October 28, 1948
The iconic flag with two blue stripes and a blue Star of David at its center becomes the official Israeli flag more than five months after the establishment of the state.
The flag, adopted by the First Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897, had become accepted by Jewish communities throughout the world as the emblem of Zionism. It was thus natural to use the banner at the official proclamation of statehood. The decision to adopt the Zionist flag to be the flag of the state of Israel reflects the power of the Zionist movement.
The Proclamation of the Flag of the State of Israel by the Provisional Council of State reads: “The Provisional Council of State hereby proclaims that the flag of the State of Israel shall be as illustrated and described below: The flag is 220 cm long and 160 cm wide. The background is white, and on it are two stripes of dark sky-blue, 25 cm broad, over the whole length of the flag, at a distance of 15 cm from the top and from the bottom of the flag. In the middle of the white background, between the two blue stripes and at equal distance from each stripe, is a Star of David composed of six dark sky-blue stripes, 5.5 cm broad, which form two equilateral triangles, the bases of which are parallel to the two horizontal stripes.”
Photo by Mark Heyman/GPO