Auction #39

Lebanon Military Postal History. Cover with letter carried by P.L.O. special relay, active between Damascus and Beirut and vice versa. The letter, dated 26/3/1969, was sent by Yasser Arafat and addressed to the Lebanese Prime Minister Rachid Karame. Arabic to English translation attached. B. Longo photo certificate. EXCEPTIONAL WITNESS OF LEBANESE AND PALESTINIAN POSTAL HISTORY. A Historical background. In January 1964, in the meeting of the Arab League in Cairo, it was decided, inter alia, the financing of the Palestinian cause. As a result the following May in Jerusalem was founded the P.L.O. (Palestine Liberation Organization). P.L.O. was also the collector statutory funds financed by Arab countries, including Lebanon. After various vicissitudes in July 1968, Yasser Arafat founder of al-Fatha, took control of the P.L.O. and became its leader. The container. Cover dimensioned 24 cm X 10 cm with P.L.O. logo printed, blue seal "RECOMMAND" and protocol registration number 15668. The recipient address was erased resulting just the name written in Arabic of the destination city: Beirut. On the back the sender address also was erased but is partially visible "B.P." (Boite Postal= Postal Box) and handwritten in Arabic "Damascus". The content. The typewritten letter in Arabic is an actual "notice of non-payment" written by Yasser Arafat and addressed to the Prime Minister of Lebanon H. E. Rachid Karame to complain about the non-payment of funds granted by the Lebanese state. In the letter, Arafat confirming that for the first three years the funds have been paid (1964-1965, 1965-1966 and 1966-1967 [Edit]), then insists on the non-payment corresponding to the years 1967/1968 and 1968/1969, finally, the P.L.O. seal was affixed together with Arafat's signature. This led to a critical point in the relations between the P.L.O. and the Lebanese governments which, along with many other reasons, were cause of the Lebanese civil war. UNIQUE AND GREAT WITNESS OF THE LEBANESE CIVIL WAR AND THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE.