Street art in Israel

Inscriptions and drawings have been found in archaeological sites throughout the country that provide insight into the everyday lives of ancient civilizations.

However, as professor Karen B. Stern notes, creating these markings was not an easy task, as “powders and fragments would cover one’s face and fill one’s lungs with dust; hardened dirt, rock, and plaster could push back and split fingernails; and carving implements, including metal nails, blades, and stones, surely drew blood when the lighting faded or surfaces grew unwieldy”.

In the aftermath of Rabin's death, graffiti and street art emerged as a powerful form of expression for many young Israelis.

It first began to garner international attention in 2005, after the anonymous British graffiti artist Banksy visited and left nine works on the barrier.

The art on this barrier is often referred to as a form of Sumud, what literary scholar Tahrir Hamdi calls "creative resistance."

During the First Intifada, graffiti “became a way to organize protests, strikes, and rallies; to affirm allegiances; to warn against collaboration; and finally, to demarcate political boundaries.”[12] To stop this, Israeli forces imposed fines, threatened imprisonment, and collaborated with local Palestinians to remove the works they found the most troubling, such as those with heavy references to the Nakba.

Recently, with the rise of the so-called "electronic Intifada", graffiti has taken a step back in terms of prominence for Palestinian resistance.

[16] Researcher Caroline Rozenholc notes that the "dark reputation accumulated through years of poverty and lack of municipal concern is nowadays dissolving into a sense of 'authenticity.

In response, veteran graffiti artists have stopped working in the neighborhood, favoring less touristy spots in the center of the city.

To be legal, before implementation the designs are subject to approval by both the local authorities and the adjacent residents and business owners who may be impacted by the artwork.

Notable figures depicted are: So far, Souza has completed these murals without any help from the city or third parties, although he is open to working with the municipality or foundations in the future.

Souza has said that it has been easy to get permission from the shop owners to paint their shutters, with some even requesting a favorite rabbi or the family patriarch.

That is why, according to Hila Smolyanski, director of the visual arts department at the Jerusalem Municipality, this neighborhood was selected by the city to undergo a cultural project.

The project, named Tabula rasa (meaning blank slate), was done by 30 artists to create murals and other street art on poles, walls, balconies, shops and doors to revitalize the area.

[25] Then Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat explained that the project is “a joint venture between the merchants, the Student Union and the municipality.”[26] The penalty for illegal street art in Israel can be a fine or up to a year in prison.