Under an army watchtower and across the street from the concrete wall Israel has built in parts of the occupied West Bank, street artist Banksy has opened a guesthouse in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.
In the revered birth town of Jesus, the Walled Off hotel stands three storeys high. Its bedroom walls and hallways are decorated with the mysterious artist Banksy's stencil graffiti work --one shows an Israeli soldier and masked Palestinian youth having a pillow fight, and a statue of a chimpanzee bell-boy stands at the entrance, clothes falling out of the suitcase he holds.
The hotel, converted from a pottery workshop, has been styled to resemble "an English gentlemen's club from colonial times", a statement from the artist said, in acknowledgement of the historical role Britain played in the Middle East.
But the decor has been spiced up with statues choking on tear gas, cherubs hanging from the ceiling, their faces covered by oxygen masks and oil paintings of refugee life jackets washed ashore.
The hotel was set up in secrecy over the last 14 months - Israeli military authorities in the West Bank did not immediately respond when asked if they had been aware in advance.
Banksy, whose real name is not known, described his guesthouse as having the worst view of any hotel in the world: Every room overlooks the barrier which is a symbol of oppression for the Palestinians.
Israel began building the barrier in 2002 at the height of a Palestinian uprising in which Israeli cities were rocked by frequent Palestinian suicide bombings.
Palestinians dub it an "apartheid wall" and an Israeli attempt to grab land in the West Bank, which they want along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, for a future state.
The Banksy statement said the hotel "offers a warm welcome to people from all sides of the conflict and across the world" and was financed by the artist.
Gentle music from a self-playing pianola fills the candle-lit dining room where a framed painting of Jesus looks up at three warplanes, stencilled on the wallpaper above.
The hotel also has its own art gallery and an exhibition dedicated solely to the wall, which features contributions from Palestinians and Israelis.
In 2015, Banksy released a two-minute tourism-style video from war-torn Gaza, “Make this the year you discover a new destination,” it sardonically said. The "Walled Off Hotel" seems to be the sequel to this video.
The Walled Off is Banksy's biggest project since the 2015 "Dismaland" theme park at the English seaside, where staff carried balloons proclaiming "I'm an imbecile" and model boats full of refugees floated in a pond.
Reuters
1. The Walled Off Hotel
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People stand outside the Walled Off hotel, which was opened by street artist Banksy, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem March 3.
Image courtesy: Reuters
2. Monkeying around
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A monkey bellboy installation stands outside Banksy's newly opened Walled Off hotel in the Israeli occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem on March 3.
Image courtesy: AFP
3. Soldiers' Pillow Fight
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A graffiti work painted by street artist Banksy shows an Israeli soldier and masked Palestinian youth having a pillow fight, in the Walled Off hotel.
Image courtesy: Reuters
4. Under surveillance
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Installations are seen inside the Walled Off hotel, which was opened by street artist Banksy, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Image courtesy: Reuters
5. Posters
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Famous posters are displayed inside the museum at street artist Banksy's newly opened Walled Off hotel.
Image courtesy: AFP
6. The presidential suite
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The presidential suite is seen in the Walled Off hotel, which was opened by street artist Banksy, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Image courtesy: Reuters
7. The presidential suite
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The presidential suite is seen in the Walled Off hotel, which was opened by street artist Banksy.
Image courtesy: Reuters
8. A room at the hotel
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View of a room in the Walled Off hotel, which was opened by street artist Banksy, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Image courtesy: AFP
9. The Lobby
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A general view shows the lobby at street artist Banksy's newly opened Walled Off hotel in the Israeli occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem.
Image courtesy: AFP
10. Street View
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A picture taken from the window of one of the rooms at street artist Banksy's newly opened Walled Off hotel in the Israeli occupied West Bank town.
Image courtesy: AFP
11. The lobby
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A picture shows the lobby inside street artist Banksy's newly opened Walled Off hotel in the Israeli occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem.
Image courtesy: AFP
