Palestine pound

{{Short description|Currency of the British Mandate of Palestine and later Israel from 1927 to 1952}} {{Infobox currency | local_name1 = جنيه فلسطيني | local_name_lang1 = ar | local_name2 = לירה פלשתינאית (א״י) | local_name_lang2 = he | image_1 = 1 Palestine Pound 1939 Obverse.jpg | image_title_1 = A 1939 one Palestine pound note | using_countries = {{flag|Mandatory Palestine}} (1 Nov 1927 – 15 May 1948) {{flag|Emirate of Transjordan}} (1 Nov 1927 – 25 May 1946) {{flag|Jordan}} (25 May 1946 – 30 September 1950) {{flag|Israel}} (15 May 1948 – 23 June 1952) {{flagicon|Hejaz|1917}} All-Palestine (22 September 1948 – April 1951) {{flagicon|Jordan}} West Bank (1 December 1948 – 30 September 1950) | subunit_ratio_1 = 1⁄1000 | subunit_name_1 = Mil | symbol = £P or LP | used_coins = 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100 mils, 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500 prutot | used_banknotes = 500 mils, £P1, £P5, £P10, £P50, £P100 | issuing_authority = Palestine Currency Board | printer = Thomas De La Rue | replaced_currency = Egyptian pound (Mandatory Palestine) | replaced_by_currency = Jordanian dinar (Jordan and West Bank) Egyptian pound (All-Palestine Protectorate)(Gaza) Israeli pound (Israel) | obsolete = yes | subunit_name_2 = Prutah (from 1950 in Israel) | subunit_ratio_2 = 1⁄1000 }} right|thumb|260px|A 500 mil (£P{{frac|1|2}}) note issued by the Anglo-Palestine Bank in Jaffa in 1948.

The '''Palestine pound''' or '''Palestine lira''' ({{langx|ar|جُنَيْه فِلَسْطَينِيّ}} [{{lang|ar-Latn|junayh filastini}}]; {{langx|he|פונט פלשתינאי}} {{lang|he-Latn|[funt' palestinā'iy]}} or לירה ארץ-ישראלית {{lang|he-Latn|[lira eretz israelit]}} or לירה פלשתינאית {{lang|he-Latn|[lira palestināy'it]}}; symbol: '''£P'''),<ref>As depicted on [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EI_-_Mandate_-_Pictorials_-_22.jpg a revenue stamp] issued under the Mandate.</ref><ref>As depicted on [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D7%A9%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%A0%D7%A2%D7%9F_1935-40_-_i%D7%A4%D7%A7-%D7%A0%D7%A2%D7%9F_4i_btm6996.jpeg a Barclays cheque]</ref> was the currency of the British Mandate of Palestine from 1 November 1927 to 14 May 1948, and of the State of Israel between 15 May 1948 and 23 June 1952, until it was replaced with the Israeli pound.

The Palestine pound was also the currency of Transjordan until 1949 when it was replaced by the Jordanian dinar, and remained in usage in the West Bank of Jordan until 1950. In the Gaza Strip, the Palestine pound continued to circulate until April 1951, when it was replaced back with the Egyptian pound.

==History== Until 1918, Palestine was an integral part of the Ottoman Empire and therefore used its currency, the Ottoman lira. During 1917 and 1918, Palestine was occupied by the British army, who set up a military administration. The official currency was the Egyptian pound, which had been first introduced into Egypt in 1834, but several other currencies were legal tender at fixed exchange rates that were vigorously enforced.<ref>Egyptian Expeditionary Force, ''The Palestine News'', March 7, 1918, p2. Turkish coins but not Turkish notes were legal. In January, a resident of Jerusalem was sentenced to 3 months' hard labour for selling a French Napoleon for 92.5 piastres instead of the regulation 77.15 piastres.</ref><ref>Egyptian Expeditionary Force, A Guide-Book to Central Palestine, August 1918, p106.</ref> After the establishment of a civil administration in 1921, the High Commissioner Herbert Samuel ordered that from 22 January 1921 only Egyptian currency and the British gold sovereign would be legal tender.<ref>Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, No. 36, 1 February 1921, p13.</ref>

