The Walled Off Hotel
![Close up of entrance in January 2023](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/The_Walledoff_Hotel_Bethlehem.jpg/220px-The_Walledoff_Hotel_Bethlehem.jpg)
The Walled Off Hotel is a boutique hotel in Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine. It was designed by anonymous London-based artist Banksy alongside other creatives. Established in March 2017, and initially set out to only be a temporary exhibition and a word play on the Waldorf hotel chain name,[1] the hotel has since attracted nearly 140,000 visitors,[2] thanks in part to its location opposite the portion of the Israeli West Bank Barrier separating Bethlehem from the holy site of Rachel's Tomb.[3]
Established on 3 March 2017, the hotel is generally considered to be a follow-up to Banksy's 2015 Dismaland project, held for five weeks in Weston-Super-Mare in the South-West of England, making a commentary on life in coastal towns in 21st-century Britain.[citation needed] The reaction to the hotel as a work of art and social intervention has been mixed, especially given its location and subject matter. Critics have argued that such a building profits off tragedy, and is a case of war tourism.[4] On the topic of Banksy's Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, Palestinian artist and activist Rana Bishara criticized the initiative for commodifying the Israeli separation wall while the real wall remains a source of oppression for Palestinians. Bishara also expressed concern over the potential dehumanization of socially disadvantaged areas like the West Bank due to "dark tourism" or "tourism of suffering."[5] Nonetheless, evidence has suggested that the hotel has brought more tourism to areas of the West Bank, in turn raising awareness of the realities of the Palestinians affected by the conflict.[6]
CAMERA UK denounced a painting in the hotel of Jesus Christ with a sniper’s red dot sight on his head as in support of the antisemitic belief of Jewish deicide.[7]
Following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, the Walled Off Hotel announced its closure "for the time being", "due to major developments in the region" [8]
References
- ^ "Banksy opens Walled Off Hotel in West Bank town of Bethlehem to highlight Palestinian-Israel divide - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
- ^ Fisher, Ian (16 April 2017). "Banksy Hotel in the West Bank: Small, but Plenty of Wall Space". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ Worrall, Simon (December 3, 2017). "The Little Town of Bethlehem Has a Surprising History". National Geographic. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (7 September 2017). "'Worst view in the world': Banksy opens hotel overlooking Bethlehem wall". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ Milani, Tommaso M. (2022-08-08). "Banksy's Walled Off Hotel and the mediatization of street art". Social Semiotics. 32 (4): 545–562. doi:10.1080/10350330.2022.2114730. ISSN 1035-0330. S2CID 251943368.
- ^ Cook, Johnathan (22 December 2018). "Inside Banksy's The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem". The National. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ Levick, Adam (7 March 2017). "Art at Banksy's Bethlehem Hotel gives lie to media claim he merely seeks 'dialogue'". CAMERA UK.
- ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/CyGGCXVsSTO/?hl=en
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- v
- t
- e
- Flower Thrower (1999)
- The Mild Mild West (1999)
- Pulp Fiction
- Gorilla in a Pink Mask
- Bombing Middle England
- Girl with Balloon (2002)
- Flying Copper (2003)
- Bomb Hugger (2003)
- Ballerina with Action Man Parts
- Corrupted Oil Jerry (2003)
- Parachuting Rat (2003)
- Space Girl and Bird (2003)
- Kissing Coppers (2004)
- Banksus Militus Ratus (2004)
- Untitled (2004)
- Fragile Silence
- The Drinker (2004)
- Flying Balloon Girl (2005)
- Peckham Rock (2005)
- Show Me the Monet (2005)
- Well Hung Lover (2006)
- Self Portrait
- One Nation Under CCTV (2008)
- Devolved Parliament (2009)
- Forgive Us Our Trespassing
- Follow Your Dreams (2010)
- Cardinal Sin (2011)
- Slave Labour (2012)
- Better Out Than In (2013)
- Girl with a Pierced Eardrum (2014)
- Art Buff (2014)
- Spy Booth (2014)
- The Son of a Migrant from Syria (2015)
- Civilian Drone Strike (2017)
- Love is in the Bin (2018)
- From this moment despair ends and tactics begin (2019)
- Valentine's Banksy (2020)
- Painting for Saints (2020)
- If You Don't Mask, You Don't Get (2020)
- Hula Hooping Girl (2020)
- A Great British Spraycation (2021)
- Solidarity with Ukraine (2022)
- Valentine's day mascara (2023)
- Turf War (2003)
- Barely Legal (2006)
- The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill (2008)
- Dismaland (2015)
- The Walled Off Hotel (2017)
- Think Tank (2003 album cover)
- Leake Street (2008)
- Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010 documentary)
- "MoneyBart" (2010 TV episode)
- The Antics Roadshow (2011 documentary)
- Banksy Does New York (2014 documentary)
- The Banksy Job (2016 documentary)