National Flag of Palestine (1922)

The modern-era struggle for an independent Arab nation in Palestine, an historic region in south-west Asia, has existed since the collapse of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire and the Arab Revolt of 1917.

In 1920, Great Britain took over administrative control of Palestine; the administration was later formalised by a 1922 League of Nations mandate. 

The Arab Revolt of 1917 introduced the basic design of the Palestinian flag, which has been in existence in its present form since 1922.

The use of the Arab Revolt Flag, which is seen to symbolise Arab unity and independence, was banned in the territory by the British administration and, after the withdrawal of Great Britain in 1948, by subsequent Israeli governments.

On the 1st of December 1964, the flag was officially recognised by the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Movement. 

In the same year the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), a nationalist organisation committed to achieving Palestinian self-determination, was founded. 

In 1988, Yassir Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, declared the organisation’s intention to oversee the creation of an independent Palestine state.

Secret talks between the Palestine Liberation Organisation, headed by Yassir Arafat and the Israeli government in 1993, led to an agreement that would eventually provide limited self-government to Palestine.

In 1994, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was established to oversee Palestinian self-rule in selected Palestine areas and the current national flag of Palestine was internationally recognised.

The Symbolic Meaning

Red, white, black and green are referred to as pan-Arab colours and have been historically linked to the Arab people and Islamic faith for centuries. They symbolise Arab unity and independence and can be seen in the flags of many countries in the region. 

The colours of the flag individually represent different Arab dynasties: Black represents the Abbasid, white the Umayyad, green the Fatimid, while the red triangle linking the colours symbolises the Hashemite dynasty.

A more modern interpretation has red representing the blood spilt during the struggle for independence, black symbolising past oppression, white connoting purity of faith and a shining future and green representing Islam.