This presentation is given by Mike Bass, member of the France and Colonies Philatelic Society (US).
The Christian French nation has a longstanding relationship with the Promised Land. Beginning when Napoleon decided in the late 18th century to conquer the Near East and open up pathways to India and beyond. France has maintained a presence in the Holy Land utilizing Capitulation Treaties with the Ottomans from the 16th century and set up formal postal operations in 1852.
When WWI erupted in 1914, those post offices closed, yet France sent troops allied with the British to invade Sinai and Palestine which ended 500 years of ruling the Holy Land. This talk shows French troop mail from the region during the war. France even maintained consulates in Jerusalem and issued stamps and postmarks on the eve of Israels statehood in 1948 as a service to French citizens.
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