Banksy opens hotel on Bethlehem barrier wall

Source: The Guardian

Banksy opens hotel on Bethlehem barrier wall

Exclusive: British artist launches Walled Off Hotel in hope
of bringing Israeli tourists – and dialogue – to West Bank city

Emma Graham-Harrison in Bethlehem
Friday 3 March 2017 11.28 GMT

There is unlikely to be much room for last-minute travellers at Bethlehem’s latest inn. The Walled Off Hotel might sound utilitarian, even bleak: 10 rooms nestled against the controversial barrier wall separating Israel from the Palestinian territories.

But it offers travellers something much more elusive than the latest toiletries or a fancy spa. The lodging in the historic city is hotel, protest and art in one. It is the latest work of the British street artist Banksy.

The hotel, which was opened to the media on Friday, aims to bring jobs and tourists to a town whose pilgrim and sightseeing-based economy has been ravaged by ever tighter Israeli controls on travel between Israeli and Palestinian territories.

The artist, who fiercely guards his anonymity, also wants to spark dialogue, with his biggest target market not his legions of international fans, but young Israelis who might normally spend their weekends clubbing in Tel Aviv.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/03/banksy-opens-bethlehem-barrier-wall-hotel