Palestinian flag
Proportions 1:2The Palestinian flag (Arabic: علم فلسطين) is based on the Flag of the Arab Revolt, and is used to represent the Palestinian people (since 1964[1]), and the Palestinian Authority.
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[edit] Description
The flag is constituted of three equal horizontal bands (black, white, and green from top to bottom) overlaid by a red chevron issuing from the hoist. (See Pan-Arab colors.) The flag is almost identical to that of the Baath Party, and very similar to the flags of Jordan, and Western Sahara, all of which draw their inspiration from the Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule (1916–1918). The flag of the Arab Revolt had the same graphic form, but the colours were arranged differently (white on the bottom rather than in the middle).
For the flag used during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine, see article on the Flag of the British Mandate of Palestine.
[edit] Origin
The origins of the flag are the subject of dispute and mythology. In one version, the colours were chosen by the Arab nationalist 'Literary Club' in Constantinople in 1909, based on the words of the thirteenth century Arab poet Safi a-Din al-Hili:
Ask the high rising spears, of our aspirations
Bring witness the swords, did we lose hope
We are a band, honor halts our souls
Of beginning with harm, those who won’t harm us
White are our deeds, black are our battles,
Green are our fields, red are our swords.
(Safi al-Din al-Hili, poet).
Another version credits the Young Arab Society, formed in Paris in 1911. Yet another version is that the flag was designed by Sir Mark Sykes of the British Foreign Office. Whatever the correct story, the flag was used by Sharif Hussein by 1917 at the latest and quickly became regarded as the flag of the Arab national movement in the Mashriq.[2]
The flag is constituted of three equal horizontal bands (black, white, and green from top to bottom) overlaid by a red chevron issuing from the hoist. (See Pan-Arab colors.) The flag is almost identical to that of the Baath Party, and very similar to the flags of Jordan, and Western Sahara, all of which draw their inspiration from the Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule (1916–1918). The flag of the Arab Revolt had the same graphic form, but the colours were arranged differently (white on the bottom rather than in the middle).
For the flag used during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine, see article on the Flag of the British Mandate of Palestine.
On October 18, 1948, the flag of the Arab Revolt was adopted by the All-Palestine Government, and was recognised subsequently by the Arab League as the flag of Palestine. A modified version was officially adopted as the flag of the Palestinian people by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1964. On November 15, 1988 the PLO adopted the flag as the flag of the State of Palestine. Today the flag is flown widely by Palestinians, and their supporters.[3][4][5]
[edit] Symbolism
- Red
- The Islamic rulers of Andalusia (756-1355)
The Khawarij were the first Islamic group to emerge after the assassination of Caliph Uthman III, forming the first republican party in the early days of Islam. Their symbol was the red flag. Arabian tribes who participated in the conquest of North Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula carried the red flag, which became the symbol of the Al-Andalus, or Muslim Spain (756-1355). In modern times, red symbolises the Ashraaf of Hijaz and the Hashemites, descendants of the Prophet. Sharif Hussein designed the current flag as the flag of the Arab Revolt on June 1916. The Palestinian people raised it as the flag of the Arab National movement in 1917. In 1947, the Arab Ba'ath Party interpreted the flag as a symbol of the liberation and unity of the Arab nation. The Palestinian people re-adopted the flag at the Palestinian conference in Gaza in 1948. The flag was recognized by the Arab League as the flag of the Palestinian people. It was further endorsed by the PLO, the representative of the Palestinians, at the Palestinian conference in Jerusalem in 1964.
- Black
- The Prophet Muhammad (570-632) and Rashidun Caliphate
In the seventh century, with the rise of Islam and subsequent liberation of Mecca, two flags - one white, one black - were carried. On the white flag was written, "There is no god but God, and Mohammad is the Prophet of God." In pre-Islamic times, the black flag was a sign of revenge. It was the color of the headdress worn when leading troops into battle. Both black and white flags were placed in the mosque during Friday prayers. The Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258), ruling from Baghdad, took black as a symbol of mourning for the assassination of relatives of the Prophet and in remembrance of the Battle of Karbala.
