Arab-Israeli mail suspensions 1949-1956

1948-49 War Syrian airlink with Palestine: 7 JAN 1949 airletter from LONG ISLAND CITY to addressee at the [Israeli] Rechavia neighborhood in JERUSALEM "Palestine", with imprinted 10c franking per postage period rate & tied by local machine cancel; the cover was subsequently backstamped [unclear] 1949 DAMASCUS transit where marked by rare Syrian 3-line French language "Return to Origin | Commun...

Rare Syrian no-service marking on Colombian airmail to Israel-Palestine: 29 Jan 1949 postmarked air mail cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from BOGOTA Colombia to addressee at Ben Yehuda Street in JERUSALEM "Palestine"; franked 2.16 Pesos & tied by 4x strikes of the local postmark + instructional handstamp "POR AVION No 3" for the airmail routing. Evidentally misrouted via Syria ...

Israeli postmarks cancelling LEBANESE franks: Jan. 1950 era pre-franked envelope from a member of the United Nations mission to Lebanon in BEIRUT, addressed to a company in BEIRUT - couriered by the sender (possibly on leave) and posted from Israel, with whom Lebanon had no relations. Very strangely the post office in JERUSALEM accepted the letter and postmarked the cover on 12 Jan 1950, cancellin...

RARE - 1950 mail to Israel via Arab country: 17 May 1950 postmarked air mail cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from SHEFFIELD Britain to TEL AVIV & franked 6 pence, tied by local machine cancel; the cover was misrouted and subsequently machine backstamped 20 May 1950 BEIRUT transit. At this time until the present day there are no diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Israel, a...

Undocumented Israeli no-service marking on returned mail to Jordan: 17 May 1950 postmarked air mail cover sent from RAMALLAH (return addressed BEITUNIA) to CHICAGO, franked 1.35 Dinar using Palestine overprinted stamps & tied by 2x strikes of the local postmark; front & backstamped by machine 26 May arrival, but address subsequently could not be found: cover tied on front & back "NO SUCH NO..." & ...

Misdirected returned Jordanian mail to Israel - not refused service: 11 June 1950 postmarked surface mail cover from Jordanian annexed HEBRON (return addressed "Palestine") to LAS PALMAS (Canary Islands) Spain, franked 30 mils using "Palestine" overprinted stamps & tied by single strike of the local postmark; backstamped early August 1950 (single digit arrival date) arrival, but as per an 8 Aug. m...

Extraordinary postal links - airmail from IRAQ: 25 Nov 1951 postmarked air mail cover sent from BAGHDAD to addressee Dr. A. Rushdy at poste restante address in GENEVA Switzerland (the mail is held for the addressee at the post office until he comes to pick it up); franked 43 Fils on back & tied by 3x strikes of the local postmark; backstamped 29 Nov. GENEVA POSTE RESTANTE arrival - but the address...

Earliest known use of Lebanese no-service marking on mail to "Palestine": 29 June 1949 postmarked commercial airmail cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from MEXICO CITY to "Palestine Egyptian Trading Company" at a post office box address in JERUSALEM "Palestine"; meter franked 1.30 Pesos. As the nationality of the address is unclear the letter was likely routed as if to Jordanian-...

1948-49 War era postal boycott air mail to Israel via Iran - discovery piece: 9 JULY 1949 airmail commercial cover on business stationary from COPENHAGEN Denmark to HAIFA "Israel", franked 1.40Kr per period postage rate plus extra weight (per pencil notation on front extra 50 ore for 8g additional weight - hence 'orphaned' stamp below the rest tied by handstamp postmark) & tied by local machine ca...

Rare Israeli "no service" mark on mail: 4 JAN 1950 postcard with message in French (dated 12/12/49) from HAIFA to BEIRUT (Lebanon), franked 15pr as per the SU-2 period surface rate & tied by strike of head post office; as there were no postal connections between Israel & Lebanon, the transmission was stopped & postcard tied by very rare K-Type-H-I.1 magenta 2-line instructional marking handstamp i...

Israeli "no service" marks on mail returned to Jordan: 30 MAY 1950 airmail cover from EAST JERUSALEM (Jordan) to MODENA, franked 75m per postage period rate to Europe using mixed franking of the 1st + 2nd definitives & tied by 2 strikes of local postmark; backstamped 31 V 50 BEYROUTH transit; arrived in Italy but as addressee left, cover marked on back in Italian manuscript + "AL MITTENTE" ('retur...

Lebanese postal boycott of Israel: 31 MAY 1950 air mailed long cover sent from LONDON to Israeli President Chaim Weizmann's aide de camp Major David Arnon in REHOVOT "Israel", meter franked 6d for the period ½ ounce airmail rate to the Middle East. The cover was mis-routed: subsequently marked by a boxed "4" cachet (origin unknown), backstamped with a June dated BEYROUTH transit-arrival postm...

