Jerusalem Metropolitan Park is a 43-kilometer park being developed around the city of Jerusalem .
115-452: The plan for the park includes bicycle paths, hiking trails, picnic areas and cafes. The Jewish National Fund is upgrading natural and historical sites to make them accessible to the general public. The park will extend over 1,500 hectares of land, incorporating the Arazim valley near Mevasseret Zion , Motza valley to the west, Refaim valley in the south. In 2011, a 5-kilometer bike trail
230-531: A 49-year lease agreement with the State of Israel which gives it control over 30,000 hectares (300 km ) of Negev land for the development of forests. The JNF has been criticized for planting non-native pine trees which are unsuited to the climate, rather than local species such as olive trees. Others say that JNF deserves credit for this decision, and the forests would not have survived otherwise. According to JNF statistics, six out of every 10 saplings planted at
345-606: A JNF site in Jerusalem do not survive, although the survival rate for planting sites outside Jerusalem is much higher – close to 95 percent. The Israeli newspaper Maariv wrote that workers remove saplings daily to allow more tourists to plant the following day, but the JNF denied this and said it would sue the paper for libel. The Union for Environmental Defense has criticized the fund's forestry practices for "overreliance on highly flammable pine trees" and overuse of toxic herbicides, in
460-455: A blue box labeled "Keren Le'umit" in his office and urged others to do the same. The first mass-produced boxes were distributed in 1904. Kleinman visited Mandate Palestine in the 1930s and planned to make aliyah , but perished in the Holocaust . Menahem Ussishkin wrote that "The coin the child contributes or collects for the redemption of the land is not important in itself; it is not
575-460: A duty to practice equality towards all citizens of the state. On 26 January 2005, Israel's Attorney General Menachem Mazuz ruled that lease restrictions violated Israeli anti-discrimination laws, and that the ILA could not discriminate against Arab citizens of Israel in the marketing and allocation of the lands it managed; this applied both to government lands and to lands belonging to the JNF. However,
690-566: A formal complaint with the Canadian government seeking the revocation of JNF's charitable status on the basis of discrimination. In 2018, JNF Canada informed its members that it was under audit by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The following year, CBC News reported how JNF had used charitable donations to fund Israeli military infrastructure. While Canadians can directly support foreign militaries in their personal capacity,
805-559: A former minister, recommended that a distinction be made between JNF lands and state lands, such that all JNF lands directly acquired via donations from abroad specifically for the benefit of Jews (some 900,000 dunams (900 km )) will pass to the direct control of the JNF; while properties purchased by the JNF from the state in the 1950s and formerly belonging to Palestinian refugees (the so-called "lands of missing persons" or " absentee " lands, amounting to 2,000,000 dunams (2,000 km )) would revert to state control. Rubinstein's intention
920-471: A new imperial postal system. Ottoman post offices operated in almost every large city in Palestine, including Acre, Haifa , Safed , Tiberias , Nablus , Jerusalem , Jaffa , and Gaza . Thanks to the work of philatelic scholars, it is possible to reconstruct a reliable list of Ottoman post offices in Palestine . The Imperial edict of 12 Ramasan 1256 (14 October 1840) led to substantial improvements in
1035-473: A new provision to the 1960 Israel Land Administration Law , entitled "Management of the Jewish National Fund's Lands"; the provision stated that regardless of other conflicting rulings, leasing JNF lands for Jewish settlement did not constitute discrimination, and: "For the purpose of every law, the association documents of the Jewish National Fund will be interpreted according to the judgment of
1150-528: A number of Jewish settlements, local traders or officials served as auxiliary collection and deposit agents: Gedera , Hadera , Be'er Tuvia , Petah Tikva , Rehovot , Rishon Le Zion , Yavne'el , and Zikhron Ya'akov . By special arrangement, as an inducement to use the Austrian service for foreign mail as well, the Austrian post transported letters and cards between these Jewish settlements free of charge. The use of local or JNF labels on such postal matter
1265-795: A public invitation for designs. The first values in this series of definitive stamps were issued on June 1, 1927. The stamps pictured the Rachel's Tomb , the Tower of David , the Dome of the Rock , and a view of a mosque in Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee . According to Reid, the British Mandate "scenes carefully balanced sites of significance to Muslims, Jews, and Christians." The postal service operated by
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#17328008666741380-1057: A quarantine station at the Jaffa city boundary), and Jerusalem's Jaffa Gate . Mail collecting points were also present in Beit Jala , Bethlehem, Hebron, and Ramallah. Regular German stamps, and stamps overprinted in Turkish currency, and French currency were in use. Stamps were only cancelled at the three post offices, mail from the agencies received boxed cachets. The Italian post office in Jerusalem opened on June 1, 1908. Temporarily closed between October 1, 1911, and November 30, 1912, it operated until September 30, 1914. The stamps used were regular (unoverprinted) Italian ones, stamps overprinted in Turkish currency, and stamps overprinted Gerusalemme . An Egyptian post office operated in Jaffa between July 1870 and February 1872. The postmark reads V.R. Poste Egiziane Iaffa . An interpostals seal for Jaffa also exists. English travellers in
1495-527: A range of massive land infrastructure development projects. In the 1980s, the JNF launched a project known collectively as "Operation Promised Land", to meet the challenge of the massive upsurge of Jewish immigration from the Soviet Union and Ethiopia . In recent years, the JNF has again moved towards the development of towns to accommodate new Jewish immigrants, focusing on the Galilee and Negev regions,
