Arabic translation:
The martyrs of the Ministry of the Interior and National Security (who died) in the Battle of the Shale Stones
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On November 14th 2012 the Israelis assassinated Ahmed Jabari, a prominent Hamas member, in a Gaza street. Hamas responded by launching hundreds of rockets from Gaza into Israel and called this bombardment 'The Battle of the Shale Stones' because the rockets falling on Israel created the same fear among the Israelis as the fear created in the Elephant Army when they were attacked from the air by the birds.
Source:
http://www.palstamps.eu/PSGaza.htm
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Curator's Note: The "Battle of the Shale Stones" refers to The Surat of the Elephant:
"Next morning Abrahah prepared to enter Mecca, but his special elephant, Mahmud, which was in the forefront, knelt down. It was beaten with iron bars, goaded, even scarified, but it would not get up. When they made it face south, north, or east, it would immediately start off, but as soon as they directed it towards Mecca, it knelt down. In the meantime swarms of birds appeared carrying stones in their beaks and claws and showered these on the troops. Whoever was hit would start disintegrating. According to Muhammad bin Ishaq and Ikrimah, this was smallpox, which was seen in Arabia for the first time in that year.
Source: Wikipedia
The Surat of the Elephant
1)Artist's name:
2)Date of publication 2012
3)Sighting Gaza
4)Dimensions:
5)Publisher's name: Palestinian Police (Gaza)
6)Translation:
The Martyrs of the Ministry of Interior and National Security
In the Battle of Shale Stones
7)Copies: no
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http://www.palstamps.eu/PSGaza.htm
Battle of Shale Stones Issue
Although the FDC's are dated 12/12/2012 the stamps and miniature sheet were not released until June 2013
Legend has it that in the year of the birth of Mohammed King Abraha,the Christian King of Ethiopia,attacked Mecca with his powerful army which was known as the Army of the Elephants. The inhabitants of Mecca fled to the mountains because they were unable to fight such a strong enemy.
Chapter [Sura] 105 of the Koran is entitled 'The Elephant' and reads: 'In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Have you not considered how Allah dealt with the Army of the Elephant? Did he not foil their stratagem and send against them flocks of birds which pelted them with clay-stones, so that they became like plants cropped by cattle?'
There are various translations into English of the above text but all are basically the same and all agree that small birds literally bombed the Elephant Army with small stones and wiped it out.
On November 14th 2012 the Israelis assassinated Ahmed Jabari, a prominent Hamas member, in a Gaza street. Hamas responded by launching hundreds of rockets from Gaza into Israel and called this bombardment 'The Battle of the Shale Stones' because the rockets falling on Israel created the same fear among the Israelis as the fear created in the Elephant Army when they were attacked from the air by the birds.
A bird and a picture of Ahmed Jabir are included in the design of the stamps and miniature sheet.
Because shale is basically clay perhaps the stamp designers meant to name the stamps as The Battle of the Clay Stones but chose the wrong word when translating from Arabic into English?