The indie rock band Big Thief has canceled its Israel concerts after backlash from the BDS movement.

While popular indie rock band Big Thief’s decision to play in Israel exemplifies the violent complicity of liberal Zionism, the recent Boston Palestine Solidarity Concert sets forth a bold new standard for musical solidarity with Palestine.

The case for boycotting Israel is plausible and should be taken seriously – not smeared by specious or misleading criticisms.

Artists and companies continue to drop out of the Sydney Festival over its sponsorship deal with the Israeli government. The annual festival is a major arts event in the city attracting approximately 500,000 visitors a year. According to BDS Australia, 100 individuals and organizations have withdrawn, disrupting more than 40% of the scheduled events.

Media reports have implied that Sally Rooney rejected an Israeli publisher’s request to translate her newest novel because she is boycotting the Hebrew language, but a statement put out by the writer makes it clear that the issue is Israel’s system of apartheid.

This spring as the fight to save Sheikh Jarrah, Gaza, and all of Palestine from Israeli settler-colonialism slowly became a mainstay in mainstream public discourse, thousands of artists, musicians, and other culture makers have spoken out in support if Palestine. These statements are not only important political bellwethers, but also essential catalysts for social change.

As Palestinians throughout the world commemorate 73 years of resistance to an ongoing Nakba, we invite you to stand in solidarity by joining the academic and cultural boycott of Israel.

German and Austrian cultural leaders are right to insist upon freedom of expression, but they should also actively extend their plea to embrace Palestinians.

Seven Brazilian filmmakers have pulled their films from TLVFest, the Israeli government-partnered LGBT film festival, running through November 21. The filmmakers, representing over half the Brazilian shorts at TLVFest, have requested their films be withdrawn from the program in response to the call from Palestinian queers.

More than a dozen filmmakers have honored a call by Queer Palestinians to withdraw from TLVFest, the Israeli government-partnered LGBT film festival, over its role in the Israeli government’s pinkwashing agenda.