France's Embassy in Baghdad sits behind a gated compound on the banks of the Tigris River, a stunning villa that once belonged to a Jewish family who fled anti-Semitism in Iraq. Brothers Ezra and Khedouri Lawee built the sprawling property, known as Beit Lawee, in 1935. For about two decades, they lived there with their families, enjoying parties, tennis games, and fresh dates from the garden.
However, following Israel's creation in 1948, regional tensions skyrocketed, and the Iraqi government eventually gave Jews one year to leave on condition they renounce their nationality. Nearly the entire Jewish population registered to depart, prompting a massive airlift known as Operation Ezra and Nehemiah. The Lawee brothers moved to Canada, where they rebuilt their lives and became citizens.
The 3,800 square-meter residence in Baghdad remained part of their estate, however, after being rented to France in 1964. To avoid political sensitivities, rent was paid partly in Iraqi dinars and partly in French francs. However, the arrangement unraveled after the 1967 Six-Day War when Iraq informed the French embassy that rent payments should be made directly to the government instead.
France initially redirected only the dinar portion of the rent to Iraqi authorities while continuing to pay the family in francs, which the family claims implicitly acknowledged their ownership. However, France stopped paying the Lawees altogether in 1974 amid a shift toward a more pro-Arab foreign policy.
Fast forward to 2021 when the Lawee family hired prominent French lawyers Jean-Pierre Mignard and Imrane Ghermi to pursue a $22 million lawsuit against France for unjust enrichment. The court ultimately rejected the claim, stating that the embassy's contract was not governed by French law and therefore did not have jurisdiction to settle the matter.
The rejection has sparked outrage among the Lawee family and their lawyers, who argue that property rights are fundamental human rights. "This is private property," says Khedouri Lawee's grandson Philip Khassam. "Property rights are human rights." The family plans to appeal the ruling, saying France "cannot hide behind a legal dispute that will take years in order to deny the rights of individuals excluded from their property for the sole reason that they were Jewish."
The case has also highlighted France's own dark history with Jewish property and its obligation to restitute stolen artworks. The French government passed a law in 2022 to facilitate the restitution of these artworks, but critics argue that it does not go far enough.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot recently visited Baghdad and stayed overnight at the embassy, prompting criticism from the Lawee family's lawyers, who asked if he felt the ground beneath the French Embassy was "burning" given France's refusal to compensate them for occupying their property.
However, following Israel's creation in 1948, regional tensions skyrocketed, and the Iraqi government eventually gave Jews one year to leave on condition they renounce their nationality. Nearly the entire Jewish population registered to depart, prompting a massive airlift known as Operation Ezra and Nehemiah. The Lawee brothers moved to Canada, where they rebuilt their lives and became citizens.
The 3,800 square-meter residence in Baghdad remained part of their estate, however, after being rented to France in 1964. To avoid political sensitivities, rent was paid partly in Iraqi dinars and partly in French francs. However, the arrangement unraveled after the 1967 Six-Day War when Iraq informed the French embassy that rent payments should be made directly to the government instead.
France initially redirected only the dinar portion of the rent to Iraqi authorities while continuing to pay the family in francs, which the family claims implicitly acknowledged their ownership. However, France stopped paying the Lawees altogether in 1974 amid a shift toward a more pro-Arab foreign policy.
Fast forward to 2021 when the Lawee family hired prominent French lawyers Jean-Pierre Mignard and Imrane Ghermi to pursue a $22 million lawsuit against France for unjust enrichment. The court ultimately rejected the claim, stating that the embassy's contract was not governed by French law and therefore did not have jurisdiction to settle the matter.
The rejection has sparked outrage among the Lawee family and their lawyers, who argue that property rights are fundamental human rights. "This is private property," says Khedouri Lawee's grandson Philip Khassam. "Property rights are human rights." The family plans to appeal the ruling, saying France "cannot hide behind a legal dispute that will take years in order to deny the rights of individuals excluded from their property for the sole reason that they were Jewish."
The case has also highlighted France's own dark history with Jewish property and its obligation to restitute stolen artworks. The French government passed a law in 2022 to facilitate the restitution of these artworks, but critics argue that it does not go far enough.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot recently visited Baghdad and stayed overnight at the embassy, prompting criticism from the Lawee family's lawyers, who asked if he felt the ground beneath the French Embassy was "burning" given France's refusal to compensate them for occupying their property.
. They're being treated unfairly, and it's just not right. I mean, think about it - they had a beautiful home that was built by their ancestors, and then France comes along and moves in without even asking to own it! And now they're being told to move out because of something that happened over 70 years ago? It's like, come on France! You can't just ignore the past and deny people their rightful property. The fact that they paid rent in both Iraqi dinars and French francs is like a joke - it's like they were trying to buy their way back into the country! And now they're being punished for that? 
It's not fair, and I hope they can appeal this decision and get some justice.
. the fact that france is still refusing to acknowledge the lawee family's ownership of their property after all these years is just, like, so infuriating 
it's not just about the money or the land, it's about basic human rights and dignity.
they're trying to distance themselves from their own history but at the same time they're still profiting off of someone else's suffering 
it's like, can't they just take responsibility for their actions and try to make things right? 
if you're not willing to listen to the voices of those who have been marginalized or oppressed, then you might as well just step aside and let history repeat itself 
. It's not like they're asking for the moon here.
. They're passing a law to facilitate the restitution of stolen artworks, but it doesn't seem like that's gonna help the Lawee family one bit. And now, they're just gonna appeal and say "oh, we can't hide behind a legal dispute"? Give me a break! If you've done something wrong, own up to it and apologize 
.
.
), it's just about basic human rights and property ownership.
. And now that France has passed this law in 2022 to return artworks, doesn't that count for something? 
Shouldn't the Lawee family be happy with that or are they still gonna fight for more money? I don't know, man... my mind is totally messed up right now 
.
. The whole situation just smells of injustice to me 
It's like, if you own something, you should be able to keep it! And what's with France's history on this topic? They need to do better. Maybe they can just start by paying the Lawees for that villa... 
. I mean, they've got these laws now about restitution for stolen artworks, but they're not even applying them to cases like this one where people are being unfairly denied ownership of their property 
. I don't know, maybe there's more to the story than what we're seeing on the surface, but it doesn't look good for France in this case 
.