Banksy’s Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, which closed following the Hamas terrorist attacks on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war, has reopened its doors.
The hotel first launched in 2017, directly opposite the West Bank barrier, so all rooms look out onto slabs of concrete topped with barbed wire—“the worst view of any hotel in the world”, Banksy said at the time of its opening. The hope was that the hotel would bring some much-needed tourism to the war-ravaged area, and expose people to the realities of living in the shadow of the wall.
Wisam Salsaa, the manager of the guesthouse, tells The Art Newspaper: “Closing our doors during the devastating assault on Gaza was not an easy decision—and now we reopen with hope.” He notes that, for many in Palestine, and especially in Bethlehem, the Walled Off Hotel has become far more than a place to stay.
“It has become a vehicle for the amplification of voices of peace,” he says. “Through the hotel’s art gallery and with the extraordinary work of Palestinian artists, it stands as a living testament to resilience, identity and the unbroken spirit of a people who refuse to disappear.”
Prices at the hotel range from $70 for a night sleeping on a bunkbed in a shared room to $495 for the presidential suite, which includes a plunge bath, a home cinema and a water feature made from a bullet-riddled water tank. It is understood that the more than 20 original works by Banksy installed throughout the hotel remain on show.
Set up and financed by the British street artist, the hotel and its gallery were “created to disturb the comfortable”, as Salsaa puts it. “And today our mission feels more necessary than ever.”
He continues: “As we reopen and welcome the world back, we do so not only as a hotel, but as a powerful cultural platform that carries the narrative of Palestine to all who walk through our doors. Our open doors are a symbol of our commitment to sharing the stories that must be heard and to offer a space where art continues to speak when words cannot.”
The British Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Gaza and all but essential travel to the West Bank—excluding East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jericho. A statement published on the Walled Off Hotel’s website in 2017 described airport security at Tel Aviv as “legendary”.
The statement continued: “Expect to be asked about the purpose of your stay and if you intend travelling to the West Bank. If you answer 'yes' you may be held up for some time.
“A new Israeli law implemented recently also bans supporters of the Palestinian BDS movement (a political boycott of Israeli products) from entering the country. Consequently many visitors choose not to highlight particular parts of their holiday and stick to politely discussing the weather.”
Banksy has a long history of working in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, first creating a number of murals on the Palestinian side of the West Bank barrier in 2005. The works—many of which have since been removed—include a silhouette of a girl floating upwards holding a bunch of balloons and a boy holding a bucket and spade peering through an enormous hole in the wall.
In 2004, the United Nations declared Israel’s 425-mile-long wall illegal. Banksy has said the barrier “essentially turns Palestine into the world’s largest open prison”. On the hotel’s website, the wall is described as “either a vital security measure or an instrument of apartheid”— “depending on who you talk to”.
According to the website, the guesthouse “is an entirely independent leisure facility” set up and financed by Banksy. “It is not aligned to any political movement or pressure group.”
