World
Did a former version of the Palestinian flag have Star of David on it?
Some pro-Israeli social media accounts have been claiming the former official Palestinian flag used to contain the Star of David back in 1939. The Cube fact-checked these allegations.
Since Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, multiple pro-Israeli accounts have been claiming the old official Palestinian flag used to harbour a Star of David – a symbol of Judaism.
The image of the flag is half white and half blue with the Star of David in its centre.
Euronews found other poststhat claim this flag was supposedly from 1939 and was found in an edition of the French Larousse encyclopedia from back then.
Some use this as what they say is proof that even before the creation of the state of Israel, Palestine was already “recognised as a Jewish entity,” according to one Facebook user.
In 1939, the official Palestinian flag was a Union Jack
But in reality, that’s not the case. Following the First World War, Palestine found itself under British mandate in 1920.
A status that ended with the creation of the Jewish state of Israel in May 1948.
That means that in 1939, the territory was still under British rule, which means the Union Jack was used as its official flag.
An example of a mandate-era flag from 1946 can be seen on the British Imperial War Museum’s website.
Minor variations of the flag were created for the High Commissioner (the head of the British government in the territory), for ships, and customs and postal services.
The flag shown in the viral posts was never an official flag for the whole of mandate-era Palestine.
The Cube reached out to Tamir Sorek, a professor of Middle East history at Penn State University, who has written on the history of the Palestinian flag.
“Based on its symbolism, I can tell with confidence that this particular design has never been used or proposed by anyone from within the Arab-Palestinian national movement,” wrote Sorek in an email exchange.
“Since the emergence of the Zionist movement at the end of the 19th century, there have been many attempts to establish a representative flag, and this particular one looks like one of them,” he explained.
Tamir Sorek believes the viral flag in the social media posts looks similar to another flag proposed during a Jewish Youth Congress held in Livorno (Italy) in 1924.
“I have doubts it has been widely adopted by any Zionist circle,” he told Euronews.
The present Palestinian flag was designed by Sharif Hussein for the Arab Revolt, an armed uprising against the Ottoman Empire in June 1916.
It was re-adopted in 1948, according to the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs.
We reached out to the Larousse encyclopedia publisher but they did not immediately respond to a request for comment concerning the authenticity of the viral image of the flag.
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Fresh satellite imagery released by Maxar Technologies shows significant damage at three of Iran’s key nuclear sites, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, just days after U.S. B-2 stealth bombers conducted strikes ordered by President Donald Trump.
The new photos, released on June 24, provide the clearest post-strike visuals to date, showing the precision and depth of the U.S. assault on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
At the heavily fortified Fordow Fuel Enrichment Facility, located deep beneath a mountain near Qom, satellite views reveal multiple craters along the primary access roads and directly at the entrances to tunnel complexes.
Several perimeter buildings were destroyed outright, and one crater can be seen blasted into the access road leading to the facility.
US STRIKE DAMAGE TO IRAN’S NATANZ, ISFAHAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES CAPTURED IN SATELLITE IMAGES
This satellite image comparison from Maxar Technologies shows a nuclear facility near Fordow, Iran, before and after U.S. airstrikes carried out on June 22, 2025. The strike targeted suspected tunnel entrances associated with Iran’s underground enrichment infrastructure. (Maxar Technologies)
The Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center also shows signs of recent damage. An overview image highlights new destruction at the surface, while detailed shots capture tunnel entrances that appear to have been struck directly, echoing earlier reporting that the operation aimed to neutralize buried infrastructure previously unreachable by conventional air power.
Meanwhile, at Natanz, a site known for its history with the Stuxnet cyberattack and long a target of Israeli and American scrutiny, two craters believed to have been caused by U.S. ordnance now appear filled and covered with dirt.
IRAN’S FORDOW NUCLEAR SITE STRUCK SECOND TIME AS IDF TARGETS ACCESS ROUTES
This June 24, 2025, satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows bomb damage at Iran’s Fordow Fuel Enrichment Facility. The image reveals craters and destruction at a perimeter installation following U.S. airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure as part of Operation Midnight Hammer. (Maxar Technologies)
These strikes had reportedly targeted the underground centrifuge halls that are central to Iran’s uranium enrichment operations.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed that key buildings and underground systems at all three sites were hit.
American officials say Iran’s nuclear program has been severely set back.
Trump has claimed a “very successful” mission.
This pair of satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies shows buildings near Tehran’s Shahid Rajaee University before and after airstrikes on June 22, 2025. The image at right, captured on June 24, shows widespread destruction believed to be linked to suspected nuclear program facilities. (Maxar Technologies)
In addition to the nuclear sites hit by the U.S., Maxar’s images also documented separate airstrike damage in the capital city of Tehran.
The images show widespread destruction believed to be linked to suspected nuclear program buildings near Tehran’s Shahid Rajaee University.
Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
The death sentence has been removed from eight criminal offences in Vietnamese law and replaced with life imprisonment for offenders.
Vietnam will end capital punishment for eight categories of serious crime – including embezzlement, attempts to overthrow the government and sabotaging state infrastructure, state media has reported.
The state-run Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday that the country’s National Assembly unanimously passed an amendment to the Criminal Code that abolished the death penalty for eight criminal offences.
Starting from next month, people will no longer face a death sentence for bribery, embezzlement, producing and trading counterfeit medicines, illegally transporting narcotics, espionage, “the crime of destroying peace and causing aggressive war”, as well as sabotage and trying to topple the government.
The maximum sentence for these crimes will now be life imprisonment, the news agency said.
Those who were sentenced to death for capital offences before July 1, but have not yet been executed, will have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment, the report said.
The death penalty will remain for 10 other criminal offences under Vietnamese law, including murder, treason, terrorism and the sexual abuse of children, according to the report.
During a National Assembly debate on the proposed criminal code amendment last month, the issue of dropping the death sentence for drug trafficking was the most contentious.
“Whether it’s a few grammes or a few tonnes, the harm caused by drug transport is immense,” one legislator said, while another said removing the death sentence for drugs would send the wrong signal at a time when drug cases were increasing in the country.
Capital punishment data is a state secret in Vietnam and it is not known how many people are currently on death row in the country.
Execution by firing squad in Vietnam was abolished in 2011 and replaced by the administration of a lethal injection.
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