List of national symbols of Palestine explained

The symbols of Palestine include official and unofficial flags, icons or adopted cultural expressions that may be emblematic, representative or otherwise characteristic of Palestine and of its culture.

The scope of what is included in the symbols of Palestine includes the state flag and its ensign based on the Flag of the Arab Revolt. It also includes Palestinian vexillology and signs used by the Palestinian National Authority.[1] The fida'i is its national anthem. In 2015, the Palestinian Authority adopted the Palestine sunbird as the national bird of the State of Palestine.[2] [3] The Palestinian Authority passport has been described as a 'crucial symbol of nationhood.'[4] Postage stamps and postal history of the Palestinian National Authority also constitute a national symbol. The list of foundational symbols of Palestinian identity include:

Among the additional objects which are considered to be symbols of the Palestinian nation, is the native Palestinian poppy. Even though the national flower of Palestine is the Faqqua Iris, adopted in 2016, the poppy is red, with black center and green leaves, evoking the primary colors of the Pan-Arabic and Palestinian flag.[12] Jaffa oranges, lemons, olive trees, and the cactus pear (sabr)[13] are also widely used as symbols for the Palestinian nation. Other plants including za'atar (thyme) and handal (colocynth)[14] and traditional Palestinian crafts such as tatreez (Palestinian embroidery) are also considered national symbols.[15]

Notes and References

  1. The Palestinian People: A History - Page 392, Baruch Kimmerling - 2009
  2. News: Palestine adopts sunbird as emblem for exported goods . www.aa.com.tr.
  3. http://portal.wildlife-pal.org/php/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=28 The First Palestinian Bird Migration Festival
  4. Jordan Times, 25 Jan. 1995
  5. Cohen . Hillel . The Temple Mount/al-Aqsa in Zionist and Palestinian National Consciousness: A Comparative View . Israel Studies Review . Berghahn Books . 32 . 1 . 2017 . 2159-0370 . 2159-0389 . 45238302 . 1, 8–9, 17 . 10.3167/isr.2017.320102 . The holy site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or al-Aqsa is central to both the Jewish and Palestinian Arab national movements… Al-Aqsa can thus be seen as the central symbol of Palestinian nationalism... One should bear in mind that since the emergence of nationalism in the Arab world, important schools have insisted on separation of religion and state. In addition, a degree of tension exists between al-Aqsa’s two aspects, as a national symbol uniting Palestinian Muslims and Christians, and al-Aqsa as an exclusively Muslim symbol. In other words, the intentions of Palestinians united under the banner of al-Aqsa are not all the same… For the Palestinians, al-Aqsa is a singular focal point of self-respect and religious destiny. This heightens their commitment to the site, without connection to their religious affiliation (Muslim or Christian) or level of religious belief and observance..
  6. Reiter . Yitzhak . 2013 . Narratives of Jerusalem and its Sacred Compound . Israel Studies . Indiana University Press . 18 . 2 . 115–132 . 10.2979/israelstudies.18.2.115 . 143739581 . 1084-9513 . This article deals with the employment of religious symbols for national identities and national narratives by using the sacred compound in Jerusalem (The Temple Mount/al-Aqsa) as a case study. The narrative of The Holy Land involves three concentric circles, each encompassing the other, with each side having its own names for each circle. These are: Palestine/Eretz Israel (i.e., the Land of Israel); Jerusalem/al-Quds and finally The Temple Mount/al-Aqsa compound...Within the struggle over public awareness of Jerusalem's importance, one particular site is at the eye of the storm—the Temple Mount and its Western Wall—the Jewish Kotel—or, in Muslim terminology, the al-Aqsa compound (alternatively: al-Haram al-Sharif) including the al-Buraq Wall... "Al-Aqsa" for the Palestinian-Arab-Muslim side is not merely a mosque mentioned in the Quran within the context of the Prophet Muhammad's miraculous Night Journey to al-Aqsa which, according to tradition, concluded with his ascension to heaven (and prayer with all of the prophets and the Jewish and Christian religious figures who preceded him); rather, it also constitutes a unique symbol of identity, one around which various political objectives may be formulated, plans of action drawn up and masses mobilized for their realization . Yitzhak Reiter.
  7. [Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs]
  8. News: Faber . Michel . Review: A Child in Palestine: The Cartoons of Naji al-Ali . The Guardian . 10 July 2009 .
  9. Book: Alazzeh . Ala . Abu Ahmad and His Handalas . 427–444 . 10.1525/j.ctt1ppwdk.34 . Mark . LeVine . Gershon . Shafir . Struggle and Survival in Palestine/Israel . 2012 . University of California Press . 978-0-520-26252-2 . …one of the most popular symbols of Palestinian nationalism. .
  10. Book: Meital . Y. . Rayman . P. . Recognition as Key for Reconciliation: Israel, Palestine, and Beyond . Brill . Social, Economic and Political Studies of the Middle East and Asia . 2017 . 978-90-04-35580-4 . Michal concedes the fact that Israelis do the same thing to the memory of the Nakba when saying "it was in 1948, enough talking about the past, let's talk about the future." When the Palestinians come with their keys [the Palestinian symbol of their lost homes], she says, "it's the same thing, it's a memory still burning in the hearts of families.
  11. Web site: Fisk . Robert . 'I spoke to Palestinians who still hold the keys to homes they fled decades ago – many are still determined to return' . The Independent . 2018-06-28 . Keys must always be the symbol of the Palestinian “Nakba” – the “disaster” – the final, fateful, terrible last turning in the lock of those front doors as 750,000 Arab men, women and children fled or were thrown out of their homes in what was to become the state of Israel in 1947 and 1948..
  12. Abufarha . Nasser . Nasser Abufarha . 2008 . Land of symbols: cactus, poppies, orange and olive trees in Palestine . Identities . 15 . 3 . 343–368 . 10.1080/10702890802073274 . 1547-3384. 6 January 2024.
  13. Web site: Reflections on Palestine: Symbols of Homeland . Rios . Pedro . 28 October 2015 . . 6 January 2024.
  14. Web site: Olive tree, za'atar, cactus: Palestine's symbolic plants and the meanings behind them . Khalil . Shahd Haj . 8 September 2022 . . 6 January 2024.
  15. Web site: Symbols of Palestine . Haddad . Mohammed. Antonopoulos . Konstantinos . Ali . Marium . 20 November 2023 . aljazeera.com. 6 January 2024.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of national symbols of Palestine".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.