The pop singer Lorde announced on Sunday that she would be canceling her June 5th performance in Tel Aviv after pressure from the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS).
On social media, the New Zealand singer explained that, while she had researched the issue before scheduling her performance in Tel Aviv, in the end she believed she had not made “the right call” in choosing to plan an show in Israel.
“Hey guys, so about this Israel show — I’ve received an overwhelming number of messages & letters and have had a lot of discussions with people holding many views, and I think the right decision at this time is to cancel the show,” Lorde wrote in a statement to her fans. “I pride myself on being an informed young citizen, and I had done a lot of reading and sought a lot of opinions before deciding to book a show in Tel Aviv, but I’m not too proud to admit I didn’t make the right call on this one.”
Lorde went on to say visiting Tel Aviv had “been a dream” of hers for many years, and apologized to her fans for reversing her commitment to play in the coastal city.
The BDS movement encourages the economic, cultural and academic boycott of Israel due to the country’s treatment of Palestinians and the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territory.
By canceling the show, Lorde joined the ranks of Roger Waters, Elvis Costello, Thurston Moore, Lauryn Hill and others who have also committed themselves to the BDS of Israel.
Israeli Minister of Culture, Miri Regev, said in a statement that she hoped Lorde would reverse her decision.
“Lorde, I’m hoping you can be a ‘pure heroine,’ like the title of your first album,” Regev said. “Be a heroine of pure culture, free from any foreign – and ridiculous – political considerations.”
Meanwhile, the official Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), thanked the singer for canceling the tour, “and heeding appeals from your fans against Israel’s art-washing of its brutal oppression of Palestinians.”
“Your unwavering commitment to progressive values inspires us and gives us hope,” the group said.
Since Lorde is from New Zealand, Dayenu: New Zealand Jews against the illegal occupation of Palestinian land and lives, weighed in, thanking Lorde for “a holiday miracle.”
“This is a seminal moment for BDS. Lorde’s courageous decision has reignited the conversation in the entertainment industry about the reality of Israeli occupation and the importance of human rights. We hope that her actions will inspire Lorde’s many young, progressive fans to carry on the movement and speak out against injustice.”
The group continued, pointing out that while the cultural boycott of Israel is “crucial,” it is “only the beginning.”
“We call on businesses and governments to follow Lorde’s lead by divesting from and sanctioning Israel for their violations of international law.”
The group also called on young Jewish people around the world to act.
“Advocating for BDS is never an easy task. Many of us face the threat of ostracisation from our communities and families every time we speak out. Many of us will also have family and friends in Israel. While we want them to be able to enjoy the gift of Lorde’s music with us, we insist that basic human rights must take priority. A sustainable future for both of our peoples is possible, but only with the end of the Israeli occupation,” the statement ended.
Yuval Ben-Ami, a Tel Aviv-based journalist and artist is one of Lorde’s biggest fans who has been working on a project in which he translates Lorde’s lyrics to Hebrew, all the while documenting the project in a blog on +972.
In an interview with Newsweek, Ben-Ami said he supported Lorde, despite the fact that it means he will not be able to see Lorde live in his city.
“Several other great artists have canceled, [but Lorde] appears to be the first of her generation, and that’s meaningful,” Ben-Ami told the magazine.
“I am a huge fan of Lorde, but an even bigger fan of equality,” he said. “So long as people here live without rights, hers is the right choice, and if the BDS movement is emulated in other places where human rights are a concern, that would be commendable.”
“Lorde, I’m hoping you can be a ‘pure heroine,’ like the title of your first album,” Regev said. “Be a heroine of pure culture, free from any foreign – and ridiculous – political considerations.”
Oh you gotta hope a lot harder than that Miri Regev – culture killer. Free from any foreign (you mean like Lorde?) and “ridiculous political considerations” unless they’re in line with the zionist narrative and favor them.
How stupid can she be? WTF Regev, that’s completely incoherent. Maybe Cat-a-lan can splain it to me.
Very proud of Lorde, though I don’t know her music, for her openness and change of heart. Because once you are presented with the facts, there’s no other choice you could make except to boycott israel. Bravo!
Lorde: Roseanne Barr calls singer a ‘bigot’ for cancelling Israel show
@christophhooton |
Tuesday 26 December 2017 09:47 GMT|
The Independent Culture
Emmy Award winner and loyal Trump supporter Roseanne Barr has called for a counter-boycott of Lorde after she cancelled a scheduled concert in Tel Aviv for political reasons.
The New Zealand singer said in a statement that she has decided not play in the Israeli city next summer following “lots of discussions”.
“Boycott this bigot: Lorde caves to BDS pressure, cancels Israel concert,” Barr wrote on Twitter, linking to The Jerusalem Post’s article on the matter.
When another user suggested the singer had been bullied by “trolls” from the Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement, Barr added (sic): “if they do not know enough about hating jews after WW2-they NEVER will-i say fuck them.”
#SAD! I never realized what an absolute bully Barr has become. Or maybe always? The call to boycott swings both ways. Won’t be watching anything with her in it in this lifetime ever again.
Good for her. Did anybody here see, listen to CSPAN debate between Cornell West & Allan Dershowitz regarding BDS?
Did anybody watch the West v Dershowtize debate on BDS on CSPAN?
Aotearoa New Zealand’s resident Israeli shill, Juliet Moses (spokesperson for the New Zealand Jewish Council), weighs in with an extraordinarily fact-free diatribe:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/100173957/jewish-council-lorde-takes-a-bow-to-the-bullies
Having just demonised Palestinians and confirmed apartheid (“”Peace for us means Israel’s destruction and nothing else”. Their ultimate goal, as stated by a founder of the campaign, Omar Barghouti, is the complete end of Israel, the world’s one Jewish state.”) she concludes that:
“Resolution and real peace, in the form of self-determination for two people – a two-state solution – will not come from estrangement, segregation and a demonisation of one side.”