Hotel Offers 'Worst View' Outside, Banksy Inside

You can sleep under his artwork in West Bank Hotel
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 3, 2017 9:20 AM CST
Hotel Offers 'Worst View' Outside, Banksy Inside
A Banksy wall painting showing Israeli border policeman and Palestinian in a pillow fight is seen in one of the rooms.   (AP Photo/Dusan Vranic)

A Palestinian guest house packed with artwork of the elusive British graffiti artist Banksy unveiled itself Friday in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The nine-room establishment named "The Walled Off Hotel" will officially open on March 11, but reporters got an advance tour, per the AP. The hotel, which faces the West Bank separation barrier erected by Israel (it's the "hotel with the worst view in the world," its proprietors joke), is awash in the trademark satirical work of the mysterious artist. The highlight is room number three, known as "Banksy's Room," where guests will sleep in a king-size bed underneath Banksy's artwork showing a Palestinian and an Israeli in a pillow fight. The hotel also features a museum with the artist's politically charged work.

The Guardian describes the guest house as "hotel, protest and art in one," and says Bansky's intent is not only to bring jobs and tourism to the area but to foster a dialogue about Israeli-Palestinian relations. The hotel will host exhibitions by Palestinian artists, and it's located in a spot where Israelis can legally visit. His team insists it's a legit business venture, not merely an artistic stunt. The cheapest rooms are available from $30 a night. Banksy has made previous forays into the Palestinians territories. In one secret visit, he drew a painting of a girl pulled upward by balloons on the barrier facing his current project. Last year, he is believed to have sneaked into Gaza to draw four street murals. (More Banksy stories.)

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