Ramallah: The West Bank city of Tulkarem will soon boast the world’s largest flag on the world’s tallest flagpole.
At 65 metres high, the pole and the Palestinian flag will be visible to the entire Israeli-occupied West Bank and even outer space.
But perhaps more importantly, it will be visible to Israelis as the city of Tulkaram is situated just a few kilometres from 1948 areas.
It will immediately be entered into the Guinness World Records.
Palestinians involved in the project say it gives them hope that one day they will have their own state. The move is sure to irk Israel.
Both the flagpole and the flag were made in Turkey, and were donated by a Palestinian expatriate businessman named Abdul Qader Mattar from the Askar Refugee Camp near Nablus.
“We are currently digging and working on the flagpole’s cement foundations that are sponsored by the Tulkarem Municipality at a total cost of 100,000 Shekels,” said Abdul Khaleq Jbara of the Tulkarem Municipality.
“This is a major project that will end up being a key landmark and will give a new face to the entire city.”
The flag will be erected on the Courts Roundabout and is expected to attract visitors from all across the Palestinian territories.
The Balatah Centre for the Arts is overseeing the project and many people have volunteered to help.
Before the creation of the Palestinian National Authority in 1994, the Palestinian flag was strictly banned, and raising it anywhere in the West Bank could result in harsh imprisonment.
During the first Intifada (1987 Uprising), Israeli occupation forces carried out a massive number of arrests and imprisonments.
The flag is expected to be inaugurated this month but no specific date has been set.
