Much has already been written about the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem. I even heard a visitor mention that it now attracts as many tourists as the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, although I find this hard to believe! Maybe we visited at the right time, because it was easy to get a table in the restaurant, and the small museum was quite empty, which made the whole experience very enjoyable.
Even if you cannot afford to sleep in the hotel amongst original Banksy art (prices are around $215 for a standard room, with an estimated $200k worth of art in it. The family room costs $950 a night with about $1m of art in it), it is definitely worth a visit! There are plenty of interesting and (dare I say) instagramable displays on the building’s façade, in the restaurant/lobby area and of course in the museum. The attention to detail is immaculate and you could go several times and notice something different each time.
The museum is not large, but packs a punch in terms of providing a crash course of the Occupation. A highlight for me was a telephone that plays the message from the Israeli army alerting Palestinians that a bomb will soon hit their house in Gaza. My only complaint is that they don’t suggest ways in which visitors can help the Palestinians, such as boycotting goods from Israel.
The gallery displays local art for sale and you can also buy posters and postcards.