In 1926, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies appointed a Palestine Currency Board to introduce a local currency.<ref name="Gazette170">Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, No. 170, 1 September 1926, pp447–449. [http://jpress.nli.org.il/Olive/APA/NLI/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=PLB%2F1926%2F09%2F03&id=Ar00200&sk=B2833644]</ref> It was based in London and chaired by Percy G. Ezechiel, with a Currency Officer resident in Palestine.<ref name=Gazette170/> The board decided that the new currency would be called the Palestine pound, 1:1 with sterling and divided into 1,000 mils.<ref name=Gazette182>Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, No. 182, 1 March 1927, pp131–134.</ref> The £P1 gold coin would contain 123.27447 grains of standard gold.<ref name=Gazette182/> The enabling legislation was the Palestine Currency Order, 1927, signed by the King in February 1927.<ref name=Gazette193>Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, No. 193, 16 August 1927, pp590–592.</ref> The Palestine pound became legal tender on 1 November 1927.<ref name=Gazette196>Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, No. 196, 1 October 1927, p679.</ref> The Egyptian pound (at the fixed rate of £P1 = £E0.975) and the British gold sovereign remained legal tender until 1 March 1928.<ref name=Gazette193/><ref>Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, No. 205, 16 February 1928, p94, and No. 206, 1 March 1928, p114.</ref>

The Palestine Currency Order explicitly excluded Transjordan from its application, but the Government of Transjordan decided to adopt the Palestine pound at the same time as Palestine did.<ref>{{cite book | author = Howard M. Berlin | title = The Coins and Banknotes of Palestine Under the British Mandate, 1927-1947 | year = 2015 | page = 22 | publisher = McFarland}}</ref><ref>[http://jpress.nli.org.il/Olive/APA/NLI/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=PLB%2F1928%2F12%2F10&id=Ar00103&sk=B7B127AD Palestine Currency Board, Report for the period ending 1st March 1928]</ref> The Egyptian pound remained legal tender in Transjordan until 1930.<ref>{{cite book|author=Howard M. Berlin|title = World Monetary Units: An Historical Dictionary, Country by Country | page = 85 | publisher = McFarland | year = 2015}}</ref>

All the denominations were trilingual in Arabic, English and Hebrew.

{{Blockquote|text=It so happened that the new Palestinian currency was released, which was a great ordeal. The Palestinian currency which was coined especially for Palestine, and issued both in banknotes and coins, had the phrase “the land of Israel” written on it in Hebrew. Despite this hint, we accepted it, and the Arabs of Palestine dealt in it in what was almost an acknowledgment that Palestine was the land of Israel.|author=Wasif Jawhariyyeh|source=''The Storyteller of Jerusalem'', page 698}}

The Currency Board was dissolved in May 1948, with the end of the British Mandate, but the Palestinian pound continued in circulation for transitional periods:{{Citation needed|date=March 2020}} * Israel adopted the Israeli lira in 1952. In August 1948, new banknotes were issued by the Anglo-Palestine Bank, owned by the Jewish Agency and based in London. * Jordan adopted the Jordanian dinar in 1949. * In the West Bank, the Palestine pound continued to circulate until 1950, when the West Bank was annexed by Jordan, and the Jordanian dinar became legal tender there. The Jordanian dinar is still legal tender in the West Bank along with the Israeli shekel. * In the Gaza Strip, the Palestine pound continued to circulate until April 1951, when it was replaced by the Egyptian pound, three years after the Egyptian army took control of the territory.

Since the mid-1980s, the primary currencies used in the West Bank have been the shekel and the Jordanian dinar.<ref name=Zacharia>{{Cite news |issn=0190-8286 |last=Zacharia |first=Janine |title=Palestinian officials think about replacing Israeli shekel with Palestine pound |access-date=2018-08-22 |date=2010-05-31 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/29/AR2010052903131.html |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> The shekel is used for most transactions, especially retail, while the dinar is used more for savings and durable goods transactions.<ref name=Cobham>{{Cite book |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780415327619 |editor=David Cobham |editor2=Nu'man Kanafani |last=Cobham |first=David |title=The Economics of Palestine: Economic Policy and Institutional Reform for a Viable Palestine State |chapter=Alternative currency arrangements for a new Palestinian state |location=London |date=2004-09-15 |url=http://fmwww.bc.edu/repec/mmfc04/13.pdf |access-date=2018-08-22}}</ref> The US dollar is also sometimes used for savings and for purchasing foreign goods.<ref name=Cobham /> The dollar is used by the overwhelming majority of transactions overseen by the Palestinian Monetary Authority (Palestine's nascent central bank), which only represent a fraction of all transactions conducted in Palestine or by Palestinians.<ref name=Lauria>{{Cite web| last = Lauria| first = Joe| title = Getting Money in Gaza: An Interview With Palestine's Central Banker| work = Huffington Post| accessdate = 2018-08-22| date = 2014-08-09| url = https://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-lauria/getting-money-in-gaza-an-_b_5664160.html}}</ref>