1610-631: A road at the Israeli-Egyptian border to "improve access to the area for security forces" to be developed in coordination with the IDF. A document by JNF's Canadian branch stated that it had helped develop an outdoor fitness area at a military base in Sde Boker for the Gadna program, which prepares young Israelis for IDF service. Regular army personnel could also use the area. Similarly, in 2014,
1725-618: A status equivalent to regular Russian post offices in 1863. ROPiT shipping and postal agencies existed in Akko (1868–1873), Haifa (1859–1860, 1906–1914), Jaffa (1857–1914) and Jerusalem (1901–1914). The Austrian Empire established a mail system in the Mediterranean through the shipping company Österreichischer Lloyd . Lloyd postal agencies operated in Jaffa (1854), Haifa (1854), and Jerusalem (1852). These three offices later became
1840-442: A temporary settlement was reached (following the compromise proposed in 2005 by Menachem Mazuz) wherein, although the JNF would be prevented from discriminating on grounds of ethnicity, nevertheless every time land is sold to a non-Jew, the ILA would compensate it with an equivalent amount of land, thus ensuring the total amount of land owned by Jewish Israelis remains the same. An alternative proposal submitted by Amnon Rubinstein ,
1955-666: Is a non-profit organization founded in 1901 to buy land and encourage Jewish resettlement in Ottoman Syria (later Mandatory Palestine , subsequently Israel and the Palestinian territories ) for Jewish settlement. By 2007, it owned 13% of the total land in Israel. Since its inception, the JNF has planted over 240 million trees in Israel. It has also built 180 dams and reservoirs, developed 250,000 acres (1,000 km ) of land and established more than 1,000 parks. In 2002,
2070-520: Is not the trustee of the general public in Israel. Its loyalty is given to the Jewish people in the Diaspora and in the state of Israel... The JNF, in relation to being an owner of land, is not a public body that works for the benefit of all citizens of the state. The loyalty of the JNF is given to the Jewish people and only to them is the JNF obligated. The JNF, as the owner of the JNF land, does not have
2185-444: Is reported that in 1846 Italian businessmen Santelli and Micciarelli became leaseholders and ran a service from Jerusalem to Ramle , Jaffa, Sûr , and Saida . By 1852, a weekly service operated from Saida via Sûr, Acre (connection to Beirut), Haifa, and Jaffa to Jerusalem, also serving Nablus beginning in 1856. That same year, two new routes came into operation: Jerusalem– Hebron –Gaza, and Tiberias–Nazareth–Shefa-'Amr–Acre. In 1867,
2300-662: Is thought to date back to the Bronze Age , during the rule of Sargon of Akkad (2333–2279 BCE). His empire, "was bound together by roads, along which there was a regular postal service, and clay seals which took the place of stamps are now in the Louvre bearing the names of Sargon and his son." During Persian rule (538–333 BCE), an extensive network of roads maintained by the Persian government formed part of an efficient imperial postal system. The postal system's establishment and
2415-623: The barid . A postal system known as the Barīd ( Arabic : بريد ) was also operated under the rule of the Abbasid caliphate (750–969), and the word is still used today for "mail" throughout the Arab world . Under Fatimid rule (969–1099), a pigeon post was maintained that was later perfected by the Mamluks . The pedigrees of carrier pigeons were kept in a special registrar. The chroniclers of
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#17328008666742530-596: The 1948 War the city of Nahariya was cut off and the town administration, without authorization from Minhelet Ha'am , issued local stamps. Since 1948, the postal administrations for the region have been Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority. Egypt and Jordan provided the postal stamps for Gaza and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem ) between 1948 and 1967. Both countries overprinted their own stamps with
2645-602: The Austrian Imperial and Royal Post Offices : Jerusalem (March 1859), Jaffa and Haifa (1 February 1858). Collecting or forwarding agencies existed in Mea Shearim (Jerusalem), Safed, and Tiberias. Safed and Tiberias were served by a private courier via the local Austrian consular agent. Nazareth and Bethlehem were never served by the Austrians. Postal service to Jerusalem was arranged privately. In
2760-696: The First Crusade documented the chance interception of a message warning the duke of Caesarea of the coming of the Crusader armies when a carrier pigeon was felled by a hawk over a Crusader military encampment in May 1099. The message, written in Arabic , read as follows: Greetings from the king of Acre to the duke of Caesarea. A generation of dogs, a foolish, headstrong, disorderly race, has gone through my land. If you value your way of life, you and others of
2875-574: The First World War , the specific postal rights enjoyed by these foreign powers throughout the empire were revoked by the Ottoman authorities. Beginning in 1900 through until the war's end, Ottoman citizens, including those in Palestine, were forbidden to use the services of the foreign post offices. In A Handbook for Travellers in Syria and Palestine (1858), Josias Leslie Porter describes
2990-1108: The French postal arrangement, Porter describes it as "quick and safe, though frequently altered." French mail-steamers, known as the Messagerie Imperiale ("Postal Line"), operated by the Compagnie des Services Maritimes des Messageries Nationales , departed every fortnight from the coast of Syria to Alexandria and Constantinople. From the ports at Alexandretta , Latikia , Tripoli , Beirut, and Yâfa , letters could be posted to Italy, France, England or America . The German Empire opened its first office on October 1, 1898, in Jaffa, followed on March 1, 1900, by an office in Jerusalem. Both offices closed in September 1914. Auxiliary collecting agencies existed in Ramleh (1902), Rishon LeTzion (1905), Wilhelma Hamidije (1905), Sarona (1910), Emmaus (1909), Sebil Abu Nebbut (1902,
3105-592: The Holy Land , though some also use Eretz Israel . This article surveys the postal history leading up to the area's two current postal administrations, that of the State of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority . Prior to modern postal history , imperial administrations set up mechanisms for the delivery of packages and letters. The earliest use of a postal system in the region
