Dear Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds,
We are musicians and political activists from Israel and we write you this message in order to encourage you to withdraw from your decision to perform in Israel at these times.
In 2017 the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories reached its 50th anniversary. During these 50 years, Israel has been controlling the territories between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean sea, offering democracy to its Jewish citizens at the expense of the invisible Palestinian population, that make almost 50% of the entire population in the region under Israeli control.
“Occupation” is a legal term, denoting a static condition. It is misleading as such. A more accurate terminology for the situation in Israel/Palestine should use terms such as “ethnic cleansing” and “apartheid” to express the evolving dynamics of a racist regime that is designed to displace Palestinians.
We have all been active in different ways in the struggle to change this reality, forming Jewish-Arabic alliances within and outside Israel. We have come to realize that change will only result from pressure and we believe that the BDS is a powerful non-violent way to exert such pressure. The power to use it is in your hands, though. As Israeli citizens, we can only support your stance and encourage you to make the right decision.
Israel prides itself for being tolerant and culturally open, but in fact uses culture to limit divergent narratives and voices, and to whitewash its crimes. When performing in Israel one should always remember that they play in a country that discriminates huge populations of invisible people that have no citizenship and no freedom of movement, and are subject to a separate (military) court system. When performing in Israel one should always remember that they play only in front of the privileged. By choosing not to perform you can send them a strong message.
Sincerely,
Aviad Albert
Meira Asher
Yoav Beirach
Ohal Grietzer
David Oppenheim
Danielle Ravitzki
Michal Sapir
Yonatan Shapira
Great letter! Very glad to hear from Israeli musicians!
Wow. That’s disappointing. I was a big fan of his.
Here’s another overdue and welcome development:
“Christian leaders urge Congress to reject Israel Anti-Boycott Act
Dozens of American faith-based organizations have endorsed a call to defend the First Amendment rights of Americans who want to hold Israel accountable for its violations of Palestinian rights.
Three Christian denominations – the Alliance of Baptists, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ – are lead signatories of the call, which was published as an advertisement in The Kansas City Star this week.
“As faith leaders, we have long used the nonviolent instruments of boycott and divestment in our work for justice and peace,” the faith groups say. “These economic measures have proven to be powerful tools for social change, from strengthening labor rights for farm workers to ending apartheid in South Africa.” …
This week, leaders representing 17 Christian organizations sent a letter to every member of Congress calling on them to oppose the bill.”…”
much more @- https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/christian-leaders-urge-congress-reject-israel-anti-boycott-act
A link in the article leads to this:
“Christian leaders call on Congress to oppose the “Israel Anti-Boycott Act” …
Washington, DC, November 6, 2017:
Leaders representing 17 Christian organizations, including the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the United Church of Christ, and Global Ministries, sent a letter to all members of Congress today calling on them to oppose the “Israel Anti-Boycott Act.” The legislation was introduced in both the House and the Senate in March of this year.
“As U.S. Christian churches and organizations committed to justice and peace in the Middle East,” the leaders wrote, “we are deeply concerned by the introduction of the “Israel Anti-Boycott Act” in the Senate (S.720) and in the House (H.R.1697). This legislation, if adopted, would put legal obstacles in the way of nonviolent peaceful action meant to bring about social change, and would legislate against the freedom to make choices in the stewardship of our financial resources. The bills also conflate Israel and the settlements, erasing the important distinction between Israel and its illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.”
Jim Winkler, President and General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and a signer of the letter said, “The effort to outlaw the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement is not only illegal, it will fail to achieve the results intended by those who support this legislation because it will make martyrs of those who are prosecuted and persecuted as a result of this bill.”…”
http://www.globalministries.org/christian_leaders_call_on_congress_to_oppose_the_israel_anti_boycott_act
It is heartening to know that within Israel there are sensible voices, who dare to disagree with what their leaders have done, and keep doing. If only there were more voices to deafen their leadership.
Very interesting:
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-1.821663
Haaretz – Nov. 8, 2017
“Young U.S. Jews want to know why no one told them about the Israeli occupation”
By Debra Nussbaum Cohen
“IfNotNow launches ‘You Never Told Me’ campaign, calling on Jewish educational groups to inform students about Israel’s policies and to include the Palestinian narrative.”
EXCERPT:
“NEW YORK – About 20 protesters from the U.S. anti-occupation group IfNotNow held a rally outside the Jewish Theological Seminary on Tuesday night, standing in the rain to demand that the Conservative movement’s Camp Ramah start talking about the Israeli occupation.
“It was the first demonstration in the mainly millennial group’s ‘You Never Told Me’ campaign, which calls on Jewish educational groups to include information about the occupation in their teachings about Israel.
“The campaign’s official website says it came out of ‘realizations that the Israel education we received during our youth was one-sided and incomplete,’ calling on the institutions to ‘include an honest understanding of the occupation and Palestinian narratives.’
“The website quotes dozens of alumni of various Jewish schools, camps and youth groups with writers saying they feel mislead by their education.”