23 Jaffa Rd., 91999 Jerusalem
Tel. (02) 6290700
Fax (02) 6290790
(Source: Israel Government Year Book)
Website: http://www.postil.com/
Functions and Structure
The Postal Authority was established on April 1, 1987, under the Postal
Authority Law passed by the Knesset on January 14, 1986. This law abolished
the postal services' previous ministerial status, with the aim of increasing
efficiency, significantly improving service, and placing postal affairs on a
viable economic footing, while improving employees' working and salary
conditions.
The functions of the Postal Authority are to provide postal services as
prescribed by law, and to plan, construct, develop, manage, maintain,
operate, and sustain the requisite systems for the provision of postal
services. All these are to be carried out in accordance with the principle
laid down in Section 5 of the Postal Authority Law, i.e., that the Authority
be run as an independent economic enterprise. This has led to certain
overall aims pursued by the Authority in its operations: markedly improving
service, the Authority's business and economic posture, and employees' work
and pay conditions.
Postal Authority Council: On March 31, 1986, pursuant to
the Postal Authority Law, the Postal Authority Council was appointed. Its
membership comprises six government representatives (from the Finance and
Communications Ministries), four public representatives, and union
representatives. The Council, with the Government's approval, appoints the
Director-General of the Postal Authority. The Director-General, answerable
to the Council, is in charge of day-to-day operations.
Postal Units: There are 645 postal facilities in the
country, including the central sorting facility, 95 post offices, 138
branches in urban and rural communities, 360 postal agencies in
neighborhoods and suburbs, and 52 mobile post routes serving 873 rural
settlements around the country.
The Postal Bank
The bank, established under the Postal Bank
Law 5711-1951, serves two major purposes: facilitating the transfer of funds
and encouraging savings. In pursuit of these aims, the bank operates a
clearinghouse (deposits, withdrawals, transfers), offers interest-bearing,
CPI-linked savings accounts, transfers funds by means of money orders and
postal orders, and provides COD services.
The Banking Service is the operating arm of the Postal Bank. The Banking
Service's EDP and centralized clearing-house system, along with the wide
distribution of post offices throughout the country, have made the Postal
Bank into a major player in the area of over-the-counter funds transfers and
payments. It handles more than 50% of all such payments in Israel, including
65% of payments to the government and public sector.
Postal Bank services are provided to two groups of customers:
- account holders;
- members of the general public who choose to perform their banking
activities through post offices and the Banking Service.
Collection and reporting services are provided to account holders who must
collect money from the public; the cost of providing these services is
charged to the account holders. Account holders receive daily itemized
reports on payments transferred to their accounts via post-office counters
all over the country. The data are transmitted in printed reports, on
magtape, or via computer-network file transfers.
The Banking Service enables the general public to make its payments at
postal counters without paying the fee charged by commercial banks. In order
to make things easier for the public, income tax, value added tax, and
National Insurance Institute payments can be made through postdated
checks.
International agreements enable the Banking Service to provide payment
services to holders of Giro accounts in various countries in Europe and
redemption of international money orders.
Philatelic Service
The Postal Authority's Philatelic
Service designs, produces, and markets Israeli stamps and accessories in
Israel and abroad, produces postmark imprinters, organizes philatelic
exhibitions, and produces collectors' albums.
The Philatelic Service is responsible for planning, producing, and marketing
Israeli stamps, postmarks, and other postal and philatelic paraphernalia. It
is also responsible for encouraging and fostering stamp collecting,
increasing awareness of collecting Israeli stamps at home and abroad, and
the sale of philatelic items to collectors.
Israeli stamps excel in their artistic level and are produced with strict
attention to a balance between the number of issues, variety of topics, and
denominations. This has given Israeli stamps great esteem and honor in world
philatelic circles.
Each year some 25 to 30 stamps are produced in five series. Stamp are
accompanied by first-day covers, a collector's page, an annual album,
postcards, and artistic posters. The Philatelic Service is also responsible
for producing special postmarks, another collector's item. As an ancillary
product to special postmarks the Philatelic Service has developed the
souvenir sheet. The Philatelic Service has some 44,000 subscribers in Israel
and another 7,000 overseas. It also sells its stamps at counters all over
Israel, through stamp dealers, and via some 15 agents overseas.
The Philatelic Service cooperates with the Israel Philatelic Association and
funds some of its activities. The Philatelic Service also cooperates with
stamp dealers in Israel; in this context, it sponsors the annual Hebrew
Stamp Week.
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