From murals on the walls of destroyed family homes in Gaza to a hotel in Bethlehem, giant stencilled pieces on the Segregation Wall and an ironic travel campaign, elusive British street artist Banksy is no stranger to creating work in and about Palestine.
Since the mid-2000s, identifiable pieces by the artist have been spotted in Gaza and the West Bank, with collections of his paintings dubbed 'West Banksy'.
The street artist rarely makes spoken statements, choosing instead to speak through his work.
He is behind The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, located metres away from the West Bank barrier. Through the website's FAQ section and gift shop, you get a clear sense of the artist's political and ethical stance.
"Just in case you weren’t sure what Banksy thinks about the wall (not a fan) his latest range of ‘souvenir collectables’ anticipate the day the concrete menace has been defeated and feral youth scribble on its skeletal remains," the gift shop's description reads. In the physical shop, you can buy a collection of 'Defeated' wall replicas.
"For those of you concerned that making glorified tourist tat from military oppression is ethically dubious – there is at least the solace that each wall is lovingly hand-painted by craftspeople in the local area," the website continues.
His work often spotlights military oppression, with an Israeli solder asking a donkey for its ID in one piece, and a small Palestinian girl frisking a solider in another.
In 2015, he released a tourism video about Gaza. “Make this the year you discover a new destination,” the caption sarcastically reads. "Welcome to Gaza."
"The locals like it so much they never leave," the video goes on to say, showing footage of young children on a street, "because they're not allowed to," cutting to scenes of Israeli military.
The tourism campaign is interspersed with facts about the occupation, and it shows the back of Banksy painting on a destroyed door.
It also includes quotes from a Palestinian man, who draws attention to one of the paintings, a cat wearing a pink bow, saying: "This cat tells the whole world that she is missing joy in her life. The cat found something to play with. What about our children?”
The sub-two-minute film ends with a quote, spray-painted on a wall, which reads: “If we wash our hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless we side with the powerful – we don’t remain neutral.”
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2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
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5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
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10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
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Napoleon
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July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
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Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.