3220-514: The Hula Valley . Over fifty years, the JNF planted over 260 million trees largely in semi-arid, rocky, hilly terrain in which cultivation is not cost-effective and the risk of land degradation is high. While the Ministry of Agriculture is the official regulator of Israel's forests, the JNF is responsible for the implementation of forest management and afforestation. In 2006, the JNF signed
3335-607: The Ministry of Defense . The United States branch of the JNF, incorporated on January 26, 1926, is the largest contributor to JNF-KKL. In 1996, JNF-USA was accused of mismanaging funds. According to the charges, only 21% of US donations reached Israel, and money was being diverted to Latin American JNF offices. In the wake of this scandal, the North American management was forced to resign. The tax-exempt status of
3450-715: The Negev , an auditorium and training facilities at an Israeli Navy base in Bat Galim , and mess halls for the 124 Squadron and 131 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force at the Palmachim and Nevatim Airbases . A 2014 document by the JNF notes that funds from its Canadian branch were used for a dozen "KKL for IDF" projects in the previous decade. A JNF Canada document from the same year pitched donors on an IDF family meeting centre for members in active service as well as
3565-614: The Ottoman Empire ), the Egyptian Expeditionary Forces, the British Mandate , and various interim authorities in the lead up to and after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war . Since 1948, postal services have been provided by Egypt, Jordan , Israel , and the Palestinian National Authority . When discussing the pre-1948 postal history, most philatelists refer to this geographic area as Palestine or
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3680-728: The Supreme Court entitled Challenging the Prohibition on Arab Citizens of Israel from Living on Jewish National Fund Land . Shortly afterwards, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and the Arab Center for Alternative Planning also filed a petition to the Supreme Court challenging the ILA policy as discriminatory. The JNF responded to the two petitions on 9 December. In its response, the JNF stated: The JNF
3795-587: The $ 27.2 million in grants by JNF-USA went to support settlements. In 2021, JNF announced that it would change its policy and subsidize Israeli settlements in the West Bank. However, the necessary vote of the board was delayed indefinitely in April after opposition from members and supporters abroad. Israeli lawmakers have sought, unsuccessfully, to allow the State Comptroller to examine the books of
3910-525: The Attorney General also decided that, whenever a non-Jewish citizen wins an ILA tender for a plot of JNF-owned land, the ILA would compensate the JNF with an equal amount of land. This would allow the JNF to maintain its current hold over 2,500,000 dunams (2,500 km ) of land, or 13% of the total land in Israel. As a result of the Mazuz ruling, authorities found themselves facing a conundrum: on
4025-609: The British about the overprint (pictured): The Jewish members of the [Advisory] Council objected to the Hebrew transliteration of the word "Palestine", on the ground that the traditional name was " Eretz Yisrael ", but the Arab members would not agree to this designation, which, in their view, had political significance. The High Commissioner therefore decided, as a compromise, that the Hebrew transliteration should be used, followed always by
4140-619: The British group was using the KKL name to raise funds "for their own causes which are not associated with KKL." The Israeli JNF-KKL said it would launch a separate fundraising operation in the UK. JNF-UK launched a legal action to stop KKL using the names "JNF" or "Jewish National Fund" in the UK. The two organisations made peace after the Israeli-born businessman Samuel Hayek took over as JNF-UK chairman in 2008. Israeli JNF-KKL ended its dispute with
4255-589: The CRA rules ban tax receipts or tax deductions for such donations by charities. JNF told CBC that it had stopped funding military projects in 2016. In August 2024, the Canadian government announced the removal of JNF Canada's charitable status. The CRA revealed 358 pages of documents explaining its decision, which outlined "repeated and serious non-compliance" with the laws governing charities. Reasons included doubts that JNF Canada carries out its stated charitable purpose, an insufficient paper trail documenting where money
4370-767: The Holy Land. In the early 19th century, the Russians established shipping routes in the Eastern Mediterranean and provided a mail service. Russian postal service in the Ottoman Empire began in 1856 operated by the Russian Company of Trade and Navigation ( Russkoe Obschchestvo Parokhodstva i Torgovli or ROPiT ). ROPiT handled mail service between the various offices, and forwarded mail to Russia through Odessa and their offices received
4485-519: The ILA, lending it significant leverage within that state body. After concentrating on the centre and northern part of the young state, the JNF-KKL started supporting Jewish settlements around the Negev border from around 1965. After the Six-Day War in 1967, the JNF-KKL started work in the newly occupied Palestinian territories as well. The JNF charter specifies the reclamation of land for
4600-521: The International Arid Land Consortium, which explores the problems and solutions unique to arid and semiarid regions, working to develop sustainable ecological practices to improve the quality of life among people in the dry areas. The early JNF was active in afforestation and reclamation of land. By 1935, JNF had planted 1.7 million trees over a total area of 1,750 acres (7.08 km²) and drained swamps, like those in
4715-546: The JNF Canada's Edmonton branch stated that it was funding a family visitation area, a plaza by the barracks, and an intake and release facility at Tze'elim Army Base . In 2016, the JNF also funded a soccer field at Hatzerim Airbase . JNF's Canadian branch also helped construct a hilltop settler outpost, Givat Oz VeGaon, which was deemed illegal by the Israeli government and received at least 18 demolition orders from
Jerusalem Metropolitan Park - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-460: The JNF almost from its inception at the initiative of Johann Kremenezky. Once found in many Jewish homes, the boxes became one of the most familiar symbols of Zionism. A children's song about the boxes, written by Dr. Yehoshua Frizman, Headmaster of the Real Gymnasium for Girls in Kovno , ran The box is hanging on the wall The blue box Each penny put inside Redeems the land. A bank clerk named Haim Kleinman in Nadvorna , Galicia placed
