Bidspirit auction | War of Independence – Mail

War of Independence – Mail to Transjordanian Prisoner of War Held in Israel with Iraqi Censorship Seal, via the Red Cross, 1948 - Envelope from the period of the War of Independence sent from the West Bank area to a Transjordanian prisoner of war held in Israel, transmitted through the International Red Cross postal channel. The letter was mailed from Tul Karem on 29 December 1948, traveling through the Transjordanian postal route via Nablus and Ramallah, where it was handed to representatives of the Red Cross who forwarded it to the Israeli military authorities. After inspection and censorship it was delivered to a prisoner of war camp in Israel. The envelope bears two stamps: • Transjordan stamp 10 mils. • British Mandate 5 mils stamp overprinted “Palestine”. Several postal and censorship markings appear on the cover: • TUL KAREM – 29 DEC 1948 dispatch postmark. • NABLUS transit postmark. • International Red Cross marking. • Israeli military censorship markings. • A large black Iraqi censorship seal, reflecting the activity of Iraqi military censorship authorities operating in the Samaria region during the war. The Arabic address indicates delivery to a prisoner at Prisoner Camp No. 1 via the International Red Cross in Ramallah. The item is referenced in the philatelic literature: IP p. 4941, documenting mail sent from areas under Transjordanian control to prisoners of war through the Red Cross during the War of Independence. The combination of Transjordanian postage, local postal markings, Red Cross handling, Israeli censorship and the Iraqi censorship seal makes this cover an exceptional historical document illustrating the complex postal and censorship system operating during the 1948 war. Condition: Very good for wartime mail, with minor age toning and light stains typical of period paper. Items from the collections of Jacob Yablok - VirtualJewishmuseum.com. The items are placed in a quality proactive nylon sleeve and can be easily and safely taken out from the display page. Displayed on a thin cardboard sheet.