The shekel is the main currency in Gaza.<ref>{{cite web |title=Palestinian Territories > Gaza Strip > Currency |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/palestinian-territories/gaza-strip/stats/currency/a/nar/568f7753-dae8-4834-986a-eca8c6320e1e/1318877 |website=Lonely Planet |access-date=22 August 2018}}</ref><ref name=Sawa2>{{cite news |title=استبدال العملات التالفة وإدخال الفكة و15 مليون دولار لغزة |url=https://palsawa.com/post/157060/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%AF%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%88%D8%A3%D8%AF%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7-15-%D9%85%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%84%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9 |access-date=22 August 2018 |work=سوا: وكالة انباء فلسطينية مستقدمة |date=25 June 2018}}</ref> Under Egyptian rule (1948–1956), Gaza mainly used the Egyptian pound.<ref name=Filiu>{{Cite book |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190201913 |last=Filiu |first=Jean-Pierre |title=Gaza: A History |page=123 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_hzBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT123 |access-date=22 August 2018 |date=2014-08-14}}</ref><ref name=Khaleej>{{cite news |title=حلقات الحصار تشتدّ.. أزمة السيولة النقدية تُطيح باقتصاد غزة |url=http://alkhaleejonline.net/%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF/%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%AF%D9%91-%D8%A3%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D9%8F%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9 |access-date=22 August 2018 |work=الخليج اونلين |date=31 May 2018}}</ref> When Israel occupied the Gaza Strip during the 1956 Suez Crisis, the military administration made the Israeli lira (the predecessor to the shekel) the only legal currency in Gaza in a 3 December decree, and implemented a favorable exchange rate to remove all Egyptian pounds from circulation.<ref name=Filiu /> As a result, the lira and then the shekel became the dominant currency in Gaza, a situation that was reinforced in 1967 by the Israeli occupation of Gaza following the Six-Day War.<ref name=Filiu /><ref name=AbuAmer>{{cite news |last1=Abu Amer |first1=Ahmad |title=Israel tightens financial noose on Gaza |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/07/gaza-exchange-shop-israel-financial-restrictions.html |access-date=22 August 2018 |publisher=Al-Monitor |date=2 July 2018}}</ref>

Under Article IV of the Protocol on Economic Relations, the Palestinians are not allowed to independently introduce a separate Palestinian currency.<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpolicy/peace/guide/pages/gaza-jericho%20agreement%20annex%20iv%20-%20economic%20protoco.aspx Annex IV - ''Protocol on Economic Relations between the Government of the State of Israel and the P.L.O., representing the Palestinian people'']. Israel MFA, 29 April 1994</ref><ref name=Naqib>{{cite report |last=Naqib |first=Fadle M. |date=October 2002 |title=Economic Aspects of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict |url=https://www.peacepalacelibrary.nl/ebooks/files/dp2002-100.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823005817/https://www.peacepalacelibrary.nl/ebooks/files/dp2002-100.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 23, 2018 |publisher=UNU World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER) |page=13 |docket=Discussion Paper No. 2002/100 |access-date=22 August 2018 |issn=1609-5774 }}</ref> At the same time, the use of two currencies has the potential to increase the costs and inconvenience arising from fluctuating exchange rates.<ref name=Naqib />

==Coins== In 1927,{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 mils. The 1 and 2 mil were struck in bronze, whilst the 5, 10 and 20 mil were holed, cupro-nickel coins, except for during World War II, when they were also minted in bronze. The coin of 10 mils was also called a grush. The 50 and 100 mil coins were struck in .720 silver.

The last coins were issued for circulation in 1946, with all 1947 dated coins being melted down.