4945-409: The JNF from the state, thereby allowing it to continue selling land to Jews only. In July 2007, the Israeli Knesset approved the Jewish National Fund Bill , submitted by MK Uri Ariel ( National Union / National Religious Party ), in its preliminary reading; but the bill was later dropped. The bill sought to authorize the JNF practice of refusing to lease land to Arab citizens. The bill called for
5060-428: The JNF has been helping the Palestinian Authority plan public parks and other civic amenities for the Palestinian city of Rawabi , north of Ramallah. The JNF provided the Palestinian Authority with 3,000 tree seedlings for a forested area being developed on the edge of the new city. Israel's fresh water supply is dependent on 50 days a year of seasonal rainfall, while water consumption has doubled since 1960. Towards
5175-412: The JNF was awarded the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the State of Israel. The name Keren Kayemet comes from the Mishnah . Tractate Peah (1:1) lists the types of good deeds whose rewards are enjoyed in this world, while the principal merit will be in the world to come: hakeren kayemet lo l'olam haba . The idea of a national land purchasing fund
5290-403: The JNF's activities during the Mandatory period were closely associated with Yossef Weitz , the head of its settlement department. From the beginning, JNF's policy was to lease land long-term rather than sell it. In its charter, the JNF states: "Since the first land purchase in Eretz Israel in the early 1900s for and on behalf of the Jewish People, JNF has served as the Jewish People's trustee of
5405-419: The JNF-UK within weeks of ending a similar dispute with the American JNF-USA On 1 May 2020 a ruling was issued to JNF on a will writing service encouraging elderly to leave money to KKL. District Judge Geddes noted on KKL's "lack of independence from JNF UK" The charitable status of the JNF-UK has come under increasing attack. British prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown had been Honorary Patrons of
5520-506: The JNF-UK, like all British prime ministers before them since its inception. David Cameron resigned as Honorary Patron to JNF-UK in 2011. According to a spokesman, Cameron said it was an organisation that was specifically focused around work in one specific country—i.e., Israel. Cameron's decision was interpreted as a snub, in spite of the spokesman's assurances that his decision had "absolutely nothing to do with any anti-Israel campaign". However, campaigners claimed that Cameron's resignation
5635-610: The JNF-USA was challenged in 2011 as violating the public policy of the United States with respect to ethnic and religious discrimination. In July 2017, in response to an investigation by the Jewish Daily Forward , the New York State attorney general's office ordered JNF-USA to rescind two illegal loans totaling more than $ 500,000 the organization had made to its chief executive officer, Russell Robinson, and its chief financial officer, Mitchel Rosenzweig. (New York State forbids charities from lending their officers any money.) JNF-USA argued that Robinson and Rosenzweig were not officers under
5750-415: The Jerusalem—Jaffa route operated twice a week, and beginning in 1884, the Nablus—Jaffa route received daily despatches. In the last century of Ottoman rule , in addition to the Ottoman state postal service, up to six foreign powers were also allowed to operate postal services on Ottoman territory, with such rights originating in the Ottoman capitulations and other bilateral treaties. At the beginning of
5865-432: The Jewish National Fund's founders and from a nationalist-Zionist standpoint." In September 2007, the High Court heard a further Adalah petition seeking cancellation of an ILA policy as well as Article 27 of the Regulations of the Obligations of Tenders , which in concert prevent Arab citizens from participating in bids for JNF-controlled land. The High Court of Justice agreed to delay a ruling by at least four months, and
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#17328008666745980-428: The Jewish organization Yachad . The pressures led the JNF to delay the eviction. The JNF played a similar role in evicting the Gozlan family in the 1990s. Postage stamps and postal history of Palestine The postage stamps and postal history of Palestine emerges from its geographic location as a crossroads amidst the empires of the ancient Near East , the Levant and the Middle East . Postal services in
6095-424: The Jewish people as its primary purpose. During the 1980s, almost 60,000 acres (240 km ) were planted. Over 50,000 acres (200 km ) of crop-land were reclaimed, and hundreds of miles of roads built. Research into the soil and water conservation and the construction of dams and reservoirs took on added importance in the face of water shortages and drought. The JNF's collaborative work involves participation in
6210-489: The Jewish population of the British Mandate of Palestine lived on JNF land. By 1948, the JNF owned 54% of the land held by Jews in the region, or a bit less than 4% of the land in what was then known as the British Mandate of Palestine. By the eve of statehood, the JNF had acquired a total of 936,000 dunams (936 km ; 361 sq mi) of land; another 800,000 dunams (800 km ; 310 sq mi) had been acquired by other Jewish organizations or individuals. Most of
6325-590: The Jewish provisional government, known as Minhelet Ha'am , did not have its own postage stamps ready, so it used existing labels, both JNF labels, which otherwise have been printed since 1902 for fundraising purposes, and local community tax stamps. The JNF labels were given a Hebrew overprint meaning postage ( doar ), (as shown in the picture), whereas local community tax stamps were not given overprints. The JNF stamps were printed from May 3 to 14, 1948, their sale ended on May 14, 1948, with remaining stocks ordered to be returned and destroyed. Use of these stamps
6440-405: The Lower Galilee. In 1909, the JNF played a central role in the founding of Tel Aviv . The establishment of the " Olive Tree Fund " marked the beginning of Diaspora support of afforestation efforts. The JNF collection box or " blue box " (known in Yiddish as a pushke ) has been part of the JNF since its inception, symbolizing the partnership between Israel and the Diaspora. In the period between