The Umayyads ruled for ninety years, taking white as their symbolic color as a reminder of the Prophet's first battle at Badr, and to distinguish themselves from the Abbasids, by using white, rather than black, as their color of mourning. Mu'awia Ibn Abi Sufian (661-750), founder of the Umayyad state, proclaimed himself Caliph of Jerusalem.
The Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt ruled most of northwest Africa the Maghreb, and parts of Arab southwest Asia (the Mashriq. They took green as their color, to symbolise their allegiance to Ali, the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, who was once wrapped in a green coverlet in place of the Prophet in order to thwart an assassination attempt.
[edit] Ban
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This article's factual accuracy is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. (September 2009) |
In 1967, immediately following the Six Day War, the State of Israel banned the Palestinian flag in the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank. A 1980 law forbidding artwork of "political significance" banned artwork composed of its four colours, and Palestinians were arrested for displaying such artwork.[7][8][9]
In Israeli public opinion there had been a prolonged debate on whether or not the ban applied to peace movement using the flags of Israel and Palestine combined, such as Gush Shalom. On some occasions activists wearing badges with such symbols were detained by police and prosecuted.[citation needed]
Since the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993, the ban has been abolished in all matters concerning Israel's official relationship with the Palestinian Authority and the flag has been used together with the Israeli flag in innumerable ceremonies, both on the political and military levels and adorns Palestinian Authority buildings in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, Israel bans use of the flag in East Jerusalem, together with all other symbols of Palestinian sovereignty in the city, and the flag's use by Arab citizens of Israel in internal Israeli demonstrations is extremely unpopular in Israel.[dubious ][10][11]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Flags of the World: Palestine
Quote: "Flag Adopted: between 1964 and 1974." - ^ Tamir Sorek, The orange and the ‘Cross in the Crescent’: imagining Palestine in 1929, Nations and Nationalism, Vol 10 (2004) 269-291.
- ^ United Nations Security Council: The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question (S/PV.5077)
Mr. Terje Roed-Larsen, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General: "[Arafat] with the trademark kaffiyeh epitomized Palestinian identity and national aspirations, even more than the Palestinian flag or the national anthem." - ^ Flags of the World: Palestine
Quote: "The Palestinian flag represents all Palestinian Arab aspirations regardless of party." - ^ AmericanDiplomacy.org: Palestinian Psychological Operations: The First Intifada by Jamie Efaw
Quote: "An example of a common, obvious symbolism came in the form of the Palestinian flag. [...] the flag and the colors transmitted the message to all target audiences the underlying theme of the entire Intifada—Palestinian nationalism. The flag, the symbol of Palestinian nationalism, was ubiquitous in the occupied territories." - ^ PASSIA: The Meaning of the Flag, Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi
Quote: "The Palestinian [sic] people raised it as the flag of the Arab National movement in 1917. In 1947, the Arab Ba'ath Party interpreted the flag as a symbol of the liberation and unity of the Arab nation. The Palestinian people readopted the flag at the Palestinian conference in Gaza in 1948. The flag was recognized by the Arab League as the flag of the Palestinian people. It was further endorsed by the PLO, the representative of the Palestinians, at the Palestinian conference in Jerusalem in 1964." - ^ Kifner, John (October 16, 1993). "Ramallah Journal; A Palestinian Version of the Judgment of Solomon". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE6DD1230F935A25753C1A965958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^ Dalrymple, William (October 2, 2002). "A culture under fire". The Guardian (London). http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,11710,802769,00.html. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^ "The watermelon makes a colourful interlude". The Age (Melbourne). September 12, 2004. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/11/1094789742807.html?from=storylhs.
- ^ "Israel and the occupied territories". 2002 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. US Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18278.htm.
- ^ Muhammad Hallaj (March 1982). "Palestine — The Suppression of an Idea". The Link - Volume 15, Issue 1. Americans for Middle East Understanding. http://www.ameu.org/printer.asp?iid=118&aid=160.
[edit] External links
- Palestine at Flags of the World
- The Meaning of the Flag at the website of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs
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