ISRAEL: Activists urge musicians not to perform in Israel

Israelis are already buying tickets, psyched to see a long list of international artists billed to perform in Israel in coming months.  But as Israelis prepare to rock, political campaigners are on a roll and the summer concerts are already striking a sour note.

Peace activists are picking on the Pixies, slated to play Israel in June.  They've sent the band an open letter saying "as much as some of us are huge fans and would love to hear your show, we won't cross the international picket line." This line isn't always visible, but it's there, they write, asking: "Are you prepared to perform in Tel-Aviv while just under your noses millions of human beings are suffering under a cruel Israeli military regime?" The activists, Israeli citizens from a group that supports the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) "from within," urged the Pixies to refuse to perform in Israel "until there is freedom here."

The local producers of the Pixies' concert, headed by premier entertainment producer Shuki Weiss, responded with a letter of their own. Weiss wrote that there was no difference between the Chinese government silencing a show because of explicit lyrics or an Islamic government silencing artists because of revealing clothing and "a political movement trying to express a specific opinion at the expense of music lovers. We believe your call is one for silencing art and we are sad to say we regard this as cultural terror, no less."

Another group took up the issue with Elton John. This time, it was the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel that called on the artist not to contribute to "Israel's celebration of its occupation and apartheid." Israel, they wrote, is "luring renowned performers to rebrand itself as an enlightened, cultural country while continuing to dispossess Palestinians." Reminding John that he played Sun City in 1983, they wrote: "We urge you not to be on the wrong side of history again."

Many artists come under pressure to leave Israel off their tours. Some resist, like Paul McCartney. Others, such as Leonard Cohen, gave a significant part of the proceeds to the Parents Circle, a peace group of bereaved Palestinian and Israeli parents. The boycott campaign did, however, succeed in scuppering Cohen's plans to perform in Ramallah. Roger Waters came despite pressure but made his own statement by moving the concert location from Tel-Aviv to Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salam, a joint Arab-Jewish community.

Rihanna also is scheduled to perform in Israel. She comes with strings attached -- but not political ones. Young Israelis will be awarded tickets only after completing several hours of volunteer work for the community as part of a project with the Israeli sponsor. 

And some cancel, like Carlos Santana. Santana -- who performed in Israel in the past -- dropped Israel for scheduling-overload reasons, it was reported locally. But a U.S. group supporting the cultural boycott of Israel published a letter thanking him for "electing not to perform in the apartheid state." 

Meanwhile, metalheads have been at loggerheads over Metallica too -- with a call for a boycott of a different nature. Outraged at high ticket prices, thousands joined a Facebook campaign launched by Israeli fans to boycott the May concert. The boycott was dropped after Metallica intervened and an agreement on more reasonably priced tickets was reached.

-- Batsheva Sobelman in Jerusalem

Photo: The Pixies in a 2004 concert. Credit: Wikimedia Commons 

Comments

[Atrayu]

Activists urge musicians not to perform in Israel

Jews may not live in Jordan. Jews may not live in Saudi Arabia. Jews may not live in Dubai..and if you are gay
you can forget it!
Is there also an urge to boycott those countries?

[Kenneth Hammond]

Israeli policy is driven by zionist ideology, this requires the complete theft of the entire land mass of Palestine, with the expulsion of the indigenous Palestinian population700,000of whom were expelled in 1946,the zionists have implemented an illegal form of apartheid to further harass and dispossess the people of their homes and lively hoods, Israel has committed atrocity after atrocity in it contempt for international laws and conventions in order to establish a racist state, every bit as abhorrent as the apartheid regime in South Africa, to play for, and entertain the people who knowingly give support and comfort to this atrocity, is to be complicit in its crimes, far better to encourage change, and support for human rights, and the dignity of the people, do not entertain them, condemn their actions by shunning of this disgraceful pariah state.

