Flag of Mandatory Palestine facts for kids
The British Mandate for Palestine was a time between 1920 and 1948 when Britain governed the land of Palestine. This was set up by the League of Nations, an international group that existed before the United Nations. During this period, the main flag used was the Union Jack, which is the flag of the United Kingdom. However, there were also special flags for different government departments and officials in Palestine.
One unique flag was the Palestine ensign. This flag was red with a small Union Jack in the top left corner. It also had a white circle in the middle with the word "Palestine" written inside. This ensign was used by ships registered in the British Mandate territory from 1927 to 1948. It was based on the British Red Ensign, which is used by non-government ships, instead of the Blue Ensign, which was used for flags of most other British-ruled areas. This was because the Palestine ensign was only for ships not owned by the government.
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History of Flags in Mandatory Palestine
When the first British High Commissioner, Herbert Samuel, arrived, he thought about creating an official flag for Palestine. However, it was very difficult to design a flag that would make everyone happy. There were many different groups of people living in Palestine, and they all had different ideas. Because of this, the British administration continued to use the Union Jack as the main flag.
In 1927, the special maritime ensign was officially introduced. This flag allowed ships belonging to people in Palestine to show their connection to the territory while at sea. Later, in 1929, the Palestine Customs department also got its own flags. These flags were based on the Blue Ensign and had the word "Palestine" or "Customs" written on them.
Arab Flags in Mandatory Palestine
Palestinian Arabs sometimes used their own flags. These flags were often similar to the Flag of the Arab Revolt. This was a flag used during World War I by Arab forces fighting for independence. In 1929, there was a public discussion about creating a Palestinian national flag. A newspaper called Filastin even published ideas for a flag and a national song.
Many different flag designs were suggested. Most of them were based on the Arab Revolt flag, which has black, white, green, and red stripes. Some designs also included symbols like crosses and crescents, or the color orange. During the 1936-39 Arab revolt in Palestine, a group was photographed with a flag that looked a lot like the current Palestinian flag. This flag also had a crescent and a cross, along with some Arabic writing.
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The original flag of the Arab Revolt, used during World War I.
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A changed version of the Arab Revolt flag, which became popular after the war. Many Palestinian flags were based on this design.
Jewish Flags in Mandatory Palestine
Jewish residents in Palestine, known as the Yishuv, often used flags related to Zionism. Zionism is a movement that supported the creation of a Jewish homeland. These flags were commonly flown by Jewish organizations like The Jewish Agency or the Histadrut. However, the British authorities never officially recognized these "Hebrew flags." This was because the British wanted to stay neutral between the Jewish and Arab communities in Palestine. The only official flags of Palestine were the Union Jack and its related flags.
Interestingly, a French dictionary called Le Petit Larousse Illustré showed a flag for Palestine from 1924 to 1939. This flag had a yellow Star of David on a blue and white background. It's not clear why this dictionary chose this specific flag to represent Palestine. The flag that later became the Flag of Israel also uses the Star of David and blue and white colors, but the design is quite different.
In 1934, the National Geographic magazine published a picture of a flag similar to the one in Le Petit Larousse. This flag was flying on a ship called the "Emanuel." This ship was owned by a Jewish shipping company based in Palestine. The magazine caption said that the "Emanuel" was the first ship to fly "her country's new banner." It also explained that while Palestine had a British badge, its Jewish population had created their own flag with "Solomon's seal on a field of blue and white." Sadly, the "Emanuel" was lost at sea a few months later.
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A Palestinian flag design from a 1924 flag chart.
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A similar flag used by a sports club called HaKoah Vienna.
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