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The flag of Israel. Photo by Dr. Zachi Evenor on

12 Sensational Facts about the Flag of Israel 

The flag of Israel was officially adopted in October 28, 1948, five months after the state of Israel was established. The flag has a blue hexagram between two horizontal blue stripes on a white background.

Learn more about the flag of Israel in these 12 sensational facts.

1. The flag of Israel was Adopted in 1948

The official adoption of the flag occurred in October 28, 1948, five months after the establishment of the state of Israel. The provisional state council asked the Israel public to submit a flag proposal and received 164 entries in May 1948.

The council had initially wished to abandon the traditional design of the Zionist flag and came up with something different to prevent Jews around the world from being charged with dual loyalty when displaying the Zionist flag, which would create the impression that they are flying the flag of a foreign country.

After a Zionist representative from around the world moderated the concerns of their Israel colleagues, the flag of the Zionist organization was adopted as the official flag of the state of Israel.

2. 5,000 Israeli Flags Were Signed in 2018

To mark Israel鈥檚 70th anniversary in 2018, 200, 000 fans of the Jewish state around the world signed 5,000 Israel flags.

Different people from all over the world, including spiritual and cultural figures, ordinary people wrote words of blessing and good wishes on the flags.

The messages were written using different languages, including Russian, Arabic and Chinese. People participated in the signing of the project from across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

The 5000 signed Israel flags are now found in a time capsule in Jerusalem Ammunition Hill, which was the site of heavy fighting during Israel鈥檚 war of independence.

3. It is Illegal to Burn the Flag of Israel

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In 2009, Greek fans protested Israel soccer team Hapoel Jerusalem by burning the Israel flag and waving the flags of Hezbollah instead.

The German parliament made it illegal to burn Israel鈥檚 flag in July 2020, an action sadly necessitated by the demonization of the Israel national flag and several instances where mobs burned the Israel flag in German cities to express their hatred for Jews and the Jewish state.

4. The Dimension of the Flag of Israel

The Israel flag legislation has clearly stated the official measurement of the flag is 160*220 cm. the official proportions are 8:11. Variants can be found in many propositions, with 2:3 being common.

5. The interpretation of the Flag of Israel Colors

The blue and white color of the Jewish flag was derived from a 1860 poem 鈥淛udah Colors鈥� by Austrian Ludwig August Frankl.

The poem explained that the blue symbolized the splendours of the firmament and the white represented the radiance of the priesthood.

The blue stripes were inspired by the stripes on the tallit (prayer shawl). They provided religious and ritual symbolism of Jewish life guided by percepts of the Torah, while the star of David reflected the unity of the Jewish people.

The dark blue stripes in the original flag were later lightened to enhance visibility at sea. After establishing the state of Israel, the Zionist flag became the official national flag.

A white rectangle with two blue stripes along its entire length and a star of David in the center made up of sex dark blue stripes forming two equilateral triangles.

6. The First Design of the flag was by Theodor Herzl

Theodor Herzl鈥檚 first design for a Zionist flag was written in his diary in 1895 and proposed in the Jewish state one year later.

The Zionist flag had seven gold stars (which represented seven working hours of a day) on a white background( standing for 鈥渙ur new and pure life鈥�).

Zionist leaders convinced Theodor Herzl to accept the star of David and insisted that six stars appear opposite the six points of the Magen David( star of David or Jewish star ) with the seventh star above it.

This design with the inscription Aryeh Yehudar (lion of Judah) embroidered in the center became the first Zionist flag.

7. The Star of David

flag of Israel at half staff at a military cemetery, as a flame burns in an upturned soldier’s helmet. Photo by Damzom on

Jewish believed in shielding traits to specific geometric shapes in the Middle Ages. That was when the hexagram received its name 鈥淢agen David,鈥� Hebrew for 鈥渟hield of David.鈥�

The hexagram known as the star of David reappeared in Jewish art. The hexagram received its place as a Jewish symbol in the 17th century.

 It received its place when the Jews of plaque were permitted to display a Jewish flag and then a red flag with a yellow hexagram on the main city synagogue as recognition for their contribution to saving the city from invaders.

8. The structure of the Flag of Israel

The national flag consists of two horizontal blue lines on a white background which stands as a symbol of the Jewish tallit, a traditional Jewish prayer shawl and a star of David.

9. The Zionist Flag Became Flag of Israel

After Israel was established as a state, it was unclear if the Zionist flag would become the Israel flag. The main concern was that if it became the Israel flag, it would be accused of having doubly loyalty and possibly of being a traitor.

A committee was appointed to find Israel a flag and concluded that the Zionist flag could be adapted as the flag of the state of Israel.

10. The Flag of Israel was Claimed to be Bias

The high follow-up committee for Arab citizens of Israel raised criticism, claiming that Israel鈥檚 national symbols, including its flag.

The claims state that it constitutes an official bias towards the Jewish majority, reinforcing the inequality between Arabs and Jews in Israel.

11. The Two Blue Stripes have Controversial Meaning

Based on the boundaries of the promised land given in the Book of Genesis, Palestine, including Yasser Arafat and Hamas, has claimed that the blue stripes on the Israel flag represent the Nile and Euphrates Rivers and allege that Israel desires to eventually seize all the land between.

The Hamas Covenant states, 鈥淎fter Palestine鈥檚, the Zionist aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates.鈥� Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar demanded that Israel change its flag, citing the 鈥淣ile to the Euphrates鈥� issue in 2006.

Arab writer Saqr Abu Fakhr wrote that the 鈥淣ile to the Euphrates鈥� is a popular misconception about Jews. Despite being unfounded and having abundant evidence refuting them, it continues circulating in the Arab World.

12. The Flag of Israel Received Criticism for Been Displayed in Place of Worship

The flag faced criticism from strictly orthodox Jews stems back to their opposition to early Zionism when same went as far as banning the star of David. The star was a religious symbol that had become defamed after being adopted by the World Zionist Organization.