TOW #23 Banksy's Work on the West Bank Barrier

In a series of work that Banksy did on the West Bank Wall, he communicated his strong opposition towards the massive barrier. In some statements he released regarding his opinion towards the West Bank Wall, he declared that "It essentially turns Palestine into the world’s largest open-air prison".  In this regard, I have to agree with Banksy, considering not only the wall itself but also the tragic way of life that the people constrained by it are forced to experience. The particular mural I decided to interpret struck me as a really powerful image, as it depicts two young children with sand pails and shovels, completely cut off from the ocean that is shown coming through cracks on the wall. I think this is really representative of the restrictive nature of the wall, and also who the wall is really hurting- not the violent extremists that it was meant to protect from, but rather innocent people and children. If I could create my own version, I would make it a series to really show the wide variety of people who are seemingly punished by the wall. The biggest 'source' that Banksy's work needs to accomplish its intended purpose is really just its very backdrop, the wall itself. The massive barrier, three times the height of the Berlin wall, proves his point for him. While as a Jewish-American it is my natural tendency to favor Israel, I do not think it is ethical to use such aggressive means. I think that Banksy would be even more outraged with what is going on today, considering that he created this work around 2003 and little has changed since. Additionally, in the past year the prime minister of Israel proclaimed that he would not be willing to try to reach compromise with Palestinians through the implementation of two state solution. This makes the situation seem even more bleak for the oppressed people that Banksy was trying to advocate for over a decade ago. Even though I agree with what the artist is trying to communicate, I can also recognize the validity in the opposing argument. Israel and Palestine have a troubled history, with a great deal of violence afflicted on each side by the other. Therefore, for the protection of both Israelis and Palestinians, having some kind of barrier certainly makes sense due to the harmful extremists on both sides.