Protest politics in Palestine

Banksy’s West Bank hotel brings attention to the struggle but we can’t forget who owns it

A Banksy wall painting showing Israeli border policeman and Palestinian in a pillow fight is seen in one of the rooms of the "The Walled Off Hotel" in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Dusan Vranic / AShow more

The controversial British artist Banksy has opened a hotel in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The Walled Off Hotel is located just metres away from Israel’s separation barrier that divides Bethlehem from Jerusalem. Banksy has a long relationship with Bethlehem and this wall in particular. During the Second Intifada, the artist painted some of his most famous murals on the separation barrier in the city.

As Banksy explained the project to The Guardian, the new hotel is an attempt to foster dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians and bring international attention to the Palestinian struggle for freedom and rights. Indeed, media organisations around the world have rushed to feature the hotel’s varied and interesting interior. In one room, Banksy painted a powerful but jovial mural of an Israeli solider and a Palestinian protester having a pillow fight.

This hotel is a critical part of the internationalisation of the Palestinian struggle. But it is not an end in itself. For Palestinians, the struggle for rights and equality doesn’t have a start or a finish. It is about daily existence. It is about choosing to buy a Palestinian tomato over an Israeli one. It is the defiant act of existence in the face of domination. It is about organising their own creative protests. Every Friday, Palestinians across the West Bank hold their own protests against Israel’s wall and the occupation.

Creativity infuses and drives the struggle forward. In April, for example, Bethlehem will play host to the Right to Movement marathon. The annual running event was conceived to highlight movement restrictions in the West Bank and has grown to be an international marathon.

While Banksy’s new hotel will bring much-needed attention to life in Palestine, we must never forget that Palestinians are fighting every day in myriad ways for their freedom. While they welcome outside assistance in their quest for rights, they are not reliant on outside assistance. After the interest in Banksy’s hotel dies down, we have a duty to keep the Palestinians at the forefront of our thoughts.