6555-401: The Mamluks to the recommendations of his uncle, al-Sahib Sharaf al-Din Abu Muhammed Al-Wahab. The nephew records that in response to a request from Baybars to be kept up-to-date on the most recent developments concerning the Franks and the Mongols , Al-Wahab, "explained to him that which the Barīd had achieved in ancient and caliphal times and proposed [this system] to him; [the sultan] liked
6670-533: The Mandatory authorities was reputed to be the best in the Middle East. Letters were delivered daily in Jerusalem. Palestine joined the Universal Postal Union in October 1923. The post was transported by boat, train, cars and horses, and after 1927, also by air. Sale and exchange of international reply coupons started in 1926 and were joined by Imperial Reply Coupons from January 1, 1935. Air letter sheets (or air letter cards as they were then known) were first introduced in Palestine in November 1944. During
6785-407: The Ottoman postal system and a web of prescribed and regular despatch rider ( tatar ) routes was instituted. Beginning in 1841, the Beirut-route was extended to serve Palestine, going from Beirut via Damascus and Acre to Jerusalem. Postal services were organized at the local level by the provincial governors and these leases ( posta mültesimi ) came up for auction annually in the month of March. It
6900-411: The Sumarin family, the children of the original owner, Musa Sumarin, were declared absentees after his death even though there were other family members living in the home at the time. In 1991, the Israeli government took the step of transferring the property to the JNF subsidiary. A campaign against the JNF's eviction was launched by Rabbis for Human Rights , the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement, and
7015-399: The backdrop to events described in the Hebrew Bible 's Book of Esther . The Umayyad empire (661–750) who introduced the "first purely Arab coinage" in Palestine also developed a system of postal service. Khans distributed along the main north-south and east-west roads that served as resting places for pilgrims and travellers facilitated the operation of the postal service, known as
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#17328008666747130-459: The child that gives to the Keren Kayemeth, but rather the Fund that gives to the child, a foothold and lofty ideal for all the days of his life." The boxes could take a variety of shapes and sizes. Some were paper made to fold flat like envelopes and able to contain only a small number of coins, some early American boxes were cylindrical, some German boxes were made of tin stamped into the shape of bound books. Israel issued postage stamps bearing
7245-479: The context of minimal government and public scrutiny. Some forests have been planted for security reasons and as a means of demarcating Israeli space. Critics argue that many JNF lands outside the West Bank were illegally confiscated from Palestinian refugees, and that the JNF furthermore should not be involved with lands in the West Bank. Shaul Ephraim Cohen has said trees have been planted to restrict Bedouin herding. Susan Nathan wrote that forests were planted on
7360-520: The distinction between three types of mail items: ordinary letters, registered letters (markings te'ahudd olunmoshdur ), and official letters (markings tahirat-i mühümme ). Fees were calculated by the type of mail, the weight, and the distance (measured in hours): in 1840, an ordinary letter, weighing less than 10g, had a cost per hour of 1 para . Special fees applied to samples, insured mail, special delivery, and printed matters, etc. These postal rates changed frequently, and new services were added over
7475-433: The end of April 1948, except for the main post offices in Haifa, Jaffa, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv, Jaffa, and Jerusalem, which persevered until May 5. In Jerusalem , the French consulate is claimed to have issued stamps in May 1948 for its staff and local French nationals. The French stamps supposedly went through three issues: the first and second were "Affaires Étrangères" stamps, inscribed gratis but overprinted, while
7590-441: The end of the 1980s, the JNF undertook several large-scale water conservation projects. Dams and reservoirs were built to capture rainwater run-off which would have otherwise been lost in the Arava Valley, Reshafim in the Beit She'arim Valley and Kedma near Kiryat Gat. An artificial lake was built in Timna Park. The JNF has built 200 reservoirs around the country, and plans to build 30 more reservoirs and water treatment plants over
7705-408: The faith should bring harm to them, since you can easily do what you wish. Transmit this message to other cities and strongholds. Carrier pigeons were regularly used in this period. For example, Edward Gibbon notes that during the siege of Acre (1189–1191) by the Crusaders, the inhabitants of the besieged city kept a regular correspondence with the Sultan's forces by way of carrier pigeon. During
7820-402: The fund would transfer the land to the ILA, and in exchange would receive the purchase price plus a similar-sized plot in the Negev. In December 2011, Seth Morrison resigned from the board of JNF-USA in protest at the decision by Himnuta, a subsidiary of JNF-KKL, to launch eviction proceedings against the Sumarin family, who lived in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem . In the case of
7935-430: The idea and ordered [its establishment]." After the Mamluks dislodged the Crusaders , annexed the Ayyubid principalities, and defeated the Mongol army in Anatolia , Baybars established the province of Syria (which included Palestine), with Damascus as its capital. At this point, imperial communications throughout Palestine were so efficient that Baybars would boast that he could play polo in Cairo and Damascus in
8050-469: The image of the blue box in 1983, 1991, and 1993 for the JNF's 90th anniversary. T'ruah has expressed concerns that the JNF is not transparent about where their funds go and that the organization may be subsidizing projects in West Bank settlements . The organization's chief executive later acknowledged that JNF does fund projects within settlements. A review of their tax filing from 2014 led Rabbi Jill Jacobs of T'ruah to estimate that about $ 600,000 of
8165-402: The improvements to the road network are credited to the monarch Darius I (521–486 BCE). Mounted couriers, known as "fast messengers" ( Persian language : pirradaziš ), carried correspondence between the royal court and the provinces, stopping only to eat and rest, and change horses as needed, at supply stations located about one day's travel apart. The Persian courier system forms part of
