A small crib arranged in front of sections of wall pierced by a shell: a few days before Christmas, the last work of the artist Banksy was unveiled in the symbolic city of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
The British street artist, who maintains the greatest mystery about his identity, was not present Friday December 20 during the presentation of this work, entitled "The scar of Bethlehem".
It is on display in the entrance to the "Walled-Off" hotel that Banksy opened in 2017 in the Palestinian city, whose rooms overlook the wall erected by Israel and which encroaches on the West Bank.
Mini-sections of wall, on which tags call for peace and love, serve as a background for a crib placed on a small table, with gifts at its foot. The impact of the shell on the wall makes one think of a star above Mary, Joseph and Jesus, surrounded by a cow and a donkey.
A "scar of shame"
For the director of the Wissam Salsaa hotel, "The scar of Bethlehem" symbolizes a "scar of shame". "The wall symbolizes shame for all those who support what is happening on our earth, all those who support the illegal occupation (by Israel of the West Bank, since 1967, note)," he said.
The Hebrew State started in 2002 the construction of a barrier, made up in places of concrete blocks several meters high, to protect itself from the incursions of the West Bank in full wave of Palestinian attacks during the second Intifada (2000 -2005). The International Court of Justice declared its construction illegal in 2004.
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Israel says the fence continues to protect it from attackers from the West Bank. For the Palestinians, the fence is one of the most reviled symbols of the Israeli occupation.
Conflict, the wall and the Palestinian Territories have long been a source of inspiration for Banksy, made famous by his stencil paintings in public space.
With it, he contributes "in his own way" to the Christmas festivities that will take place next week in Bethlehem, the city where Jesus was born according to Christian tradition.
"Spreading the voice of the Palestinians around the world"
"It's a great and different way of talking about Bethlehem, to get people to think more about how we live here," said Wissam Salsaa, who was unable to say whether the work was doomed to stay in his establishment.
Banksy "tries to spread the voice of the Palestinians in the world through art and creates a new model of resistance thanks to this art", welcomed Wissam Salsaa.
The artist began to make himself known in 2003 in England by his subversive graffiti representing royal guards urinating on a wall or the police officers exchanging a passionate kiss.
He had previously been to Bethlehem in 2007, leaving behind a number of graffiti on the security wall, including a young girl searching an Israeli soldier's body with her arms in the air, her rifle next to him.
In 2005, he painted nine stencils, including a ladder on the wall or a little girl blown away by balloons, trying to highlight the impact of the wall on the lives of Palestinians.
The security wall has become both a place of protest and a land of political and artistic expression. The frescoes that cover it in places make it an attraction for tourists.
With AFP
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