Gaza man ‘duped’ into selling Banksy artwork for just £120
A Gaza man says he has been duped into selling a valuable work by British graffiti artist Banksy for less than £120.
The popular street artist is believed to have visited Gaza in February, leaving behind four murals. One, depicting the Greek goddess Niobe, was drawn on a door, the last remnant of a two-storey house belonging to the Dardouna family in northern Gaza.
Unaware of its value, 33-year-old Rabie Dardouna said he was tricked into selling the door to an eager local artist for just 700 shekels. He now wants the door back.
The artist who bought the door, Belal Khaled, said he did not mean to trick anyone, adding he just wants to protect the painting and has no intention of profiting.
Banksy’s works have been valued as high as hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Mr Dardouna said he did not know who the British artist was but added: “I did not know that it was this valuable. I heard it can be sold for millions. Now I want the door back.”
Mr Khaled said: “I bought the painting to protect its artistic value and preserve it from damage. Another reason is to display it in other places as well. I don’t have any monetary interest in this.”
He said he has been in touch with Banksy’s representatives hoping to get a clearance to showcase the mural – titled Bomb Damage – in Gaza art exhibits.
The debate has heated up on Facebook with Palestinian activists and journalists accusing the buyer of tricking the Dardounas while others have defended him for buying it legally.
Mr Khaled agreed to show reporters the mural on condition that its location is not revealed.
The Dardouna home was one of 18,000 destroyed in the 50-day war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers last summer. Banksy is a critic of Israel and created works in Gaza and the West Bank to draw attention to the plight of the Palestinians.
Other Banksy works spotted in Gaza after the mystery visit were a mural of a playful kitten and one of children swinging from a military watchtower.
Banksy publicist Jo Brooks said at the time that the artist entered Gaza through a tunnel from Egypt, though such a route is extremely difficult and dangerous.
On a previous visit to the region he drew a painting of a girl pulled upward by balloons on Israel’s West Bank separation barrier.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
