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.
