Asia · IL / ISR
Flag of Israel
The Israel flag is a white rectangle with two horizontal blue stripes near the top and bottom edges and a blue six-pointed Star of David in the center. The design draws on the Jewish prayer shawl and on the Zionist flag of the 1890s.
What the flag of Israel looks like
The flag of Israel has a white field with a blue hexagram, the Star of David, in the middle. Two blue horizontal stripes run along the top and bottom edges. The proportions are 8:11, a little squarer than most national flags. The star is made of two overlapping equilateral triangles and is centered between the stripes.
The 1948 proclamation describes the blue as "dark sky-blue"; in Hebrew it is called tekhelet, the name of the blue dye mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Actual flags show a wide range of shades. You can see it in miniature in the Israel flag emoji, and in print quality on the Israel flag download page.
Israel flag colors
Color codes measured from the official design. Use HEX for the web and CMYK for print.
HEX
#FFFFFFRGB
255, 255, 255CMYK
0, 0, 0, 0HEX
#0038B8RGB
0, 56, 184CMYK
100, 70, 0, 28Israel flag meaning and symbolism
The pattern is most often traced to the tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl, which has blue stripes. Theodor Herzl had first proposed a white flag with seven gold stars, but David Wolffsohn, preparing for the First Zionist Congress in 1897, chose the blue and white of the tallit instead. In Judaism blue is associated with God's glory and purity, and white with divine benevolence; the blue also recalls the tekhelet thread that the Bible commands for the fringes of garments.
The Star of David, or Magen David ("Shield of David"), has been a Jewish symbol for centuries. In 1648 the Jews of Prague were permitted to fly a red flag with a yellow Star of David over their synagogue, and since the 17th century the star has been a widely recognized Jewish symbol. The star has no single official meaning in the law of the state, and its origin is debated, though the name is linked in tradition to King David.
History of the Israeli flag
The flag was developed by the early Zionist movement. An early blue and white flag with a blue Star of David, designed by Israel Belkind and Fanny Abramovitch, was carried in 1885 in Rishon LeZion, and a similar one was flown in 1891 at Nachalat Reuven. In 1896 Herzl proposed a different flag, white with seven gold stars, in his book Der Judenstaat. For the First Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897, Wolffsohn had a blue and white flag with a Star of David displayed in the hall; it was accepted as the official Zionist flag at the Second Congress in 1898.
In May 1948 the Provisional State Council invited the public to submit flag proposals and received 164 entries. The council had at first wanted to move away from the Zionist flag, but after Zionist representatives from around the world allayed concerns, the flag of the Zionist Organization was chosen. The flag is dated to its official adoption on 28 October 1948.
Israeli Independence Day, in spring, is a main occasion when the flag is flown. See more flags of Asia.
Zionist flag and the Palestinian flag
The Zionist flag, which is the flag of the Zionist movement, is the same blue and white pattern as the Israeli national flag. The two flags are separate national symbols. See the flag of Palestine for its history.
Israel flag facts
| Country | Israel |
|---|---|
| Flag adopted | October 28, 1948 |
| Proportions | 8:11 |
| Colors | #FFFFFF, #0038B8 |
| Symbols | Star of David, tallit |
| Flag emoji | 🇮🇱 |
| Country code | IL, ISR (ISO 3166) |
| Capital | Jerusalem |
| Continent | Asia |
| Population | 9,840,000 |
| Area | 20,770 km² |
| Currency | new shekel |
| National anthem | Hatikvah |
Israel flag: frequently asked questions
What does Israel's flag symbolize?
The blue and white are taken from the Jewish prayer shawl, the tallit. The six-pointed Star of David is an old Jewish symbol and a widely recognized symbol of the Jewish people.
What is the Zionist flag?
It is the flag of the Zionist movement, a blue and white design with a Star of David. It was displayed at the First Zionist Congress in 1897 and, after the state was founded, the Zionist Organization's flag was adopted as Israel's official flag.
What was the Israeli flag before 1948?
Before the state was founded, the Zionist flag with the same design was used by Jewish communities and organizations. No separate flag existed, and the same pattern became official in October 1948.
What is the meaning of the symbol on the flag of Israel?
The symbol is the Star of David, or Magen David, a six-pointed star formed from two triangles. It is a long-standing Jewish emblem; the flag's proclamation describes its construction but gives no single official explanation.
What is the true flag of Israel?
The official flag of Israel is the white flag with two blue stripes and a blue Star of David, adopted on 28 October 1948. It uses the same design as the Zionist flag from the 1890s, and the stripes recall the tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl.
Is there a flag for Jews?
There is no single flag for all Jewish people. The Israeli national flag is the flag of the state, based on the older Zionist flag. The blue Star of David on it is a widely recognized symbol of the Jewish people and Judaism.
What does the Israel flag emoji mean?
The 🇮🇱 emoji shows the national flag of Israel: a white field with two blue horizontal stripes and a blue Star of David. On most phones and computers it appears as a small version of the same flag.