8280-426: The land, initiating and charting development work to enable Jewish settlement from the border in the north to the edge of the desert and Arava in the south." After Israel's establishment in 1948, the government began to sell absentee lands to the JNF. On January 27, 1949, 1,000 km² of land (from a total of about 3,500 km²) was sold to the JNF for the price of IL 11 million. Another 1,000 km² of land
8395-625: The latter offices were converted to Stationary Army Post Offices and became civilian post offices upon establishment of the civilian administration. In 1919 fifteen offices existed, rising to about 100 by 1939, and about 150 by the end of the Mandate in May 1948. With most of the Jerusalem General Post Office archives destroyed, research depends heavily on philatelists recording distinct postmarks and dates of their use. After occupation by allied forces in 1917, basic postage
8510-549: The meaning of the law, but the attorney general's officer rejected that argument and the two executives agreed to repay the balance of their loans. In the United Kingdom , the JNF-UK (full name JNF Charitable Trust ) was formed in 1939 and registered as a charitable organization . In October 2005, the JNF-KKL in Israel split from its British partner, accusing JNF-UK of having "misled" the public. The JNF-KKL claimed that
8625-433: The name "Palestine" were issued by the British between 1918 and 1942. During the British Mandate over Palestine about 160 post offices, rural agencies, travelling post offices, and town agencies operated, some only for a few months, others for the entire length of the period. Upon the advance of allied forces in 1917 and 1918, initially Field Post Offices and Army Post Offices served the local civilian population. Some of
8740-551: The next five years. Over the past decade, JNF has invested over $ 114.99 million in reservoir construction, increasing the country's total storage capacity by 7%, to over 130 million cubic metres (34 × 10 ^ US gal) of water. JNF is also involved in river rehabilitation projects all over Israel, such as the Nahal Alexander Restoration Project begun in 2003. The JNF's engagement in developing Israel for Jewish purposes has involved
8855-499: The one hand the JNF, as a "private" organization, had received donations from outside Israel which were specifically earmarked for the benefit of Jews; on the other hand, the state and the ILA (an agency of the state), which administered the land owned by the JNF, were banned from discriminating against non-Jews. In early 2005, the JNF and the Finance Ministry were reported as trying to draft a new agreement that would separate
8970-571: The only ones issued by the Haganah. The "Doar Ivri" stamps issued by Minhelet Ha'am went on sale in Safed on May 16, 1948. In rural Rishon Lezion , the local council voted to issue their own stamps and provide a mail service via armored car . The stamps were first sold on April 4, 1948, more than a month before the establishment of the state of Israel, and service discontinued on May 6. These stamps were not authorized by Minhelet Ha'am . During
9085-402: The organization to determine whether the group's funds were being spent appropriately. The JNF stipulates that only Jews can buy, mortgage or lease JNF land. Article 23 of the JNF lease states that the lessee must pay compensation to the JNF if this stipulation is violated. On 13 October 2004, Adalah , an organization and legal center for Arab minority rights in Israel, submitted a petition to
9200-420: The project's lack of transparency in light of the potential strain on ecological resources and the possible impacts on Bedouin communities nearby. In addition to its reclamation and other charitable projects, the JNF also funded infrastructure projects on Israel Defense Forces sites. Documents by the JNF indicated that funds from the Canadian branch were used to fund projects including Camp Ariel Sharon in
9315-843: The region could receive mail from abroad if addressed to the care of the English consuls in Beirut, Aleppo, Jerusalem or Damascus, or alternatively to the care of a merchant or banker. In November 1917, the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force occupied Palestine. Initially, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (and the Indian Expeditionary Force) had given civilians basic postal services for free, with additional services paid in British or Indian stamps. Free mail
9430-464: The region were first established in the Bronze Age , during the rule of Sargon of Akkad , and successive empires have established and operated a number of different postal systems over the millennia. In the era of modern postage, the postal administrations in Palestine have included Austrian , French , Italian , German , Egyptian , and Russian post offices (through arrangements made with
9545-622: The rule of the Mamluks , mounted mail service was operated in Deir el-Balah , Lydda , Lajjun and other towns on the Cairo to Damascus route. The postal system established by the Mamluks, under the leadership of Baybars , was known as the Barīd , as it was during the period of Arab caliphate rule. The nephew of the chief secretary to Sultan Baybars attributed the Barid' s adoption and development by
9660-535: The same week. An even more rapid carrier pigeon post was maintained between the two cities. Its use in forming a defensive league against the Crusaders was noted by Raymond of Agiles , who thought it rather "unsporting". During Ottoman rule in Palestine , stamps issued by the Ottoman authorities were valid in Palestine. In 1834, after improving its transport and communication systems, the Ottomans established
9775-478: The shape of a memorial flame with a piece of aluminum from the wreckage incorporated in the base. The names of the 2,779 victims are inscribed on the walls around the plaza. 31°46′24″N 35°09′44″E / 31.7732°N 35.1623°E / 31.7732; 35.1623 Jewish National Fund The Jewish National Fund ( JNF ; Hebrew : קֶרֶן קַיֶּימֶת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , Keren Kayemet LeYisrael ; previously הפאנד הלאומי , Ha Fund HaLeumi )
9890-401: The site of abandoned Arab villages after the 1948 war. Nathan also writes that olive trees were replaced by pine and cypress trees and that JNF afforestation policy erases traces of the Arab presence prior to 1948. In 2008, the JNF announced that historical information plaques erected in JNF parks and forests would cite the names of the Arab villages formerly located there. Since 2009,
