PHOTOS: How the two Jerusalems marked Trump’s embassy speech

Activestills By Activestills December 6, 2017 | Edit

While Israeli West Jerusalem celebrates, Palestinian East Jerusalem protests — with lights.

Photos by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
Text by +972 Magazine Staff

In the minutes leading up to U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech Wednesday recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announcing his intention to move the American embassy there from Tel Aviv, authorities in East and West Jerusalem used light in starkly different ways to mark the occasion.

The Jerusalem Municipality projected American and Israeli flags onto the walls of the Old City, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Inside those walls, at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Jordanian Waqf, which oversees the holy Muslim site, shut off all the lights that normally illuminate one of Jerusalem’s most recognizable landmarks — the golden dome atop the mosque.

Ironically, both displays took place in occupied East Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Municipality lights up the Old City's walls with the American and Israeli flags ahead of Donald Trump's recognition of the city as Israel's capital, December 6, 2017. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)
The Jerusalem Municipality lights up the Old City’s walls with the American and Israeli flags ahead of Donald Trump’s recognition of the city as Israel’s capital, December 6, 2017. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

 

The Waqf, the custodian of Al-Aqsa Mosque turns off lights at the compound in protest of Donald Trump's recognition fo the city as Israel's capital, December 6, 2017. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)
The Waqf, the custodian of Al-Aqsa Mosque turns off lights at the compound in protest of Donald Trump’s recognition of the city as Israel’s capital, December 6, 2017. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas both called for several days of rage to protest the decision. In the hour or so after Trump’s speech, many Palestinians in the Old City also turned off their lights in protest, as can be seen in this tweet by Quds News Network.

In Bethlehem, meanwhile, municipal authorities reportedly shut off the lights on the massive Christmas tree erected in Manger Square each year.

 

Crowdfund campaign banner

Activestills

Activestills is a collective of Israeli, Palestinian, and international photographers, united by a conviction that photography is a vehicle for political and social change. We believe in the power of images to shape public attitudes and to raise awareness on issues that are generally absent from public discourse. We view ourselves as part of the struggle against all forms of oppression, racism, and violations of the basic right to freedom. Our images are frequently published by many leading human rights, development, and advocacy agencies, as well as by alternative and leading news media. To stay updated on our latest images, like Activestills on Facebook or visit our Flickr photostream.