1970-1979 Rates, Routes & Postal Handling

Postal history of the aftermath of Feb. 1970 Swissair 330 "Coronado" terror bombing: 3 April 1970 postmarked airletter cover sent from SHEFFIELD Britain to guests at Dan Hotel in TEL AVIV; subsequently tied by 2-line Hebrew instructional marking handstamp "This postal item was delayed due to a service problem" (Kibble type III) + affixed with a stapled mimeographed post office memorandum from the ...

The 1971 British Postal Strike delayed heavy weight cover - privately transmitted: 15 Jan 1971 postmarked large airmail envelope sent from business in LONDON to bank in TEL AVIV, [business] meter franked 120 pence per 1966 postage rate of 12s for 5 ounces; the cover was posted 5 days before the outbreak of the first ever national postal strike in Britain, which ran from 20 Jan. to 8 March 1971 but...

1971 returned air mail: 17 Feb 1971 postmarked airmail cover sent from TEL AVIV to LOS ANGELES & franked 0.85L per FA-20 postage period rate; the US postal service was subsequently unable to locate the address & marked the cover 'returned to sender'; machine backstamped 12 March COMPTON return-dispatch; slit open at top....

Forced surface transmission for air mail in era of air terrorism: 1 Aug 1972 postmarked airmail cover sent from BRUSSELS to small settlement of NIR GALIM (via EVTAH mobile post), franked 5.60 BFr & tied by 2x strikes of the local postmark; subsequently tied by 1-line Hebrew instructional marking handstamp "RECEIVED BY SEA" (Kibble type V) & machine backstamped 17 Aug 1972 arrival - a rare ...

Revenue stamp accepted for postage: 8 Apr 1973 postmarked inland postal card, sent locally in JERUSALEM to the Municipality; imprint-franked 12 Agorot for what was until February the postage rate but the rates rose to 18 Agorot by the time of posting: the sender was unable to obtain a stamp to make up the difference and used a 10ag revenue stamp (1964 issue Ba #REV.40) instead, adding a comment "F...

The 1978 Israeli Post Office workers strike proving cover: 5 Oct 1978 postmarked long air mail cover sent from FORT LAUDERDALE USA to TEL AVIV, franked 31c for the period airmail postage rate & tied by machine cancel. Sometime thereafter & prior to overseas dispatch the cover was tied by a 2-line carmine instructional marking SERVICE SUSPENDED | RETURN TO SENDER with the word "Air" manually writte...

The 1978 Israeli Post Office workers strike: OCT 6 1978 airmail cover from ENCINO, California to RAMAT GAN meter franked $0.32 but refused ongoing service - franking and airmail marks crossed out + cover stamped "Return to Sender | Service Temporarily Suspended". Of note here, the Israeli Post Office employee strike took place between 8-12 October 1978, but it seems foreign post offices (in the US...

The 1978 Israeli Post Office workers strike interrupted & returned cover: 9 Oct 1978 postmarked airmail cover sent from FLUSHING USA to guests at hotel in TEL AVIV, franked 31c for the period airmail postage rate & tied by machine cancel. Sometime thereafter & prior to overseas dispatch the cover was tied by a 1-line violet instructional marking SERVICE TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED + pointing hand mark, ...

The 1978 Israeli Post Office workers strike interrupted & returned cover with long transit time: 9 Oct 1978 postmarked airmail cover sent from BROOKLYN to JERUSALEM, franked 31c for the period airmail postage rate & tied by machine cancel. Sometime thereafter & prior to overseas dispatch the cover was tied by a 3-line violet instructional marking RETURN TO SENDER | SERVICE TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED | ...

1973 period Arab postal boycott with quick turnaround time - Lebanon: 13 Jan 1973 postmarked air mail commercial cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from book publisher in BARCELONA Spain to book importer in TEL AVIV, franked 22 Pesetas & tied by local machine slogan cancel; the cover was misrouted via LEBANON where machine backstamped 18 Jan BEIRUT arrival + stamped on front with ...

Lebanese postal boycott of Israel: 14 FEB 1974 airmail commercial cover on Israeli Atomic Energy Agency stationary from YAVNE to Bell Laboratories MURRAY HILL (US), meter franked 1.10L per FA-23 postage period rate using the Agency's slogan machine cancel; front-stamped FEB 25 NEW PROVIDENCE arrival, but as unclaimed, returned - here misrouted & sent via LEBANON, backstamped 28-5-74 BEIRUT arrival...

Bahranian postal boycott of Israel: 16 AUG 1974 large airmail printed-matter cover from Temple University PHILADELPHIA to Weizman Institute REHOVOT, meter franked 78c; mis-routed via BAHRAIN, where front-stamped 20 AU 74 MANAMA arrival + marked in manuscript "No Service to Israel" & returned to sender; manuscript crossed-out on arrival & resent to Israel. This is the only known example of "no serv...

UNIQUE 1977-80 Israel-Egypt peace relations "no service" mail: 13-12-1977 El-Al "first flight" cover from TEL AVIV to CAIRO, franked 4.10L per FA-27 postage period rate & tied by 3 strikes of First Flight cachet; refused service locally & marked by Hebrew "No Service" + bilingual English/French "PAS DE SERVICE VOIE(sic) ISRAEL" instructional marking handstamp K-Types T-VIII & T-VII (of which this ...

Egyptian-Israeli postal suspension during peace talks period: 9 Nov 1978 postmarked airmail cover, sent from BETHLEHEM by the philatelist Josef Wallach (return addressed REHOVOT) and addressed to the postmaster at the CAIRO international airport; franked 5.40 Lira & tied by 2x strikes of the Israeli Army's Bethlehem post office postmark.Egypt's president, Anwar Sadat, made a ground-breaking visit ...

Members of Israel's Knesset/Parliament - Moshe Dayan (Labor Party): stampless 3 July 1974 postmarked cover on Knesset postal stationary from TEL AVIV (return addressed to Moshe Dayan at his residential address in ZAHALA) to Reuven Dafni (diplomat) in JERUSALEM; slit open at base. Postmarked exactly a month after the 3 June resignation of Golda Meir's government and Dayan's position as Minister of ...

Menachem Begin (Herut, Likud) - Member of Knesset mail: stampless cover on "Member of Knesset" (Haver HaKnesset) imprinted postal stationary, sent locally in JERUSALEM to Dr. Gideon Almagor of the Geological Survey; tied by faint JERUSALEM-2 postage-paid machine cancel (Nacht #289/162) dated 7 Sept. (year unclear, c.mid 1970s to 1977) & manuscript endorsed by Begin using his surname below the Knes...

Yossi Sarid (Labor, Meretz) - Member of Knesset mail: stampless cover of "The Knesset" imprinted postal stationary, sent locally in JERUSALEM; tied by "Member of Knesset - Free of Postage" instructional handstamp + manuscript endorsed "Yossi Sarid" above the Knesset emblem; tied by 10 Dec. 1979 dated illustrated postmark of the Knesset post office; opened gently at back. The handwriting appears to...