Rhode Island Around the World - International Mail
1948 Tel Aviv Palestine to Providence, RI
Sent to the Providence Journal News - Received February 4, 1948
(Scroll Down for Background Information)

The cover above was mailed from Tel Aviv, Palestine, (Israel) on January 22, 1948. It was received by the Providence Journal in Providence, Rhode Island on February 4, 1948. The cover was sent via Air Mail and franked with three stamps from the same set issued from 1927 to 1942; two 15 milliemes (ultra) "Dome of the Rock - Mosque of Omar" stamps (Scott #76) and one 100 milliemes (bright blue) "Tiberius and the Sea" (Scott #80). The stamps are tied with a 1948 Tel Aviv CDS.

The contents were most likely a news story sent to the journal by either a staff or independent reporter in the area to cover the end of the British mandate for Palestine and its partition into Jewish and Arab states. Unfortunately, the partition plan was doomed to failure from the very start. 

In 1937 the British "Peel Commission" proposed the original Palestine Partition Plan, which was accepted by the Jews under David Ben-Gurion, but was rejected by the Palestinian Arab leadership. In 1939 the British gave into Arab pressure to gain their support in World War II. As a result, a "White Paper" was issued, which capped Jewish immigration and subjected further immigration to review by both the British and Arabs. The policies set forth in this "White Paper" were enforced during and after World War II when Jewish refugees were fleeing the Nazi atrocities in Europe and many refugees were turned back.

On November 29, 1947, the United Nations passed "Resolution GA-181" which ended the British Mandate  and partitioned Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. After increasing violence from both Jewish and Arab terrorists, the British decided to withdraw and on May 14, 1948 the new state of "Israel" was established. The Jewish state of Israel was immediately attacked by armies from six different Arab nations and 75% of the native Palestinians living in the area fled across the borders to safe havens to wait until after "The combined Arab Armies crushed the Jews." 

Over the next year and a half, Israel captured an additional 26% more territory than they would have been given under the UN mandate. In addition Jordan annexed another 21% of the original Palestinian territory, (the West Bank) and Jerusalem was divided into Jordanian and Israeli sections. During the war, the Gaza Strip was captured by Egypt.

The displacement of the Palestinian population from Palestine that occurred during the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1948-49 set the stage for the continuing conflict between the Israelis and Arabs that exists down to the present day.