A Short Introduction To The Philately Of Palestine

During 1999 Palestine issued six stamp series and two blocks:
  •   Wye River Peace Agreement (block) (8.03.1999)
  •   Gaza Airport (8.04.1999)
  •   International Stamp Exhibitions (27.04.1999)
  •   Hebron - Place of the Patriarchs (20.08.1999)
  •   Arabian Horses (31.08.1999)
  •   Bethlehem 2000 (15.11.1999)
  •   Christmas 1999: Bethlehem 2000 (8.12.1999)
  •   Palestine Sunbird (block) (13.12.1999)

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A block was issued on 8.03.1999 commemorating the "Middle East Peace Agreement & Wye River Conference" depicting President Yasir Arafat and President Bill Clinton in signing on 23.10.1998 the Wye River Agreement. The block contains one stamp denominated at 900 Fils and was printed by Bundesdruckerei GmbH Berlin. Print run: unknown. Perforation: K13.75.
An official FDC was issued, bearing a special postmark dated 8.03.1999.

External links:
  •   Wye River Agreement (Wikipedia)
  •   The Wye River Memorandum (US Dept. of State)
  •   The Wye River Memorandum (MEDEA)
  •   The Wye River Memorandum (Institute for Palestine Studies)
  •   "The Wye River Memorandum and Israeli Settlements" by Geoffrey Aronson (Palestine Center)

Palestine issued a stamp series on 8.04.1999 commemorating the opening of "Yasser Arafat International Airport" on 30.11.1998 under title "Open Skies over Gaza". The actual opening ceremony was held on 24.11.1998, and attended by President Yasir Arafat and President Bill Clinton, the first commercial flight happened on 27.11.1998.
  •   80f: Tower building
  •   300f: Palestinian Airlines plane SU-YAH (Fokker 50, type F-27 Mk050)
  •   700f: Terminal building
The three stamps were printed by Bundesdruckerei GmbH Berlin in sheets of 10: Zobbel no. 102 2x5 and Zobbel nos. 103/104 5x2. Total value: 1,080 Fils. Print run: unknown. Perforation: Zobbel no. 102 K 14.25:14 and Zobbel nos. 103/104 K 14:14:25.
An official FDC was issued with a special first day postmark dated 8.04.1999.

External links:
  •   History of Gaza airports
  •   Palestinian Airlines
  •   Fokker website
  •   Palestinian Airlines Fleet Details and History
  •   Flights of SU-YAH
  •   "Palestinian Airlines fliegt wieder" by Stefan Eiselin (Aero Telegraph)

Zobbel	Value	Size	Perfor.	Printed	Notes
102	80f	25.5x43mm	K 14.25:14	n/a	sheets of 10 (5x2)
103	300f	43x25.5mm	K 14:14.25		sheets of 10 (2x5)
104	700f

A series stamps was issued on 27.04.1999 commemorating four stamp exhibitions and the 125th anniversary of the UPU:
  •   20f: "China 1999" (Beijing)
  •   80f: "Australia 99" (Melbourne)
  •   260f: "IBRA 99" (Nuremburg)
  •   340f: "PHILEX France 99" (Paris)
  •   400f: 125 Years Universal Postal Union (value positioned right, Zobbel no. 109)
  •   400f: 125 Years Universal Postal Union (value positioned left, Zobbel no. 110)
The stamps were printed together se-tenant in miniature sheet Zobbel ZdKb 5 in this order: Zobbel nos. 105 / 107 // 106 / 108 // 109 / 110 // 105 / 107 // 106 / 108. Total value (stamps): 1,500 Fils; sheet value: 2,200 Fils. The stamps were printed by Bundesdruckerei GmbH Berlin. Print run: unknown. Perforation: K 14.
Two official FDCs were issued: one with the block of six, the other with the entire sheet Zobbel ZdKb 5 (FDC sized 255x176mm), both bearing a special postmark dated 27.04.1999.

