Rare photos from Israel’s War of Independence to be auctioned

A rare collection of photographs from Israel’s 1948 War of Independence that offer a glimpse into both sides of the struggle will go on auction next week in Jerusalem, the Kedem Auction House said Wednesday.

The auction house said the “remarkably rare and valuable collection” of pictures, which had been designated to be printed by newspapers during the conflict, were unearthed last week, but gave no further details of how they were found, or who they currently belong to.

Among the pictures are shots from the Arab side of the war, including fighters ambushing Jewish caravans near Jerusalem, Arab women waiting for rations in the city, and Jordanian King Abdullah and the Iraqi Regent Abd al-Ilah in Oman dressed in military uniforms just weeks before the Arab armies attacked the fledgling Jewish state.

One of the pictures appears to show a Jewish soldier surrendering to the Arab forces, but the auction house said that the photo had been staged and was actually of an Arab soldier dressed in an Israeli uniform.

The trove also shows pictures from the Israeli side, including soldiers inspecting an Egyptian fighter plane that crashed on a Tel Aviv beach and Arab forces at the port in Haifa surrendering to the IDF soldiers who were waving the Israeli and Navy flags at the port for the very first time.

The Israeli fighters are also seen welcoming prime minister David Ben-Gurion.

Maron Eran, co-owner of Kedem Auction House, said he hoped the buyer would “put the photographs on exhibit in one of the many memorials or libraries documenting the history and achievements of the State of Israel in the years leading up to her independence.”