Undocumented JAFFA Israeli no-service marking on mail to IRAN: 31 May 1950 postmarked air mail cover on imprinted Park Hotel postal stationary, sent from TEL AVIV to government official in TEHRAN, franked 70 prutot & tied by local machine cancel. In this period Iran recognized Israel de facto, and was not a party to the Arab League boycott of Israel, but publicly refused to renew commercial and po...

Mail to Israel via an Arab country & returned via Arab country - TWICE: 1 June 1950 postmarked air mail cover sent from GENEVA Switzerland to addressee at King George Street in JERUSALEM "Palestine", franked 60 centines & tied by strike of local postmark; the cover was evidentally routed - likely on Air France - to BEIRUT Lebanon, where received in transit on 3 June 1950 (machine backstamp) & forw...

Latest received mail from September 1950 TWA flight mail seized in Egypt: 15 SEP 1950 airmail commercial cover on business stationary from NEW YORK to HAIFA, meter franked 50c; this cover was carried on board a TWA flight (probably the Saturday departing Flight 918 from LaGuardia) which departed ROME on 18 September with 14 passengers and scheduled to arrive at LYDDA the same day, however due to e...

September 1950 TWA flight Israel-bound mail seized in Egypt - DISCOVERY: 15 SEP 1950 airmail cover from BRINDISI (Italy) to HAIFA, franked 145L & tied by 3 strikes of local postmark; subsequently opened & resealed by the Egyptian censor using K-type-C label & tied by K-Type1 (#53) censor mark. The cover was returned to sender and resent (without requiring additional postage as per UPU ...

Egyptian friendly "no service" mail to Israel: 22 NOV 1950 airmail commercial cover from VOORBURG Netherlands to Old City JERUSALEM "ISRAEL", meter franked 25c; addressed in error to Israel rather than JORDAN (Old City then Jordanian) & (correctly?) routed via EGYPT where backstamped 25 NO 50 CAIRO transit; here mistake in address realized & "Israel" crossed off and replaced "via Kingdom of Jordan...

Israeli "no service" marks on mail to Arab states: 28 JAN 1951 airmail cover from PONDICHERRY India to BETHLEHEM "Jordan, Palestine", franked 14 Annas & tied by strike of local boxed postmark; mis-routed via ISRAEL, where backstamped 6-2-1951 JERUSALEM arrival, censored & sealed by Gladstone Type-9 with unrecorded "Vav 1014" + marked "PAS DE SERVICE VIA ISRAEL" instructional marking handstamp K-Ty...

Israeli "no service" marks on mail to Arab states: 26 MAR 1951 surface mailed printed-matter cover from LONDON to JERUSALEM ("PALESTINE"), meter-franked 1d per new 1950 overseas "reduced rate" (for non-commercial printed matter); routed via ISRAEL, backstamped 15-4-1951 JERUSALEM arrival where address found to be in Jordanian EAST JERUSALEM: cover manuscript-updated "Old City via AMMAN" & tied by ...

Indian postal markings on Egyptian postal boycott of Israel mail: 11 II 1952 pre-printed air letter from BYCULLA - BOMBAY to [ma'abarah / new immigrant camp - "tzrif [hut] 150"] at KIRYAT NAHUM [in KIRYAT ATA] via HAIFA, pre-franked 6 Anna & tied by full strike of local postmark; misrouted via Egypt, where opened & resealed by censor (K-Type-C), marked by K-Type-1 censor handstamp (#51) on front a...

Israeli "no service" marks on mail from Arab states - 3 year transit: 6 OCT 1952 Jordanian postal stationary air letter from AMMAN to RIO DE JANEIRO, franked 40F & tied by strike of local postmark; cover lacks further instructional marks, but as backstamped 14-11-1955 HAIFA arrival, must have been returned to sender & misrouted - for over 3 years (unless Israeli postmark misdated & this unrecorded...

Lebanese boycotted mail to Israel returned via Egypt: 20 OCT 1952 registered commercial airmail cover on business stationary from HONG KONG to SDE NEHEMIA (via AFULA post), franked $1.30 & tied by 2 strikes of local REGISTERED postmark; misrouted via LEBANON where backstamped 23 X 52 BEYROUTH CHARGEMENTS ("cargo") arrival & marked by French manuscript instructional marking "Retour | Pas de...

Israeli "no service" marks on mail returned to Jordan: 15 NOV 1952 surface mailed cover from JERUSALEM (Jordan - no return address) to COPACABANA Brazil, franked 4m & tied by strike of local postmark; backstamped 8 JAN 1953 COPACABANA arrival but as addressee left (instructional handstamp on back), returned to sender ("verso" please turn over manuscript notation + "AU REMETENTE" instructional mark...

Israeli no-service marking on airmail from AFGHANISTAN - coup d'etat era: 18 June 1953 postmarked air letter cover sent from merchant in KABUL to a textile federation in LONDON, imprint franked 250 Afghanis & tied by single strike of the local postmark; the cover was received at the LONDON Eastern Central district post office on the 26th (machine slogan backstamp) but the address could not subsequ...