Banksy’s cheeky Gaza gamble Fillon running out of steam
Secretive artist hopes to bring tourists – and dialogue – to West Bank city.
The Walled Off Hotel may sound utilitarian, even bleak. Its owner says it has ‘‘the worst view of any hotel in the world’’, while its 10 rooms get just 25 minutes of direct sunlight a day.
But, nestled against the controversial barrier wall separating Israel from the Palestinian territories, the West Bank’s answer to the Waldorf offers travellers something more elusive than any luxury destination. The lodging in Bethlehem is a hotel, museum, protest and gallery all in one, packed with the artworks and angry brilliance of its owner, British street artist Banksy.
From the disconcertingly lavish presidential suite, where water splashes from a bullet-strafed water tank into the hot tub, to the bunk beds in the budget room, scavenged from an abandoned army barracks, the hotel is playful and strongly political.
All the rooms look out on to the concrete slabs of the wall, and some have views over it to pillboxes and an Israeli settlement – illegal under international law – on the hillside beyond.
‘‘Walls are hot right now, but I was into them long before Trump made it cool,’’ said Banksy in a statement.
The artist, who fiercely guards his anonymity, first came to Bethlehem more than a decade ago, leaving a series of paintings on the barrier that have become a tourist attraction in their own right.
Since then, the town’s pilgrim and sightseeing-based economy has been ravaged by ever-tighter Israeli controls on travel between Israel and the Palestinian territories, so the new hotel is expected to provide a welcome boost in jobs and visitor numbers.
Banksy’s reputation is likely to keep all the rooms fully booked, but he wants guests to leave with more than just a selfie. ‘‘[It’s] a three-storey cure for fanaticism, with limited car parking,’’ he added in the statement.
The hotel will open to guests on March 20, with bookings made via its website. The team hopes that Israelis, who rarely see the barrier wall up close or visit Palestinian towns, will be among the guests, even though visiting would mean breaking the law.
‘‘I would like to invite everyone to come here, invite Israeli civilians to come visit us here,’’ said manager Wisam Salsaa. ‘‘We want them to learn more about us, because when they know us, it will break down the stereotypes and things will change.’’
Israelis are banned from visiting Bethlehem and its famous sites. And although Banksy has chosen a site officially under Israeli military control – meaning it is legal for Israelis to stay there – all the roads to reach it involve an illegal journey through Palestinian-controlled territory.
The hotel, a former pottery workshop, has a dystopian colonial theme, a nod to Britain’s role in the region’s history. The reception and tea room is a disconcerting take on a gentlemen’s club, where a selfplaying piano soundtrack.
A fire flickering in the grate glows under a pile of concrete rubble, like a blaze at a bomb site. A classical bust in a niche is wreathed in clouds of gas snaking out of a tear gas canister. In traditional seascapes, the beaches are littered with lifejackets discarded by refugees.
‘‘It’s exactly since Britain provides an eerie one hundred years took control of Palestine and started rearranging the furniture – with chaotic results,’’ Banksy said. ‘‘I don’t know why, but it felt like a good time to reflect on what happens when the United Kingdom makes a huge political decision without fully comprehending the consequences.’’
Upstairs, original Banksy artworks decorate several of the rooms. In one, an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian protester thump each other with pillows.
The bookshelves are packed with carefully chosen titles – A Room With A View at the end of one, Cage Me A Peacock on another.
The lift is walled off, too, the doors jammed half open to show concrete blocks, hung with an ‘‘out of service’’ sign.
A small museum explains the wall, the controls on movement, and the troubled history of the region. ‘‘If you are not completely baffled, then you don’t understand,’’ [It’s] a threestorey cure for fanaticism, with limited car parking. the presenter of a video history signs off.
Also in the building, as part of a plan to promote dialogue, is a gallery showing the work of Palestinian artists. Curator Housni Alkateeb Shehada says it is a way for the artists, who often find it hard to travel, to reach a wider audience.
He wanted to project art on to the barrier wall, but decided in the end that it would be too risky – a reminder of the conflict and restrictions that loom over all the people living in Bethlehem.
Banksy dismissed worries that security concerns would keep people away, pointing out that he had packed out a ‘‘bemusement park’’ in an unglamorous seaside town for weeks. ‘‘My accountant was worried some people will be too scared to travel to the West Bank, but then I remind him – for my last show, they spent a whole day in Weston-super-Mare.’’ The once promising presidential bid of French conservative Francois Fillon, already seriously hobbled by pending corruption charges, has begun to unravel with the resignation of his campaign director and his campaign spokesman yesterday, adding momentum to a stream of defections and panicking his party.
Fillon did not balk, counting on a support rally planned for tomorrow near the Eiffel Tower and tweeting a video plea for people to show up in force ‘‘to show everyone what the will of the militants of France looks like’’.
A poor show- ing at the support rally would hurt Fillon’s legitimacy, which has been based on his win in a primary held by conservatives and centrists.
As Fillon’s fortunes fall, former prime minister Alain Juppe is again being mentioned as a potential Plan B for The Republicans party, which could find itself without a candidate as the April 23 first round of the presidential election nears. A runoff between the top two candidates will be held on May 7.
Juppe has refused to fill in for Fillon in the past.
After Thierry Solere announced that he was bowing out as spokesman, becoming the most visible of Fillon’s defectors so far, more severe woes were in store with the resignation of campaign director Patrick Stefanini.
Financial prosecutors are investigating allegations that Fillon gave his wife and two of their children taxpayer-funded jobs they never performed.
Fillon initially said he would step down if charged, but decided to maintain his candidacy even though he has been summoned to face charges on March 15.
Fillon is not the only candidate in the firing line of judicial investigators. Far-Right leader Marine Le Pen is at the centre of several judicial inquiries along with her anti-immigration National Front party.
Unlike Fillon, Le Pen has not lost ground in polls, where she is vying for the top spot with an upstart independent centrist, Emmanuel Macron.
Fillon’s campaign treasurer quit on Friday, when three Republican lawmakers also announced they were withdrawing their support. Other conservatives and centrists allied with them have resigned over the past two days.
Banksy