Israel. Early Israeli postal links / 1st incoming sea mail (SS Marine Carp): 21-3-1948 registered printed-matter airmail cover from LODZ to 'supreme leadership' (of HaShomer HaTzair) KIBBUTZ MERHAVIA "via AFFULA post", marked in poor Polish "Printed Leaflets" on front & franked special 75Zl rate tied by 4 strikes of REJ. URZ. TE. TG. LODZ postmark; the day before, all airlines (except TWA & BOAC) suspended services to Lydda & relocated to Cairo - as such airmail service here not available & cover transported by surface mail: eventually brought to HAIFA by US ship "SS Marine Carp" on 17 May 1948 - this 1st incoming surface mail shipment to State of Israel & only documented non-Israeli ship to carry outbound surface mail (20/05) until Nov. 1952; backstamped 20-5-1948 HAIFA Head Post Office transit (note odd Hebrew date character-assembly for Yud-Alef) & same day AFFULA arrival (using reintroduced Mandate postmark, Dorf-10); unsealed per printed-matter regulations; bottom left corner fault, fine & scarce.

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Israel. 1948 early incoming/official airmail: I VII 1948 Israeli government airmail cover from representative in GENEVA to [director general of Foreign Ministry of "Provisional Government of Israel"] Walter Eitan in TEL AVIV, franked 120c and tied by slogan machine cancellation; arrived 13-7-1948, backstamped by HAKIRYA (government-military complex in TEL AVIV) postmark. Most probably transported by Air France and received at Sde Dov airfield (reopened as of mid-June) or Haifa (Lydda closed until November); slit open at top, small peripheral tear on top right.

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