Bethlehem mural vandalized

Bethlehem residents have painted over a satirical mural by reclusive guerrilla artist Banksy that was designed to highlight the plight of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The mural was an attempt by the famed British street painter, whose paintings regularly fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction, to attract tourists to Bethlehem and stimulate its faltering economy.

Six images were painted on walls, buildings and the eight-metre high Israeli security barrier that encircles the city, which Israel deems a protective measure against suicide attacks and Palestinians see as a symbol of oppression .

While some found the images insulting, others praised Banksy and the coalition of international artists who descended on the West Bank city in their attempt to "offer the ink-stained hand of friendship to ordinary people in an extraordinary situation.

Source: CTV, Santa's Ghetto , Banksy