Co-founder Wissam Salsa stands at the entrance of the Walled Off Hotel, which has attracted more than 60,000 visitors since March this year, helping the tourism industry in Palestine go from strength to strength. Heidi Levine for The National
Co-founder Wissam Salsa stands at the entrance of the Walled Off Hotel, which has attracted more than 60,000 visitors since March this year, helping the tourism industry in Palestine go from strength to strength. Heidi Levine for The National
Co-founder Wissam Salsa stands at the entrance of the Walled Off Hotel, which has attracted more than 60,000 visitors since March this year, helping the tourism industry in Palestine go from strength to strength. Heidi Levine for The National
Co-founder Wissam Salsa stands at the entrance of the Walled Off Hotel, which has attracted more than 60,000 visitors since March this year, helping the tourism industry in Palestine go from strength

'I don’t know how his mind works': what it's really like working with the elusive street artist Banksy


  • English
  • Arabic

The number of confidantes privy to street artist Banksy's true identity is notoriously small. Those who can call him a business partner, and a friend, number far fewer. In fact, Wissam Salsa might be one of the only people in the world who can tick all three boxes. 

The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem was as much a labour of love for owner and general manager Salsa and his wife Rasha, as it was for Banksy himself. It’s the culmination of a decade of friendship between the artist and the Palestinian national, Salsa tells me as we chat at the hotel bar, sitting beneath the Banksy-curated security camera wall art and central grand piano. 

Indeed, everything in this room has had the Banksy touch, Salsa says. “He thought of everything … I don’t know how his mind works – he’s a freak,” he adds. “He chose the carpet – he even told us how to put out the salt and pepper.”

A blossoming friendship

The pair have something of an unlikely friendship, forged more than 10 years ago when Banksy came to the city to paint the controversial security wall – one of the first times the street artist made a public show of support to Palestine – with Salsa having been hired as his guide. 

The only thing was, Salsa was none the wiser to his seemingly run-of-the-mill client’s famous alter ego. “I didn’t know it was him,” Salsa says. “Months after he left I started to see it [on the news], and they said his name and I was like, ‘oh my goodness’.

“He was always interested in Palestine; he didn’t like what was happening here. He always felt compelled to do something. He’s human. He’s a good man and he has a heart – we kept in touch and we became friends.”

Shortly afterwards, the pair worked on another artistic venture intended to bring attention to the situation in Palestine. The project – entitled “Santa’s Ghetto Bethlehem 2007” – involved adorning the controversial wall with spray paint and works of art. The pair loosely kept in touch, mulling over something bigger constantly. 

In 2015, Banksy cemented his pro-Palestinian status with a trip to Gaza to paint murals in the war zone. It’s that act, Salsa says, which proves that Banksy is not simply looking for kudos, or is even worried about alienating his fan base. “When Banksy comes to Palestine he puts himself in danger, but what showed he’s passionate and cares about it was when he went to Gaza,” Salsa says. “He went through tunnels, he went through Egypt – that was crazy. No artist – or anyone else – would put themselves in [that kind of] danger. Banksy is not a normal human being. He does not need more fans. He’s making some people angry, but he doesn’t care about that.”

Salsa always envisaged a permanent fixture to make the world really take notice of Palestine. But, while he was mulling over the idea of a small gallery, his artist friend had much grander plans.

“My dream was to make him do something influential here,” Salsa says. “We Palestinians have a misshapen perception created by the western media and the Israelis. This always bothered me, being labelled a terrorist or violent. I always thought Banksy could make a big push.”

Plans for a lasting project 

The building that houses the hotel, located about five metres from the security wall, was once a pottery shop on what was once a bustling shopping street, before it became a run-down potholed thoroughfare and a regular patrol site for Israeli soldiers. The building had been abandoned for 14 years before Salsa came across it during his search for a location for a lasting Banksy project.

“Banksy had said to me, ‘okay, find me a location’. In 2014, I found this place,” he says. “The families had all left, because of the soldiers and the tear gas and bullets. It took me a long time to convince the owners to lease it to me.” 

In the end, the hotel was Banksy’s idea. So too was the adjoining art gallery promoting Palestinian artists, the museum on the occupation and the Wall Mart – a one-stop shop for stencils and spray paint for others who want to add their own artwork to the wall. Salsa’s wife was involved with the interior design and worked “10 hours a day, every day”. 

