Anger after Russian flag appears on the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City
Officials said it was part of a projection to promote the City Council of hosting a peace conference in the city
Michael Daventry is Jewish News’s foreign and broadcast editor
A projection of the Ukrainian and Russian flags upon the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City was removed within hours following criticism that the images disregarded Russia’s role in starting the war.
The animation, which appeared on Sunday evening, featured the flags on either side of two doves and phrases from the kaddish, a key Jewish prayer.
It also included the words “we’re waiting for you”, an apparent reference to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal that Jerusalem could host a peace summit with Russia.
But the projection was removed hours later following criticism that was not “politically smart” to include the Russian flag.
Ofer Berkovitch, opposition leader on the city council, told the Times of Israel: “Do not distort reality, evil is evil, and the aggressor is the aggressor.
“It is impossible to put the attacker and the attacked together. This is an injustice and harmful to thousands of victims.
“Jerusalem can be a city of peace and host a summit that will prevent war, but Jerusalem is first and foremost a city of justice.”
Would be very interested to know whether this (awful) idea was the municipality’s or the government’s https://t.co/zusWaD6DBK
— John Lyndon (@JohnLyndon_) March 13, 2022
A projection of the Ukrainian and Russian flags upon the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City was removed within hours following criticism that the images disregarded Russia’s role in starting the war.
The animation, which appeared on Sunday evening, featured the flags on either side of two doves and phrases from the kaddish, a key Jewish prayer.
It also included the words “we’re waiting for you”, an apparent reference to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal that Jerusalem could host a peace summit with Russia.
But the projection was removed hours later following criticism that was not “politically smart” to include the Russian flag.
Ofer Berkovitch, opposition leader on the city council, told the Times of Israel: “Do not distort reality, evil is evil, and the aggressor is the aggressor.
“It is impossible to put the attacker and the attacked together. This is an injustice and harmful to thousands of victims.
“Jerusalem can be a city of peace and host a summit that will prevent war, but Jerusalem is first and foremost a city of justice.”
Would be very interested to know whether this (awful) idea was the municipality’s or the government’s https://t.co/zusWaD6DBK
— John Lyndon (@JohnLyndon_) March 13, 2022
Pro-peace activist Evelina Sturman told the website that the projection in the hopes of securing a peace conference was “two-faced”, adding: “[the] call for peace between Ukraine and Russia is pointless since the problem is the Russian leadership and not the Russian people.”
In a statement, Jerusalem City Council said it wanted to see an end to the fighting and would be happy to host a diplomatic conference.
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