Zobbel	Value	Size	Perfor.	Printed	Notes
105	20f	43x25.75mm	K 14	n/a	printed se-tenant in sheet of 10 (2x5): Zobbel ZdKb 5 (order: Zobbel nos. 105 / 107 // 106 / 108 // 109 / 110 // 105 / 107 // 106 / 108)
106	80f
107	260f
108	340f
109	400f
110	400f

A series of stamps entitled "Hebron - Place of the Patriarchs" was issued on 20.08.1999. The stamps are denominated at 400 and 500 Fils and printed by Bundesdruckerei GmbH Berlin se-tenant in a block-like miniature sheet (4x2, total value: 3,600 Fils): Zobbel ZdKb 6 in this order: Zobbel nos. 112 / 111 / 112 / 111 // 111 / 112 / 111 / 112. Print run: unknown. Perforation: K 14:13.75.
Two official FDCs were issued: one with a pair of stamps, the other with the entire sheet Zobbel ZdKb 6 (FDC sized 255x176mm), both bearing a special postmark dated 20.08.1999.

The stamps feature a modern icon entitled "Die Begegnung von Mamre" (the meeting of Mamre) by Austrian artist Prof. DI. Dr. Anton Wollenek (1920–2009), knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, engineer and electrotechnics lecturer (at the HTBLuVA). Another of Wollenek's icons was used for the Christmas 1997 series. His work was also featured on Austrian stamps: Christmas 1994 (ANK no. 2175, FDCs shown below), and serveral of his exhibitions were commemorated by Austrian special postmarks (detail shown below).

External link:
  •   Christmas (by Adrian Keppel, blog.stampmagazine.co.uk, 20.12.2013) (showing also Wollenek's 1994 Austrian stamp)
  •   Ikone "Die Barmherzigkeit Gottes" : über den Künstler Anton Wollenek (www.ekd.de/kps/diakonissen/diakonis/diakon03.htm, pages no longer online)
  •   Wollenek exhibition, Austrian Parliament 2001 (APA-OTS Originaltext-Service)

Zobbel	Value	Size	Perfor.	Printed	Notes
111	400f	32.8x56.3mm	K 14:13.75	n/a	sheet of 8 (4x2, sized: 164.3x138.4mm), stamps printed se-tenant: Zobbel ZdKb 6
112	500f

A series of stamps depicting Arabian horses (in five different coat colours) was issued on 31.08.1999. The stamps are denominated at 25, 75, 150, 350, and 800 Fils (total value: 1,400) and printed by Bundesdruckerei GmbH Berlin se-tenant in a block-like miniature sheet Zobbel ZdKb 7, containing two strips-of-five (total value: 2,800 Fils). Print run: unknown. Perforation: K 13.75:14.
One official FDC was issued containing one strip of five stamps cancelled ith a special postmark dated 31.08.1999.

Zobbel	Value	Size	Perfor.	Printed	Notes
113	25f	27.5x33.05mm	K 13.75:14	n/a	sheet of 10 (5x2, sized: 165.8x98.7mm) with two se-tenant strips-of-five: Zobbel ZdKb 7
114	75f
115	150f
116	350f
117	800f

(strip: size reduced to 9/10)

Palestine issued a stamp series on 15.11.1999 commemorating the celebrations "Bethlehem 2000", the eight stamps (denominations: 60, 80, 100, 280, 300, 400, 500, and 560 Fils) depict the official logo of "Bethlehem 2000" in various colour combinations. The stamps were printed by Cartor Securty Printing, La Loupe (France) in sheets of 25 (5x5). Total value: 2,280 Fils. Print run: unknown. Perforation: K 13.25:13.
Two official FDCs, using envelopes similar (but with a different picture imprinted on the left) to the ones used for the Christmas 1999 series were issued. One contains Zobbel nos. 118–121, the other Zobbel nos. 122–125, both with a special first day postmark dated 15.11.1999.