The Walled-Off hotel is hemmed by an eight-metre concrete wall built by Israel. Courtesy Walled-Off Hotel
The Walled-Off hotel is hemmed by an eight-metre concrete wall built by Israel. Courtesy Walled-Off Hotel

Salsa kept Banksy’s involvement a complete secret throughout the process. He took great care to ensure the guise of a run-of-the-mill guesthouse renovation stayed in tact, even erecting a cheap-looking, tie-dyed sign over the entrance which read: Opening soon… Bethlehem Flowers Guest House.

“We looked so stupid in front of everyone,” Salsa says. “No one expected me to do such a stupid guesthouse in such a stupid location.” 

Banksy picked out the furniture in the UK and sent it over, with his artwork also exported from the UK. Towards the end of the renovation, the artist sneaked into the hotel in and continued to work for several weeks. “I call this hotel the Banksy prison,” says Salsa. “I used to sneak food in, and trash out.”

'He never made a statement against Israel'

Banksy left surreptitiously, with a team then sent in to apply the finishing touches during a marathon 24 hours before the hotel opened the following day. As with most things associated with Banksy, the hotel was an immediate hit. In the year up to March 3, 2018, the complex welcomed 50,000 visitors, while it has already had 60,000 visitors in the eight months since then. 

In 2017, the UN’s World Tourism Organisation placed Palestine at the top of its fastest-growing destinations list. Many attribute that growth to Banksy. 

However, Salsa wants to make one thing clear: his business partner isn’t anti-Israel and neither is the artist nor the hotel trying to take a political stance. The hotel is simply there to spearhead the “creative resistance movement”.

“Banksy is anti-occupation, he never made a statement against Israel,” Salsa says. “When things get better here, when the occupation is over, Banksy will be the first one to do activities in Israel.”

The angels are painted where by a slight gap, and appears that as if the two angels on either side of the gap, breaking through the wall. Heidi Levine for The National
The angels are painted where by a slight gap, and appears that as if the two angels on either side of the gap, breaking through the wall. Heidi Levine for The National

Salsa is quick to downplay that idea that the project has been an easy ride. He makes less money now than when he was working as a travel agent, although he believes that he’s become part of a greater cause.

Walking around parts of Bethlehem, it seems as though the city has almost become an open-air Banksy museum. Outside the Milk Grotto, a simple spray-painted dedication reads: #WeAreBanksy – a silent resistance movement that seems to only be garnering strength. 

Salsa agrees. He thinks Palestinians look to the hotel as a “monument or shrine in the middle of Bethlehem”, and believes Banksy tourists to Bethlehem have now outnumber traditional pilgrims to the city. 

“The people of Bethlehem are protecting his paintings, it’s becoming like a national treasure,” he says.
“Everything that I do here is something that I believe in. We are here to make our people stronger, to bring life to a dead area, to employ 45 people, and to support 45 families.

“We’re educating tens of thousands of people around the world about Palestine, we’re making the Palestinian voice heard, with no casualties. So many of our friends and kids have been killed to make people hear us. We’re encouraging the creative resistance, the non-violent resistance.

“We are making people much better for everyone, for the region and for Israel too. What matters is that Palestinians and Israelis learn how to respect each other.”

_________________

Read more:

Inside Banksy's The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem

Banksy’s West Bank hotel goes viral at London tourism show

Banksy displays replica separation barrier at World Travel Market's Palestine stand - in pictures

Top UAE art moments of 2018 - and the one that shocked the world

Gulf Under 19s final

Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B

Crops that could be introduced to the UAE

1: Quinoa 

2. Bathua 

3. Amaranth 

4. Pearl and finger millet 

5. Sorghum

Zodi%20%26%20Tehu%3A%20Princes%20Of%20The%20Desert
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEric%20Barbier%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYoussef%20Hajdi%2C%20Nadia%20Benzakour%2C%20Yasser%20Drief%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dates for the diary

To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:

  • September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
  • October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
  • October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
  • November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
  • December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
  • February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Twin-turbocharged%204-litre%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E542bhp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E770Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEight-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C450%2C000%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained

Defined Benefit Plan (DB)

A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.

Defined Contribution Plan (DC) 

A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Honeymoonish
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

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
The%20specs
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Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar

MATCH INFO

Serie A

Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)

Match is on BeIN Sports

While you're here
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Miss Granny

Director: Joyce Bernal

Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa

3/5

(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)

Gully Boy

Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi​​​​​​​
Rating: 4/5 stars

How it works

A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank

Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night 

The charge is stored inside a battery

The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode

A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes 

This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode

When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again

The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge

No limit on how many times you can charge

 

The Intruder

Director: Deon Taylor

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good

One star

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia