REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
Senior White House Adviser Ivanka Trump (L) stands next to the dedication plaque at the US embassy in Jerusalem, and (R) a wounded Palestinian demonstrator is evacuated as others take cover from Israeli fire and tear gas during a protest at the Israel-Gaza border in the southern Gaza Strip, May 14, 2018.
- One striking image shows just how different the scenes were on Monday in Jerusalem and Gaza.
- The two areas are roughly 50 miles from each other, but could have been worlds apart.
- In Jerusalem Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner spoke at the opening of the new US embassy.
- While in Gaza, at least 58 people died and more than 2,400 people wounded after clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians protesting the opening.
A striking image shows just how different two scenes were on Monday in the Middle East.
The new US embassy opened in Jerusalem while in Gaza, roughly 50 miles away, there were deadly clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians.
Attending the opening ceremony was Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner, both of whom are senior advisers in the White House and were sat next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"On behalf of the 45th President of the United States of America, we welcome you officially and for the first time to the embassy of the United States here in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel," Trump told the crowd of diplomats and dignitaries.
In a rare public appearance Kushner also delivered a speech, which condemned clashes in the region.
"As we have seen from the protests of the last month and even today, those provoking violence are part of the problem, and not part of the solution," Kushner said.
Hours earlier in Gaza, 40,000 Palestinians who showed up to the border to protest the opening of the embassy. Reports indicate that Israeli forces used tear gas and possibly sniper fire against the demonstrators.
At least 58 Palestinians died and more than 2,400 were wounded.
Israeli forces defended their actions in a tweet on Monday evening, saying "many" of the protesters "attempted to infiltrate Israel," using several explosive devices and firebombs.
The embassy opening occurred just a day after Israel celebrated Jerusalem Day, which commemorated the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City of Jerusalem following the Six-Day War in 1967.
Meanwhile, this week marks the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, or "catastrophe" in Arabic, which commemorates Palestinian displacement following the Israeli declaration of independence in 1948.