Arab-Israeli mail suspensions 1949-1956

1948-49 War Surian 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 DAMAS CUS transit where marked by rare Surian 3-line French language "Return to Origin | Communica...

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...

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...

1952 mail from Egypt to Israel: long envelope addressed to the United Nation's Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) office in TEL AVIV, prepared by the US Embassy in CAIRO (return addressed to the State Department in Washington DC); franked using Egyptian stamps (one missing) and then transported by diplomatic pouch to WASHINGTON DC where postmarked to Israel on 19 Nov. 1952 & handstamped instruc...

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 Eran - 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...

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..." & ...

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...

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...

Earliest received mail from September 1950 TWA flight mail seized in Egypt: 15 Sept 1950 postmarked airmail commercial cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from SAN ANTONIO USA to HAIFA, meter franked 25c for the base letter postage rate; this cover was carried on board a TWA flight (probably the Saturday departing Flight 918 from LaGuardia) which departed ROME on 18 September with ...

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 regulations)...

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: 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 ...

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 - Registered Mail: 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 "Retou...

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...

Israeli "No Service" markings on mail to Arab countries: 20 FEB 1954 surface mailed commercial cover from AVON France to HEBRON "Israel", franked 30Fr & tied by 3 strikes of local postmark; although Hebron was then part of Jordan, this cover was routed to Israel, backstamped 28-3-1954 TEL AVIV-17 arrival, where marked "Pas de service via Israel" using Tel Aviv post office K-Type-T-III.1 instructio...

1954 Australian mail to Israel seized by Egypt + Discoveries: 12 July 1954 postmarked commercial cover on imprinted personal postal stationary, sent from SYDNEY to TEL AVIV, franked 2 Shilling & tied by local machine slogan cancel. The cover was transported in a shipment of mail which was misrouted via Egypt, where mail addressed to Israel was seized, censored & returned to sender undelivered: her...

Rare Israeli mimeograph on mail misrouted via Jordanian: 21 JAN 1955 British Air Letter postal stationary cover with 19.1.55 dated message in Hebrew & German, from EAST FINCHLEY LONDON to JERUSALEM "Israel", whose country of destination was apparently overlooked & the cover misrouted to Jordanian EAST Jerusalem via AMMAN, where the arrival was backstamped on the cover (see below); lacking further ...