Last time around, I talked a little about the whole Israel-Palestine situation that casts its shadow over poor little Bethlehem, not to mention all the other Palestinian towns out there. I hear Hebron in particular is interesting.
Other than the obvious religious connections in Bethlehem, there is a new attraction that everyone seems eager to cash in on: Banksy tours. For those not in the know, Banksy is a British graffiti artist whose art almost always has some sort of message, politically-charged or otherwise. In two trips in 2005 and 2007, he and his crew put up 12 images on the wall and about town in his form of support for the Palestinian cause. (view video here) He's done plenty of work not only in the UK and Palestine, but also New Orleans, San Francisco, Melbourne and other locations.
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| We saw this Japanese tag in addition to tags in Korean, Spanish and many other languages |
Since the wall went up in 2002, there have been plenty of artists from all over the world as well as right around the corner who tag their messages here in protest of the wall's mere existence. The Israeli government hates the art and destroys it at every opportunity, but they know very well that every bit covered up will just be tagged again by someone else in no time—there's nary a place left bare on the entire wall at this point. Banksy wasn't the first to etch something here and definitely wasn't the last, but he is probably the most famous, lending legitimacy and a spotlight to the cause.
This leads us to what has become one of the most common Bethlehem attraction in recent years, the tour. Just about any taxi driver in town will gladly drive you around town in search of the remaining Banksy images in town. A good tour should also include a tour of the local refugee camp, another interesting site that requires explanation to really appreciate.
If pressed for time, you can make your contribution to the local economy by either taking a taxi driver up on their offers for an unofficial tour or soliciting one of several companies who is taking this up as their business. The official tours will probably run about 50 USD/person; if you take an unofficial tour, be sure that both you and the driver are clear on exactly what is included. If you have the time or are just too cheap to pay someone, walking or biking would be another option. As we found out, taking time to talk to local shop owners can be just as if not more informative than a tour guide.
Some locals have also opened a store now close to the checkpoint called Banksy's shop that sells copies of the Banksy originals in several forms along with other choice art pieces and some kitschy souvenirs. We stopped in and bought some postcards while chatting with the owner, who definitely had a bunch to say about the state of things (note: so does just about Palestinian you find that can speak English well).
As for the original Banksy pieces, we saw three of the five that currently remain, all within easily walkable distance from the center of town. I knew where another was, but it wasn't as accessible without a driver.
Here are the locations of the pieces that I know:
- Girl with balloons: right in front of the Banksy Shop. I think this is actually a copy of the original though.
- Girl frisking a soldier: opposite the Intercontinental Hotel, which is only a block or two straight down the street from the end of the wall.
- Armored dove: right outside the Palestinian Heritage Center. I hear the center itself is not a bad way to spend some time if have some to spare.
- Flower thrower (not pictured): it's supposed to be in Beit Sahour on the way to the Shepherd's Fields.
The art here at the wall is constantly changing as artists write over one another, but I enjoyed just taking my time to view the whole thing. Banksy wasn't the only one with something to say, and some of the work here is excellent. A simple walk up to the wall is rather awe-inspiring if you're not the tour type.
Here's some more non-Banksy pieces we saw:
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