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%" ! colspan="10" | Palestine pound Coinage |- ! colspan="10" |Issued by the Palestine currency Board |- !rowspan="2"| Image !!rowspan="2"| Value !!colspan="3"| Technical parameters !!colspan="3"| Description !!rowspan="2"| Date of first issue ! rowspan="2" |Dated years of issue |- ! Diameter !! Mass !! Composition !! Edge !! Obverse !! Reverse |- |align="center"|frameless | 1 mil | 21 mm | 3.23 g |rowspan="2"| Bronze | rowspan="8" | Plain | rowspan="8" | "Palestine" in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, year of minting. |rowspan="2"| Value in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, olive sprig | rowspan="3" | 1927 |1927, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946 |- |align="center"|frameless | 2 mils | 28 mm | 7.77 g |1927, 1941, 1942, 1945, 1946 |- |align="center"|frameless | 5 mils | 20 mm | 2.91 g | Cupro-nickel | rowspan="8" | Value in Arabic, English, and Hebrew |1927, 1934, 1935, 1939, 1941, 1946 |- |frameless |5 mils |20 mm |2.9 |Bronze |1942 |1942, 1944 |- | align="center" |frameless | 10 mils | 27 mm | 6.47 g |Cupro-nickel |1927 |1927, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1946 |- |frameless |10 mils |27 mm |6.47 |Bronze |1942 |1942, 1943 |- | align="center" |frameless | 20 mils | 30.5 mm | 11.33 g |Cupro-nickel |1927 |1927, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1940, 1941 |- |frameless |20 mils |30.5 mm |11.3 |Bronze |1942 |1942, 1944 |- | align="center" |frameless | 50 mils | 23.6 mm | 5.83 g | rowspan="2" | 720‰ Silver | rowspan="2" | Reeded | rowspan="2" | "Palestine" in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, year of minting, olive sprig. | rowspan="2" |1927 | rowspan="2" |1927, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1943 |- | align="center" |frameless | 100 mils | 29 mm | 11.66 g |- ! colspan="10" |Issued by the State of Israel |- ! rowspan="2" |Image ! rowspan="2" |Value ! colspan="3" |Technical parameters ! colspan="3" |Description ! rowspan="2" |Date of first issue ! rowspan="2" |Dated years of issue |- !Diameter !Mass !Composition !Edge !Obverse !Reverse |- |frameless |1 pruta<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.boi.org.il/en/Currency/PastNotesAndCoinsSeries/Pages/Default.aspx#Top|title=Bank of Israel - Past Notes & Coins Series - Past Notes & Coin Series|website=www.boi.org.il|access-date=2017-11-30}}</ref> |21 mm |1.3 g |Aluminum | rowspan="4" |Plain |Anchor; "Israel" in Hebrew and Arabic.

The design is based on a coin from the Bar-Kochba Revolt (132-135CE). |The denomination "10 Pruta" and the date in Hebrew; two stylized olive branches around the rim. |4 January 1950 |- |frameless |25 mil |30 mm |3.8 g |Aluminum | rowspan="2" |Cluster of grapes, based on coins struck during the Bar-Kochba Revolt (132-135 CE); "Israel" in Hebrew above and in Arabic below. |The denomination "25 Mil" in Hebrew and Arabic; date in Hebrew below; two stylized olive branches around, based on coins struck during the Bar-Kochba Revolt (132-135 CE). |6 April 1949 |5708 (1948), 5709 (1949) |- |frameless |25 pruta |19.5 mm |2.8 g | rowspan="4" |Cupro-nickel | rowspan="4" |Reeded |Value and date in Hebrew within wreath. |4 January 1950 | rowspan="4" |5709 (1949) |- |frameless |50 pruta |23.5 mm |5.69 g |A Branch of Grape Leaves. |Value and date within wreath made up of two stylized olive branches that for a circle around perimeter. |11 May 1949 |- |frameless |100 pruta |28.5 mm |11.3 g |Date palm tree with seven branches and two bunches of dates. Country name is listed in Hebrew and Arabic. |Value and date in Hebrew within wreath of stylized olive branches. |25 May 1949 |- |frameless |250 pruta |32.2 mm |14.1 g |Three palm branches; "Israel" in Hebrew and Arabic.

The design is based on a coin minted during the Great Revolt (66 - 70 CE). |The denomination "250 Pruta" and the date in Hebrew; two stylized olive branches around the rim. |11 October 1950 |- | colspan="10" |{{Standard coin table notice|standard_scale=Y|BrE=Y}} |}

