West Bank visitors attracted to hotel adorned by Banksy art

By Suheir Sheikh

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (Reuters) – Guests at the Walled Off Hotel in the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem on Tuesday admired the works of British street artist Banksy, whose wall paintings and other works adorn the establishment.

Three Banksy prints go under the hammer in Paris on Wednesday, a first auction of his works since a print that sold in London earlier this month for $1.37 million and was half shredded in a stunt after the hammer fell.

The Walled Off Hotel is situated a few meters (yards) from Israel’s separation barrier and Banksy has described the guesthouse as having the worst view of any hotel in the world. Every room looks out at the forbidding wall.

Israel says the barrier that cuts through the West Bank, which is part wall and part fence, is a bulwark against Palestinian attackers. Palestinians see it as a symbol of oppression.

(Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)