ISRAEL NAVAL FLAGS

STATE OF ISRAEL

FLAGS OF THE IDF NAVAL FORCE

The naval ensign of Israel was actually the first officially adopted flag of the Jewish state, by the Provisional Council of State on 19 May 1948. (The Israeli national flag was not adopted until 28 October 1948.) Up to 1951, when the current IDF flag was adopted, it was the war flag and ensign of the IDF as a whole. Naval appointment and rank flags are based on the ensign but the flags of the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense for use at sea are the same as the version used on land, with fringe omitted. The presidential flag for use at sea, however, is not the same as the version for use on land, having a yellow rather than silver-gray border. The commissioning pennant is based on the ensign. The senior officer pennant does not follow the pattern of the appointment/rank flags: It is white with a two-tone blue border.

All branches of the IDF use the same rank titles, which are usually translated into English as lieutenant-general, major-general and so on. Thus it seems that the Navy is commanded by generals, colonels, majors, etc. In fact, however, the literal translations of the Hebrew rank titles are quite different, e.g. Rav Aluf, conventionally rendered in English as lieutenant-general, actually means something like senior leader of thousands. Outside of Israel, e.g. when serving in an exchange program, Israeli naval officers wear blue or white naval-style uniforms and use standard naval rank titles. The highest substantive naval rank is Aluf (rear-admiral) but the commander of the naval force is granted the honorary title of vice-admiral and when wearing naval-style uniform he displays the naval insignia of that rank. Standard IDF rank badges are worn on shoulder boards with the white uniform and US Navy-style sleeve insignia of rank on the blue uniform.

Flag Proportions: The naval ensign and appointment/rank flags have 2:3 proportions. The national flag—also the jack— has 8:11 proportions.

Images Added August 2016

President's and Prime Minister's Flags for Use at Sea