The Orange Flag

The orange is a symbol with deep roots in Andalusian and Levantine history — a tangible reminder of an ancestral homeland where Jewish, Muslim, and Christian cultures once flourished side by side. Tom Haviv's inspiration for the flag came from a family pilgrimage to Andalusia, where his Sephardic ancestors lived under Muslim rule. Standing in the Jewish Quarter of Córdoba, in front of a statue of Maimonides surrounded by orange trees, he found in the orange a symbol of coexistence — of the intersection of Jewish and Arab worlds that Maimonides himself embodied.

The flag carries the phrase "Interdependence" in four languages: الاعتماد المتبادل in Arabic, Interdependencia in Spanish, and תלות הדדית in Hebrew.

Illustration by Jessica Tamar Deutsch.

Founded by Tom Haviv in 2014, the Hamsa Flag Project was born out of a belief that in order for a shared society to emerge in Israel | Palestine, we need a shared symbol. The project explores new symbols of peace, reconciliation, and justice — reflecting the shared history of Jews, Muslims, and Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa. These flags are not tied to any nation, but rather are symbols of hybridity and possibility, aiming to inspire a world beyond war.

Learn more about the “Interdependence” Flag here.

Flag Details

Materials: Screen print on cotton cloth with hemming

Dimensions: 24 x 24 in.