The
Israeli lira (,
Lira Yisr'elit, plural:
Lirot Yisr'eliyot, לִירוֹת יִשׂרְאְלִיּוֹת) or
Israel pound was the
currency of the State of
Israel from August 1948 until 23 February 1980, when it was replaced with the
Old Israeli shekel on 24 February 1980. Until 1952, the name used on the notes of the
Anglo-Palestine Bank was
Palestine pound, in Hebrew לירה א"י (
lira E.Y. i.e.
lira Eretz-Yisraelit). In
Arabic, the name was given as
junayh filisţīnī (جنيه فلسطيني). In 1952, the
Anglo-Palestine Bank changed its name to
Bank Leumi Le-Yisrael (Israel National Bank) and the currency name became:
lira yisraelit (לירה ישראלית) in Hebrew,
junayh isrāīlī in Arabic, and Israel pound in English. From 1955, after the
Bank of Israel was established and took over the duty of issuing
banknotes, only the Hebrew name was used, along with the symbol "I£". Before the
Israeli lira the currency of the
British Mandate and Israel was the
Palestine pound between 1927 and August 1948.