Bidspirit auction | Official Bilingual Invitation (Hebrew and

Official Bilingual Invitation (Hebrew and Arabic) to the Ceremony Marking the Opening of the Post Office in the City of Gaza - December 1956 - Official bilingual invitation (Hebrew and Arabic) to the ceremony marking the opening of the post office in the city of Gaza, held on December 10, 1956, sent to the ”Postmaster, R. Gan” (possibly referring to the postal administration in Ramat Gan). Issued jointly by the ”IDF Headquarters in the Gaza Area” (headed by the Military Governor) and the ”Municipality of Gaza” (then headed by the local mayor, Rushdi al-Shawa, who cooperated with the IDF's civil administration in governing the city). A rare item from the brief philatelic period in the Gaza Strip. The invitation details the schedule of the opening ceremony: Monday, 6 Tevet 5717 (December 10, 1956), at precisely 11:00 a.m., in the courtyard of the Gaza Post Office. The body of the invitation states: ”This invitation is personal and shall also serve as an entry permit to the city of Gaza.” At that time, the Gaza Strip was a closed military zone, and entry through the Erez crossing required special authorization. The sensitive situation in the Gaza Strip during those days is also reflected in the ”Instructions” printed on the reverse of the invitation:  ”No commercial negotiations may be conducted, and nothing may be purchased within the Gaza area.”  It is also stated that: ”The invitee may bring for cancellation a reasonable number of envelopes solely for his personal needs (not for commercial purposes).” This provision reflected an awareness of the historical and philatelic significance of the occasion. On October 29, 1956, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Kadesh. Within a few days, the army had captured the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip, which until then had been under Egyptian rule. Following the end of the fighting, Israel established a military administration in the Gaza Strip under the command of Colonel Haim Gaon. Unlike Sinai, from which it was clear that Israel would soon withdraw under international pressure, there was at that time a political aspiration regarding the Gaza Strip - led by David Ben-Gurion - to retain the area under permanent or long-term Israeli control and to sever it from Egyptian influence. As part of this policy, the Israeli military administration began restoring and operating civilian life in the Gaza Strip: governmental institutions were established, municipal activities resumed, and, among other things, postal and communications services were restored. Approximately one month after the end of the fighting, on December 10, the official ceremony marking the opening of the post office was held. The reestablishment of postal services was a highly significant sovereign and public-relations measure. Postal operations in the Gaza Strip were placed under the authority of Israel Post, and ordinary Israeli stamps (the Tribes of Israel series) or Egyptian stamps overprinted with Israeli markings were used there. The Israeli attempt to establish permanent rule in Gaza in 1956 lasted only a few months. Under heavy pressure from U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, Israel was compelled to withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip and Sinai in March 1957. The post office that had been established returned to Egyptian control, and this brief philatelic period (November 1956-March 1957) has remained one of the most sought-after and fascinating chapters in the postal history of the Land of Israel. Folding invitation, 25 × 11 cm (open). Very good condition.