==Banknotes== On 1 November 1927, banknotes were introduced by the Palestine Currency Board in denominations of 500 mils, £P1, £P5, £P10, £P50 and £P100. Notes were issued with dates as late as 15 August 1945.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Linzmayer | first1 = Owen | title = The Banknote Book | chapter = Palestine | publisher = www.BanknoteNews.com | year = 2012 | location = San Francisco, CA | url = http://www.banknotebook.com}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%" ! colspan="10" | Palestine pound Banknotes |- ! colspan="10" |Issued by the Palestine currency Board |- ! colspan="2" | Image !! rowspan="2" | Value !! rowspan="2" | Dimensions<ref>Palestine Gazette, March 1, 1927, p134</ref>!! rowspan="2" | Main Colour !! colspan="3" | Description !! rowspan="2" | Date of first issue !! rowspan="2" | Quantity circulated at the end of the Mandate |- ! Obverse !! Reverse !! Obverse !! Reverse !! Watermark |- |align="center"| 140px|500 mils |align="center"| | 500 mils | 127 × 76 mm | Purple | Rachel's Tomb |rowspan="6"| Citadel and Tower of David |rowspan="6"| Olive sprig |rowspan="6"| 1 September 1927 |1,872,811 |- |align="center"| 140px|1 pound obverse |align="center"| 140px | £P1 | 166 × 89 mm | Yellowish green | Dome of the Rock | 9,413,578 |- |align="center"| 140px |align="center"| | £P5 |rowspan="4"| 191 × 102 mm | Red | rowspan="4"| Tower of Ramla | 3,909,230 |- |align="center"| 140px|10 pounds |align="center"| | £P10 | Blue | 2,004,128 |- |align="center"|140px| |align="center"| | £P50 | Purple | 20,577 |- |align="center"| 140px|100 pounds |align="center"| | £P100 | Green | 1,587 |- | colspan="10" | "Palestine" in Arabic, English. |- ! colspan="10" |Issued by the Anglo-Palestine Bank (State of Israel) |- ! colspan="2" |Image ! rowspan="2" |Value ! rowspan="2" |Dimensions ! rowspan="2" |Main Colour ! colspan="3" |Description ! colspan="2" |Date of |- !Obverse !Reverse !Obverse ! colspan="2" |Reverse !Issue !Ceased to be legal tender |- | colspan="2" |frameless |500 mils<ref name="auto"/> |148 x 72 mm |Grey-pink | rowspan="5" |Guilloches; the denomination and "The Anglo-Palestine Bank Limited" in Hebrew and English. | colspan="2" rowspan="5" |Guilloches; the denomination and "The Anglo-Palestine Bank Limited" in Arabic and English. | rowspan="5" |18 August 1948 | rowspan="5" |23 June 1952 |- | colspan="2" |frameless |£P1 |100 x 75 mm |Blue-green |- | colspan="2" |frameless |£P5 |105 x 68 mm |Brown |- | colspan="2" |frameless |£P10 |150 x 80 mm |Red |- | colspan="2" |frameless |£P50 |159 x 84 mm |Violet |}

The £P100 note was equivalent to 40 months’ wages of a skilled worker in Palestine.<ref>{{cite book|last=Berlin|first=Howard M|title=The coins and banknotes of Palestine under the British mandate, 1927-1947|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson|year=2001|pages=71|isbn=978-0786408795}}</ref> At the end of 1947, five months before the end of the British Mandate, there were 1,590 £P100 notes in circulation, out of a total circulation of £P40.6 million in notes and £P1.5 million in coins.<ref>Palestine Currency Board, Statement of Coins and Notes in Circulation at the 31st December, 1947. The Palestine Gazette No. 1644, January 29, 1948, p. 72.</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist}} {{refbegin}} * {{numis cite SCWC | date=1991}} * {{numis cite SCWPM | date=1994}} * {{cite book | title= The Coins And Banknotes of Palestine Under the British Mandate, 1927-1947 | last = Berlin | first = Howard | publisher= McFarland & Company | year= 2005 | isbn=0-7864-2445-1 }} * ''Memorandum relating to currency arrangements.'' In: Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, 9. 1927, no. 182 (1.03.1927), pp. 131–134. * ''Currency Notes Ordinance 1927.'' In: Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, 9. 1927, no. 184 (1.04.1927), pp. 249–252. * ''Palestine Currency Order 1927.'' In: Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, 9. 1927, no. 193 (16.08.1927), pp. 590–592. * ''Notice: Palestine Currency.'' In: Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, 9. 1927, no. 197 (16.10.1927), pp. 726–727. {{refend}}

==External links==

{{Historical currencies of Israel}} {{Mandatory Palestine topics}} {{Pound (currency)}} {{Portal bar|Palestine|Money|Numismatics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palestine Pound}} Category:Currencies of the British Empire Category:Currencies of Israel Category:Currencies of Jordan Category:Modern obsolete currencies Category:Mandatory Palestine Category:1927 establishments in Mandatory Palestine Category:Pound (currency)