Banksy, in an valiant attempt to beat the three wise men to Bethlehem, has graced several otherwise bleak portions of the West Bank barrier with his work. Further, according to his website, the Bethlehem version of the  annual "Santa's Ghetto" art gallery (which opened Monday) is fully authorized, while the private collection now on display in New York was not, so this is a great way to make sure the attention is in the right place.  He let The Times know via text message that Bethlehem was chosen as the location in order to help revive tourism during the holiday season, which is the backbone of the local economy. "If it is safe enough for a bunch of sissy artists then it’s safe enough for anyone," Banksy wrote. He has often used his art to speak for under-represented ethnic groups, particularly focusing on the level of the individual, and to display the twisted irony that is often an undercurrent of any conflict. Click here to view more of our favorites, including the Christmas donkey trying to get through a checkpoint. Also worth checking out - a write-up from the last West Banksy tour in 2005.

 

 (according to the Santa's Ghetto website, the original canvas of this mural in Bethlehem  is still held up in customs in West Bank, perhaps because it "matches the color of their couch") 

 

 

 

 

 source: bbc

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