Bidspirit auction | War of Independence – Mail

War of Independence – Mail to Lebanese P.O.W. Held in Israel via the Red Cross – with “Save Palestine” Stamp, 1949 - Envelope sent from Lebanon to a Lebanese prisoner of war held in Israel as part of the Red Cross mediated mail exchange following the War of Independence. The cover was mailed from Baakline, Lebanon, on July 21, 1949, through the Lebanese Red Cross office in Beirut. From there it was transferred through the Red Cross liaison system to the Israeli authorities for delivery to the addressee. The address is written in Arabic and directed to Naif Habib Ibrahim of Kfar Yasin, Palestine. The envelope bears an impressive combination of postal and transit markings documenting the complex routing through the Red Cross and military liaison channels: Baakline – Lebanon, 21 VII 49 postmark Beirut transit backstamp Large International Committee of the Red Cross handstamp Israeli Red Cross liaison and military liaison markings, including Haifa Lebanese postage together with a war tax stamp overprinted “Save Palestine, ” a compulsory label used on outgoing mail to raise funds for the Arab war effort Prisoner of war mail between Lebanon and Israel during this period generally passed through the International Red Cross, making original covers documenting this route relatively scarce and historically significant. Very good overall condition for its age, with typical postal handling marks. Catalog references: IP pp. 4895, 4939. 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.