Flag of Israel
| "Flag of Zion" | |
| Use | National flag |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 8:11 |
| Adopted | 1885 (as flag of Rishon LeZion) August 1897 (by the Zionist movement) 28 October 1948 (by Israel) |
| Relinquished | 1958 (as flag of Rishon LeZion) |
| Design | White banner with three blue (tekhelet) symbols: a pair of horizontal tallit-like stripes above and below a centred Star of David. |
| Designed by | Israel Belkind and Fanny Abramovitch |
| Use | Civil ensign |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 1948 |
| Design | Navy-blue flag with a white vertically elongated oval set near the hoist containing a vertically elongated blue Star of David. |
| Use | Naval ensign |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 1948 |
| Design | Navy-blue flag with a white triangle containing a blue Star of David at hoist. |
| Use | Air force ensign |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Design | Light blue flag with thin white stripes with dark blue borders near the top and bottom, displaying an air force roundel in the center. |
The flag of Israel was officially adopted on 28 October 1948. It is a white banner with three blue (tekhelet) symbols: a pair of horizontal tallit-like stripes above and below a centred Star of David. Relevant Israeli legislation describes the flag's dimensions as 160 cm (63 in) by 220 cm (87 in), thereby fixing the proportion to a ratio of 8:11. But variants can be found at a wide range of proportions, with 2:3 also common.
The symbols' colour is generically described as "dark sky-blue" and may differ from flag to flag, ranging from pure blue (sometimes shaded almost as dark as navy blue) to hues about 75% toward pure cyan and shades as light as very light blue. An early version of the flag was displayed at a procession marking the third anniversary of the founding of Rishon LeZion in 1885. A similar version was designed for the Zionist movement in 1891. The highly distinctive Star of David, which recalls the legendary Seal of Solomon, has been prominent as a widely recognized Jewish symbol since the 17th century and was formally endorsed by the First Zionist Congress in 1897.