The first stamp commemorating the "Bethlehem 2000" celebrations was issued in 1998: Christmas 1998 block. Further series were issued in 1999 (Christmas 1999) and 2000 (Easter 2000, Bethlehem 2000 booklet, Christmas 2000).

Project "Bethlehem 2000" is also celebrated by a stamp issued on 21.08.1999 by Argentina: "Belén 2000" (Jalil & Göttig GJ 2973). The stamp (printed in sheets of 20, 4x5) and two FDCs (official and private) are shown below. One notes that the Argentinian designer has added a third dot over the Arabic "T"...

British design company BBB Publishing produced large-scale (A4: 297x210mm) prints, adressed to subscribers, and with a PNA authentification certificate (see illustration below). Stamps were used from the "Bethlehem 2000" and supposedly also the "Christmas Bethlehem 2000" series. Below is shown the print for "Bethlehem 2000" with the 60 Fils stamp, and special handstamp "First Day Of The New Century 1-01-2000" (Zobbel SHS812). The motif here is a detail from the painting "The Adoration Of The Shepherds" by Bonifazio Veronese (Bonifazio de' Pitati, Bonifazio Veneziano, 1487–1553). The painting is wrongly attributed by BBB to Veronese (Paolo Callari, 1525–1588). The authentification is in the name of Zuhair Allaham, then Deputy Minister Post & Telecommunication.

External links:
  •   Cartor Security Printing
  •   Bonifazio Veronese's "The Adoration of the Shepherds" (at Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery) [full credit: The Adoration of the Shepherds (oil on panel), Bonifacio Veronese (Bonifacio de' Pitati) (c.1487-1553) / Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery / The Bridgeman Art Library]
  •   Bonifacio de' Pitati (Wikimedia Commons)

Zobbel	Value	Size	Perfor.	Printed	Notes
118	60f	30x40.05mm	K 13.25:13	n/a	sheets of 25 (5x5)
119	80f
120	100f
121	280f
122	300f
123	400f
124	500f
125	560f

Millennium print, BBB Publishing, with special handstamp 1.01.2000.

A stamp series on the occasion of Christmas 1999 and the celebrations "Bethlehem 2000" was issued on 8.12.1999. It consists of 11 stamps denominationated at 2x200, 2x280, 2x380, 2x460, 2x560, and 2,000 Fils. The stamps were printed by Cartor Securty Printing, La Loupe (France) in sheets of 10 (2x5, Zobbel nos. 126–135) and a sheetlet of four (2x2, Zobbel no. 136). Total value of the 11 stamps: 5,760 Fils. Print run: unknown; Zobbel nos. 136 estimated at 40,000 sheetlets (160,000 stamps). Perforation: K 13.25.
Three official FDCs, using envelopes similar (but with a different picture imprinted on the left) to the ones used for the Bethlehem 2000 series, were issued. One contains Zobbel nos. 126–133 (in vertical pairs), the second Zobbel nos. 134–135 (in vertical pairs), and the third the sheetlet with 4x Zobbel no. 136. All are cancelled with the special first day postmark dated 8.12.1999.

The stamps use three different motifs, all from frescos of Italian renaissance painter Giotto di Bondone (1266–1337) in the Scrovegni (or Arena) chapel in Padua, Italy:
  •   200f, 280f, 2,000f: Nativity of Jesus (Natività di Gesù, 1303–1305)
  •   380f, 460f: Adoration of the Magi (Adorazione dei Magi, 1304–1306)
  •   560f: The Flight into Egypt (Fuga en Egitto, 1303–1305)

Ten stamps (Zobbel nos. 126–135) were issued in sheets of ten in in two different formats, with Zobbel no. 136 issued in a numbered sheet of four (see illustrations below). According to Josef Wallach, only the regular sheets were sold by Palestinian post offices and the Philatelic Office in Gaza. The special sheets with the silver stamps were apparently distributed by printers CARTOR through the philatelic trade only.:

