arabic – Dropped from the Air during the Bombing of Haifa during ...

"Join the Italian Side" – Propaganda Broadside in Arabic – Dropped from the Air during the Bombing of Haifa during World War II, 1940
A propaganda broadside in Arabic, dropped on Haifa from the air during a bombing by the Italian air force. [1940]. Arabic.
The broadside is written in flawed Arabic employing corrupt syntax, attempting to portray the attack on the city as an act of 'release of nations': "What you could not achieve because the occupation forces [the British] overpowered you, you will now achieve with the assistance of the Italians, who by means of destroying the kerosene tanks in Haifa, will achieve the goal you tried to achieve by destroying the port, where your natural resources are being stolen by British ships. Join the Italian side, and thus the oppressor from Palestine will be banished, as happened in British Somalia, where they were thrown into the sea".
The bombings of Haifa by the Italian air force occurred during the months of July-September 1940, as part of the efforts of the Axis powers to sabotage the petrol supply of the British army. The first bombing took place in the morning of July 15, when ten Italian airplanes appeared in the skies of the city, dropping about 50 bombs. In the next several months, Italian bombers returned to attack Haifa time and again, causing the death of dozens of citizens and wreaking havoc around the city (hitting a mosque and a Muslim cemetery as well as civilian targets). During one of the attacks, the airplanes dropped propaganda broadsides, attempting to present the cruel attacks as an act in favor of the Arab population, in order to spur it to rebel against the British government.
Approx. 15X19.5 cm. Good condition. Stains, creases and fold lines. Small closed and open tears along the edges and fold lines.