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 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.
Occupied #Jerusalem now .. Lights all around the city are turned off in protest to Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli occupation.#HandsOffJerusalem #HandsOffAlQuds #القدس_عاصمة_فلسطين pic.twitter.com/dTjQUiaCOL
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 6, 2017
In Bethlehem, meanwhile, municipal authorities reportedly shut off the lights on the massive Christmas tree erected in Manger Square each year.
The White House had a conference call with Christian faith leaders about Trumps Jerusalem announcement. Faith leaders were reportedly “absolutely ecstatic” about todays decision. Meanwhile Christians in Bethlehem have turned off their Xmas tree lights to protest Trumps decision pic.twitter.com/tymHUblx2u
— Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) December 6, 2017