Israel. DOUBLE REMARKABLE early Israeli outbound mail: undated surface mailed cover ("Mataf" stationary) from JERUSALEM (no return address), addressed entirely in Arabic to "Dear respectable friend Jacop Yousef who is living in house number 13/91 in Hedar Khan area BAGHDAD", franked 20m per period surface rate to non-UK destination (i.e. not the 15m rate for "Baghdad overland mail" - perhaps then unavailable) using 4x Mandate Pictorals 5m (Ba93); (interim franks not authorized for outbound mail) & tied by 2 strikes of JERUSALEM Minhelet Ha'am "Rosette" postmarks of the temporary Sorting Office (the only location where interim postmark could be used to cancel outbound mail; in JERUSALEM only 3 items known cancelled by Mandate devices) - as this not open to public, cover probably deposited in street post box; here, rare combination possible only for 2 days: 13 May was first day of Rosette postmark & 14 May was last day of use of Mandate stamps.

Cover was posted at height of siege on JERUSALEM & probably taken on 2nd convoy to TEL AVIV (carried mail posted 13 May - 21 June; arrival 21/06); as not registered mail, not backstamped; as lacking any other postal or instructional marks ("no service", return to sender, Dead Letter Office, arrow/circle) - especially "DLO" as department located in JAFFO, not JERUSALEM, VERY PROBABLY DELIVERED: a) absence of Hebrew writing/interim franks/Israeli return address may have helped; also, b) JERUSALEM not recognized then by UN as part of Israel (i.e. Doar Ivri stamps could not be transported to JERUSALEM via Latrun road under UN guard); c) surface mail more improvised than period airmail routes - this unique: Iraq has had no postal relations with Israel since her founding on 15 May 1948 (Jews persecuted & Zionism criminalized in 1948), but Israel didn't officially suspend such service herself (so didn't stop this mail transmission): probably carried via SS "Kedma" (the only vessel, from 16 June, authorized to carry outbound sea mail until 1952) to 3rd country on route to Marseille via Genoa & other ports. Possibly the last Mandate/Israel mail to reach Iraq before actual postal suspension effected. Opened roughly, few tears; some repair; toning; otherwise fine & highly unusual.

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