Stamps: February '98
War of Independence (1947-1949)
three-stamp souvenir sheet
 

    Issue: February 1998
    Souvenir Sheet of 3 stamps (Zefat, Jerusalem, Eilat) 140mm x 75mm
    Designer: M. Pereg
    Size: 25.7 x 40mm
    Plate #: 336, 337, 338
    Sheet of 15 stamps
    Tabs: 5
    Printers: E. Lewin-Epstein Ltd.
    Printing Method: Offset
he three stamps included in this sheet represent Israel's three battle fronts in the War of Independence: the central front stamp depicts the battles at the Castel in the outskirts of Jerusalem between the 2nd and 9th of April, 1948; the northern front, the battle for Zefat; and the southern front, the raising of the Israeli flag in Eilat on March 10th, 1949 -- which marked the end of the war.

Castel

    photograph of armoured vehicles on the road to Jerusalem; drawing, The Castel Conquered, by Arieh Navon; 1948 War of Independence decoration
t the beginning of the War of Independence, the Arabs in Castel village (situated some 5 kilometers west of Jerusalem on a high mountain overlooking the main road to the city) caused considerable loss of life and property by blocking the road and sniping at vehicles.

When these acts of sabotage increased, a company of the Fourth Battalion of the Palmach and a company of the Etzioni Brigade were sent to capture the village. They succeeded, but after 5 days of fierce fighting the village was retaken by Abd El-Kader El-Husseini, who was killed on the battlefield. In this battle, Palmach officer Shimon Alfassi gave the historic command: Commanders will stay and cover their soldiers' retreat.

On the 9th of April, the Castel was recaptured by the same Palmach company and is now part of Israel.

Zefat

    photograph of the Zefat Postage Stamp, issued by the Hagana in Zefat on May 4th, 1948; photograph of Palmach warriors and citizens of Zefat, by kind permission of the IDF archives and the archives of Beit Hameiri Museum in Zefat
t the time of the war, about 1,500 Jews resided in the mixed city of Zefat, surrounded by some 12,000 hostile Arabs, both urban and rural. On April 16th 1948, the British Army vacated Zefat.

They had offered to evacuate all the non-military Jewish population from the Jewish quarter, but the Jewish high command had decided to capture the entire Zefat area instead.

In order to lead this offensive, Yigal Alon was given command of the Upper Galilee. By capturing the Arab villages north and south of the city. two Palmach battalions surrounded Zefat. The third battalion then entered the Jewish Quarter and conquered the city fort, gaining control of the city by May 11th, 1948. The Arabs fled -- among them the Syrian commander Adib Shishakly.

Eilat

    photograph of the raising of the Ink Flag, photographer Mr. Micha Perry, by kind permission of the IDF archives
ilat was captured from the Jordanian army on March 10th, 1949 by the Negev and Golani brigades during the Uvda Operation -- the last of the IDF's operations in the War of Independence.

The soldiers, who discovered they did not have a flag at hand, quickly improvised one by drawing in ink on a bed sheet. When the Golani advance guard arrived two hours later, the two brigade commanders, Nachum Sang and Nachum Golan, sent the following telegram to the front commander, Yigal Alon:

    INFORM THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL THAT ON THE BIRTHDAY OF THE "HAGANAH" -- 11TH ADAR -- THE PALMACH NEGEV BRIGADE AND THE GOLANI BRIGADE HAND OVER THE GULF OF EILAT TO THE STATE OF ISRAEL.

    EILAT (UM RASHRASH), 9TH ADAR, 10TH MARCH 1949, 16:00 HOURS.

Meir Pa'il