The municipality building, constructed in the 50's, has undergone major renovations in 2014, which also included the installation of a colorful lighting system on the building's old concrete facade facing the Rabin Square.
"The lighting system on the facade of the building is used to convey a message of solidarity and partnership with various communities and for various goals," according to a previous statement by the municipality that was issued when the Lebanese flag featured on the building's facade in August after an explosion at Beirut Port. Not long after the new lighting system was completed, it was used for the first time on November 14, 2015, featuring France's national flag following the attack on Charlie Hebdo's office in Paris, during which 12 people were killed.Since then, other flags were put up, usually following unfortunate events that took place in the countries whose flags featured on the building's facade. However, by putting up the word "peace," it seems that the municipality seems to break off from this inauspicious tradition and perhaps to literally inaugurate a new era of peace.
Tel Aviv Mayor, Ron Huldai praised the occasion in a tweet: "Tonight we're celebrating #PeaceInTheMiddleEast! I’m certain that the agreements with the #UAE and #Bahrain will have a positive impact on our region for generations to come."
Tonight we're celebrating #PeaceInTheMiddleEast! I’m certain that the agreements with the #UAE and #Bahrain will have a positive impact on our region for generations to come. pic.twitter.com/zlMTQsgZhw
— Mayor of Tel Aviv (@MayorOfTelAviv) September 15, 2020