Public Seal of Mandatory Palestine

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Public Seal of Palestine
Public Seal of Mandatory Palestine.png
Armiger Mandatory Palestine
Adopted12 April 1923
Shield Old City of Jerusalem
Motto Government of Palestine

The Public Seal of Palestine was a seal used when Palestine was administered by the United Kingdom as a League of Nations mandated territory. It was adopted in 1923 and fell out of use in 1948 following the establishment of the State of Israel. [1]

Contents

Design

The seal, designed by Cecil Thomas of the Royal Mint, depicted a representation of the city of Jerusalem surrounded by the words "Government of Palestine" in English, Arabic and Hebrew. The translation of the Hebrew text (ממשלת פלשתינה (א"י (Memshelet Palestína (E.Y.)), is "Government of Palestine (E.Y)", where E.Y. stands for Eretz Yisrael. In Arabic, it read حكومة فلسطين, Ḥukūma Filasṭīn. It featured prominent landmarks from the Old City of Jerusalem including the Walls, Jaffa Gate, the Dome of the Rock and the Tower of David. [2] [3] It was originally proposed to use a version of the coat of arms of the historical Kingdom of Jerusalem, but this was rejected due to the focus on Christian symbols. [3]

Use

The seal was used for all legislation passed for the mandate and was to be kept by the High Commissioner. [2] [4] In 1932, the High Commissioner for Palestine wrote to the British Colonial Office requesting a defaced Union Jack for himself as he did not like the red ensigns used with "Palestine" as the badge. The Colonial Office agreed and proposed that he use a flag defaced with the Mandatory Palestine seal. This was objected to by the Jewish Agency for Israel, whom had not previously been aware of the seal's design. [3]

Other symbols

Civil and state vessels registered in Mandatory Palestine flew a red or blue ensign bearing a badge with the word "Palestine" on a white circular field. [5]

In 1935 a separate badge was adopted for use on the standard of the High Commissioner. This badge depicted a crown with the words "Palestine High Commissioner" underneath. [6]

The Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine depicted the royal arms of the United Kingdom on its front cover. [7] [8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Period of the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine (1923-1948). Brill. January 2005. pp. 93–321. ISBN   978-90-04-53191-8 . Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Palestine seal". Royal Mint Museum. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Flag Proposals 1933 (British Mandate of Palestine)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  4. ↑ Government of the United Kingdom (1923). Statutory Rules and Orders Other Than Those of a Local, Personal Or Temporary Character (varies Slightly). HM Stationery Office. p. 366.
  5. ↑ "Civil Ensign 1927 – 1948 (British Mandate of Palestine 1922 – 1948)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  6. ↑ "High Commissioner for Palestine Ensign 1936 – 1948". Flags of the World. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  7. ↑ "Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2020.
  8. ↑ "Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2024.
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