British graffiti artist Banksy has tagged quite a few walls in the West Bank. His stencils are popular with tourists - some have become a part of local folklore.

In Bethlehem you can get what's best described as an unofficial Banksy tour courtesy of taxi drivers who know the location of the stencils.

One of the Banksy works is titled the "Flower Chucker." It shows a masked Palestinian throwing a bouquet of flowers. The image reminds area residents of a bronze angel on a nearby church and as a result the stencil has become known locally by some as "The Angel."

Perhaps the most famous stencil depicts a large dove with wings spread wearing a bullet proof-vest. The image appears on a wall riddled with bullets.

A couple of the stencils have been erased. One that showed an Israeli soldier checking the papers of a donkey became a target for criticism. The satire was aimed at heavy handed Israeli security. But some locals mistakenly believed it could be interpreted as an unflattering portrayal of the Palestinian people.

Since the security wall went up in 2002, the livelihood of Palestinians has suffered. The Banksy stencils have helped to draw tourists to Bethlehem and provide area taxi drivers with the chance to do some extra business.

Banksy has converted a fast food shop opposite Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity into an art gallery for exhibiting work by artists from the Palestinian territories and abroad.

Story of a 'Banksy tour' from Der Spiegel here.

More information from The Age here.