• "Regular": five sheets containing 10 identical stamps. The values and inscriptions are in black (200 and 380 Fils), white (280 and 460 Fils), and yellow (560 Fils). The sheet margin to the right of the bottom right hand stamp shows four colour dots: yellow, black, magenta, and cyan.
• "Special": five sheets each containing 9 copies of the regular stamps (with inscriptiions and border in either black, white or yellow) and one copy with inscriptions and border in silver. The silver stamp is always in the top right hand corner of the sheet (field pos. 5). These sheets feature an additional silver colour dot.
• Zobbel no. 136 was printed in a sheetlet containing 4 stamps (2x2). This sheetlet exists with, but also (extremely rare) without the ink-jet imprinted numerator. The actual print-run ist not known, my research suggests that about 40,000 sheetlet (ie. 160,000 stamps) should exist, though the distribution I detected is rather varied: lowest number seen is 00500, the highest is 37555, with 94% of numbers actually below 20,000.

The colours of the regular sheets appear to be minimally more intensive. André Mazawi reports on the 560 Fils regular (yellow) version that "the sheet margins are in a darker blue compared to the sheet of the other denominations". That seems to be a deliberate design feature, not a variant though.

Illustration of "regular" and "special" sheets. Images courtesy of Rolf Wernecke.	Illustration of sheetlet with Zobbel no. 136 without numerator.

This is the third installment of stamps commemorating the "Bethlehem 2000" celebrations. Other issues were released in 1998: Christmas 1998 block, further series were issued in 1999 (Bethleherm 2000 1999) and 2000 (Easter 2000, Bethlehem 2000 booklet, Christmas 2000)

To make the differentiation of the Bethlehem 2000 stamps more easy, I have created a
           Guide to the Cartor Christmas and Easter Stamps (1999, 2000, 2001)
where all the stamps are shown and classified.

External links:
  •   Giotto agli Scrovegni (Guide to the chapel & its restoration)
  •   Scrovegni Chapel (Italian Wikipedia)
  •   Giotto: Nativity of Jesus (Italian Wikipedia)
  •   Giotto: Adoration of the Magi (Italian Wikipedia)
  •   Giotto: The Flight into Egypt (Italian Wikipedia)

Zobbel	Value	Size	Perfor.	Printed	Notes
126	200f	36.25x51.0mm	K 13.25	n/a	border & inscr.: black; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x126 + 1x127; sheets of 10 (2x5): 10x126
127	200f				border & inscr.: silver; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x126 + 1x127
128	280f				border & inscr.: white; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x128 + 1x129; sheets of 10 (2x5): 10x128
129	280f				border & inscr.: silver; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x128 + 1x129
130	380f				border & inscr.: black; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x130 + 1x131; sheets of 10 (2x5): 10x130
131	380f				border & inscr.: silver; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x130 + 1x131
132	460f				border & inscr.: white; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x132 + 1x133; sheets of 10 (2x5): 10x132
133	460f				border & inscr.: silver; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x132 + 1x133
134	560f				border & inscr.: yellow; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x134 + 1x135; sheets of 10 (2x5): 10x134
135	560f				border & inscr.: silver; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x134 + 1x135
136	2,000f			160,000 (est.)	sheetlet (sized 113.25x142mm) of four (2x2) with five-digit numerator (ink-jet)

A block was issued on 13.12.1999 depicting the Palestine Sunbird (Cinnyris osea oseus). The block contains one stamp denominated at 750 Fils and was printed by Bundesdruckerei GmbH Berlin. Print run: unknown. Perforation: K13.75.
A FDC was issued, bearing a special postmark dated 13.12.1999.

Zobbel	Value	Size	Perfor.	Printed	Notes
137	750f	35x35mm	K 13.75	n/a	Block: Zobbel Bl. 14 (105x70mm)