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360East caught this on the BBC. The British artist Banksy has painted new murals on the West Bank barrier which runs beside Bethlehem, dividing Palestinian and Israeli territory.

Banksy is a well-known pseudo-anonymous English graffiti artist. He is believed to be a native of Yate (near Bristol) and born in 1974,but there is substantial public uncertainty about his identity and personal and biographical details. His artworks are often-satirical pieces of art that encompass topics such as politics, culture, and ethics. His street art, which combines graffiti with a distinctive stencilling technique, has appeared in London and in cities around the world. (Wikipedia)

Peter Gibson, a spokesperson for Keep Britain Tidy, asserts that Banksy’s work is simple vandalism. The political purpose behind his ‘vandalism’ is reminiscent of the Ad Jammers or subvertising movement, who deface corporate advertising to change the intended message and hijack the advert.

Banksy has claimed responsibility for a number of high profile art pieces (or vandalism, depending on your perspective), including the following:

• At London Zoo, he climbed into the penguin enclosure and painted “We’re bored of fish” in seven foot high letters.
• At Bristol Zoo, he left the message ‘I want out. This place is too cold. Keeper smells. Boring, boring, boring.’ in the elephant enclosure.
• In May 2005 Banksy’s version of a primitive cave painting depicting a human figure hunting wildlife whilst pushing a shopping trolley was found hanging in the British Museum, London. Upon discovery, the museum added it to their permanent collection.
• In June 2006, Banksy created an image of a naked man hanging out of a bedroom window on a wall in central Bristol. The image sparked some controversy, with the Bristol City Council leaving it up to the public to decide whether it should stay or go. After an internet discussion in which 97% (all but 6 people) supported the stencil, the city council decided it would be left on the building. (This is EXACTLY how Halifax city council would have handled it, don’t you think?)
• In September 2006, Banksy dressed an inflatable doll in the manner of a Guantanamo Bay detainment camp prisoner (orange jumpsuit, black hood, and handcuffs) and then placed the figure within the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California.

More of the West Bank Wall graffiti can be viewed below. Vandalism or Art? You be the judge.