RAMALLAH, West Bank — One of the facades of Bethlehem’s The Walled Off Hotel was painted black in February to protest US President Donald Trump’s so-called deal of the century, a peace plan for the region launched last year. Yet as this West Bank city turns into a ghost town after Israel and the Palestinian Authority imposed a full lockdown due to the novel coronavirus, the black wall seems a forecast of the grim days to come. In a humorous tribute to the coronavirus fears, the hotel has placed a surgical mask on the face of the monkey bellhop statue at its entrance.

The original decision to paint the facade black was made Feb. 3 to protest the US plan, explained Wissam Salsaa, who manages and co-owns The Walled Off Hotel along with mysterious British mural artist Banksy, who has been a frequent visitor to Bethlehem since 2007. “The black paint on the hotel’s facade sends the world the message that the US plan is unfair and unjust to the Palestinian people,” said Salsaa.

The hotel, whose name is an eyewink to the luxurious Waldorf hotels, neighbors the separation barrier in the city of Bethlehem, south of the West Bank. Salsaa often points out in his interviews that the hotel boasts the “worst view ever” as it overlooks the separation barrier curved around Bethlehem, with the Israeli camps and settlements in the rear. “The idea behind the hotel is to have the Palestinians’ voices heard and sufferings highlighted,” he told Al-Monitor. 

Political messages are the forte of the hotel jointly owned by Salsaa and Banksy. Among Banksy's 80 works displayed in the hotel, one of the most political — and the best known — is the Scar of Bethlehem, a miniature manger in front of Israel's separation barrier. Unveiled in December 2019 around Christmas, the Scar of Bethlehem is placed on a medium-sized table in the reception area. It depicts Virgin Mary and Joseph, the carpenter, with baby Jesus on the manger in the middle, and a monkey and a cow to their side. The nativity scene is placed below a miniature replication of the separation barrier, the upper part of which is pierced by a star-shaped bullet hole, with Peace and Love drawn in graffiti letters in French and English. Three large, wrapped gifts are placed under the mini-manger.