10005-544: The site was resettled by eight families, who fled to Motza during the 1929 Palestine riots . All were murdered except for two children who managed to escape. One was nine-year old Mordechai Maklef , who became the third Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces . A memorial to the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers is located on a hill in the park. Sculptor Eliezer Weishoff designed a bronze US flag in
10120-639: The stamps feature Jewish Special operations paratroopers killed during WWII, including Abba Berdichev , Hannah Szenes , and Haviva Reik , Enzo Sereni . The JNF also honored kibbutzim Hanita and Tirat Zvi , the Jewish Brigade , the Technion , the Warsaw Ghetto uprising , an illegal immigrant ship , and Zionists Yehoshua Hankin , Chaim Weizmann , Eliezer Ben Yehuda , and, pictured here, Theodor Herzl with Chaim Nachman Bialik . In
10235-440: The status of relay stations, and letters received their postmarks only at the Beirut post office, with one exception: markings Djebel Lubnan are believed to have been applied at the relay station Staura ( Lebanon ). In the 1860s, most relay stations were promoted to the status of branch post offices and received postmarks, initially only negative seals, of their own. The postmarks of an office's postal section usually contained
10350-450: The system operated by the Ottoman authorities at the time: The Post Office in Syria is yet in its infancy. There are weekly mails between Jerusalem and Beyrout , performing the distance in about four days; there is a bi-weekly post between Damascus and Beyrout, taking about 22 hours in fine weather, but occasionally a fortnight in winter; and there is a weekly Tartar from Damascus to Hums , Hamâh , Aleppo and Constantinople —making
10465-476: The third were " Marianne " stamps (6 francs) that arrived from France by the end of May. The consulate also created its own cancellation: Jerusalem Postes Françaises . Philatelic research has exposed the French Consular post as a fraud perpetrated by the son of the then consul, though other philatelists have maintained their claims that the postal service and its stamps are genuine. In early May 1948,
10580-521: The town of Safed , the departure in April of the British left the Haganah trying to establish control. The Haganah enlisted a postal clerk to print up postal envelopes , which were never used, as well as 2,200 stamps (10 mils each). On the stamps was written, in Hebrew: Safed mail Eretz Israel . Once stamped, mail was routed by the Haganah through Rosh Pina . These Safed emergency stamps were
10695-469: The two areas of Israel with a tenuous Jewish demographic majority. In particular, the JNF's 600 million dollar Blueprint Negev aims to attract and build infrastructure for 250,000 new settlers in the Negev desert, which accounts for 60% of the country's land mass but remains sparsely populated. The plan has come under scrutiny as groups such as Bustan , Save the Negev, and Ohalah have expressed concern over
10810-537: The two initial letters of "Eretz Yisrael", Aleph Yod, and this combination was always used on the coinage and stamps of Palestine and in all references in official documents. During the Mandate, postal services were provided by British authorities. The British Post service designed its first four stamps in 1923, upon the suggestion of the Sir Herbert Samuel (the High Commissioner), following
10925-405: The two world wars, about one million of these blue and white tin collection boxes could be found in Jewish homes throughout the world. From 1902 until the late 1940s, the JNF sold JNF stamps to raise money. For a brief period in May 1948, JNF stamps were used as postage stamps during the transition from Palestine to Israel. The first parcel of land, 200 dunams (0.20 km ) east of Hadera ,
11040-538: The volatility of 1947 and 1948, British postal services deteriorated and were replaced by ad hoc interim services prior to the partition and the establishment of the State of Israel. Just before the formal end to the British Mandate over Palestine, the Mandatory government destroyed the existing stocks of postage stamps and had Palestine removed from the World Postal Union . A total of 104 stamps bearing
11155-456: The whole distance in 12 days. He leaves on Wednesday. All letters by these routes must be addressed in Arabic or Turkish , and prepaid. The Turkish posts have no connection with those of any other country; and consequently letters for foreign countries must be sent either through the consuls , or the post agents of those countries, resident at the seaports. Initially all the postal facilities had
11270-556: The word "Palestine". Of these "Palestine" stamps, 44 issued by Jordan and 180 issued by Egypt are listed in the Scott catalogues . On occasion, the Arab Higher Committee and other entities have issued propaganda labels. By May 5, 1948, Egypt set up postal services and issued overprints of Egyptian stamps , with Palestine in Arabic and English. Egypt primarily employed definitives, with one express stamp, picturing
11385-413: The words posta shubesi , as opposed to telegraf hanei for the telegraph section. In 1860, ten postal facilities operated in Palestine, rising to 20 in 1900 and 32 in 1917. Travelling post offices existed on three routes: Jaffa–Jerusalem , Damascus–Haifa , and Messudshi— Nablus . No TPO postmarks are known for other railway lines. The Imperial edict of 12 Ramasan 1256 and later ordinances made
11500-560: The years. From 1926 reduced rates applied for mail to Britain and Ireland, and from 1 March 1938 to 4 September 1939, Palestine was part of the All Up Empire airmail rates system. In early 1948, as the British government withdrew, the area underwent a violent transition, affecting all public services. Mail service was reportedly chaotic and unreliable. Nearly all British postal operations shut down during April. Rural services ended on April 15 and other post offices ceased operations by
11615-601: The years. Upon joining the Universal Postal Union on 1 July 1875, Ottoman overseas rates conformed to UPU rules. Austria and France obtained permits to provide postal service in the main cities of the Ottoman Empire as early as 1837. In 1852, the two countries opened foreign post offices in Palestine's main cities. Other European countries followed suit: Russia in 1856, Germany in 1898, and Italy in 1908. These foreign post offices facilitated family and social contacts and transfers of money from Europe to
11730-585: Was "to avoid passing racist legislation [such as the Ariel Bill] that would limit the use of these lands to the Jews". Others denied however that the Ariel Bill was racist. The Rubinstein proposal was not taken up. In late 2007, a land swap deal was proposed that would allow the JNF to continue leasing its lands only to Jews. Urban JNF land sold in future to non-Jews would include an automatic swap mechanism:
11845-541: Was due to political pressure. Since then, the JNF-UK's Honorary Patrons include no leader of the main British political parties. An Early Day Motion in the British parliament called for the revocation of the JNF's charitable status in the UK and was signed by 66 Members of Parliament . In 2012 the Green Party called for the JNF to be stripped of its charity status. In December 2021, JNF-UK Chairman Samuel Hayek
11960-518: Was embroiled in controversy, following remarks that implied that Muslim immigration was endangering the future of British Jews. Following the Six-Day War , the Canadian branch of the JNF raised about $ 15 million US to fund a 1,700-acre park called "Canada Park". The park was built in 1970 on the land of three Palestinian villages which were destroyed on the orders of Yitzhak Rabin . Starting around 2013, Independent Jewish Voices has campaigned against JNF Canada's charitable status, and in 2017 it filed
12075-694: Was first presented at the First Zionist Congress in 1897 by Hermann Schapira , a Lithuanian-Jewish professor of mathematics. The fund, named Keren Hakayemet (later known in English as the "Jewish National Fund") was formally established at the Fifth Zionist Congress in Basel in 1901. In its early years, the organization was headed by the Jewish industrialist Johann Kremenezky . Early land purchases were completed in Judea and
12190-542: Was free for civilians. Registration fees and parcels had to be franked using British or Indian stamps. Once the EEF stamps printed in Cairo came on sale, mail to overseas destinations had to be paid for from 10 February 1918, and from 16 February 1918 also mail to the then occupied territories and Egypt. The structure of postal rates followed broadly British practice and new services, like airmail and express delivery, were added over
12305-407: Was going, missing records that the CRA did not have, some documents provided only in Hebrew, and housing documents in a foreign country (Israel). In response, JNF Canada has accused the CRA of "targeted bias", while CEO Lance Davis said JNF Canada repeatedly asked for a conversation with the CRA to explain the discrepencies, but was repeatedly denied. JNF's blue charity boxes were distributed by
12420-534: Was inaugurated in Emek Ha'arazim, part of a larger trail that will ring the city. It begins near the remains of a Crusader fortress and ends near Motza, off the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway . In 1906, Zionist pioneers purchased land in the Arazim valley, which makes up part of the park. Dov Klinger, a chemist, planned to build an olive oil soap factory there but his efforts were unsuccessful. In 1920,
12535-500: Was not necessary. The stamps used were Austrian stamps for Lombardy–Venetia and, after 1867, Austrian Levant stamps, as pictured here. The French operated a number of post offices in the Ottoman Empire, often in conjunction with the local French consulates. In Palestine, three offices were opened: Jaffa (1852), Jerusalem (1890) and Haifa (1906). The stamps used were regular French ones, after 1885 stamps overprinted in Turkish currency, and from 1902 also French Levant stamps. Of
12650-510: Was received as a gift from the Russian Zionist leader Isaac Leib Goldberg of Vilnius, in 1903. It became an olive grove. In 1904 and 1905, the JNF purchased land plots near the Sea of Galilee and at Ben Shemen . In 1921, JNF land holdings reached 25,000 acres (100 km²), rising to 50,000 acres (200 km²) by 1927. At the end of 1935, JNF held 89,500 acres (362 km²) of land housing 108 Jewish communities. In 1939, 10% of
12765-651: Was separated and distinctive overprints for the two territories came into use. As Palestine came under the civil administration of the British Mandate of Palestine , falling into line with League of Nations rules, the High Commissioner sanctioned stamps (as pictured here) and coins bearing the three official languages of British Mandate Palestine: English, Arabic, and Hebrew. Between 1920 and 1923 six such distinctive overprints were issued: four produced in Jerusalem, two in London. Local Jews and Arabs lobbied
12880-458: Was sold to the JNF in October 1950. Over the years questions about the legitimacy of these transactions have been raised but Israeli legislation has generally supported the JNF's land claims. In 1953, the JNF was dissolved and re-organized as an Israeli company under the name Keren Kayemet LeYisrael (JNF-KKL). In 1960, administration of the land held by the JNF-KKL, apart from forested areas,
12995-544: Was tolerated until May 22, 1948. The Mandate's postal rates remained unchanged during this period. Since Jerusalem was under siege , its residents continued to use JNF stamps until June 20, 1948, whereupon Israeli stamps reached the city. These stamps, overprinted with a JNF seal, bore a map of the UN Partition Plan . Minhelet Ha'am used 31 different JNF labels. Owing to different denomination and overprints, there are at least 104 variants catalogued. Eight of
13110-480: Was transferred to a newly formed government agency, the Israel Land Administration (ILA). The ILA was then responsible for managing some 93% of the land of Israel. All the land managed by the ILA was defined as Israel lands ; it included both land owned by the government (about 80%) and land owned by the JNF-KKL (about 13%). The JNF-KKL received the right to nominate 10 of the 22 directors of
13225-545: Was withdrawn with the printing of appropriate stamps. Two stamps inscribed E.E.F. (1 Piastre, and 5 Millièmes) were issued in February 1918, the first definitives (11 values) were circulated from June 1918. These E.E.F. stamps were valid in Palestine , Cilicia , Syria, Lebanon , and Transjordan . Prior to the British Mandate in Palestine , Hebrew was not an official language, and so these stamps bore only Arabic inscriptions besides English. In 1920, Transjordan
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