[JENNA]

this is rediculous israel was the first to go to haiti and help those poor people, they are doing the best they can in the most dangerous part of the world

[michal zak]

I am one of the Israelis who support the boycott, it has proven a very effective way to wake up Israelis who maintain a normal life, while occupying their neighbors.It is also an act of solidarity with the oppressed. Calling us self hating Jews, or other deragatory names like traitors or Arab lovers is a small price to pay for the possibility to reach just peace.

[Deborah]

I find it interesting that the writer uses the term "picked on" in talking about the letter to the Pixies. "Picked on"? It's not as if the letter writers were holding a gun to the Pixies heads! Honestly. If the LA Times wants to cover subjects related to Israel, they should choose writers that are relatively more neutral in their rhetoric. Otherwise, it looks like the LA Times, which is typically better than the NY Times on recognizing that there is not one side, the Israeli government's, but at least two and internal dissent in Israel over Israeli policies, like most US news outlets cannot really handle reporting on Israel.

This report is also highly ironic, given that Netanyahu has just announced that East Jerusalem and some West Bank settlements are "eternal" to the present Israeli state. And in defiance of the Obama administration's rather desparate attempts to get the current Israeli administration to realize that it is the client state of the U.S. and not the other way around.

[Jess Martin]

There is no separation between political issues and the actions of artists and consumers. The venues that musicians play, the money that individuals spend on concert tickets, these are methods of support, direct or indirect, for the actions of the Israeli government, which continues to subsidize settlements in the Occupied Territories, continues to destroy the livelihoods of Palestinians by demolishing homes, destroying olive trees, preventing access to worksites, and preventing importation of basic necessities into Gaza. Pixies, I have loved you since my teens...you have carried me through many tough times. Please do not support this horrific violence against a subjugated people. Boycott, divestment and sanctions, as in S. Africa, are a right and necessary tool for social change.

[raymond deane]

Shuki Weiss, as quoted above, employs spurious and self-serving logic. A true analogy would be provided were Chinese dissidents to call for an international cultural boycott of China, just as Palestinians have called for such a boycott of the Israeli state that oppresses and murders them. The "cultural terror" is perpetrated by Israel which prevents Palestinian artist(e)s from travelling and which closes down Palestinian literary festivals.

[Riccardo]

...musicians boycotts are also a key factor for change, as such calls address the far larger voting population than a history book, in a typical consumer society bombarded by privately owned mass-medias, the vehicles for propaganda. What can't be accomplished by education, international law, more than 65 UN resolutions against Israel, common sense, history, literature and basic humanity, can better be accomplished with a permanent placement of the issue in i.e. music medias. The omnipresent call for boycotts in whatever media is the only weapon against the state sponsored or private interest groups sponsored pro Israeli brain washing propaganda.

[Milwaukee Broad]

Why do rock musicians have to be pulled into every single issue that you liberals have? Boycott Israel over "apartheid," boycott Chicago for not closing the shipping canal to keep the Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes, boycott Canada for refusing to send troops to Iraq, boycott...never mind, the list is too long. What's a rock musician supposed to do to please you? How important is it that your idols follow your lead? If Prince hates Doritos, will you boycott him? If Adam Lambert prefers Chanel over Estee Lauder, do you boycott him?

What's up with liberals that they do so much crazy stuff that doesn't produce any positive results?! Is it just out of boredom or is it because your aging hippy political science prof told you to? Do us a favor and stay in your co-ops. Leave thinking to those of us whose brains aren't fried from acid.

[Turtleneck]

Who are the Pixies anyway, one of those one-hit-wonder bands? Never heard of 'em. Oh well, Sting chose to boycott Israel and Israel hasn't lost any sleep over it.

[Eric Williams]

Ok, all you Israel haters, you're in good company with Iran, Syria, Saudia Arabia, oh, and Nazi Germany. Get with the people who will save your life with new technology. Side with the others, and your women will be wearing veils, no internet, no freedom of choice, no western music, etc. Get the picture?

[Eric Williams]

Our only friend in the Mideast is ISRAEL. What makes you think that Arabs listen, or care about American/Western music? They hate us. Women are not allowed to do much of anything. Forget these zealots who don't want peace, anyway. Give the land to the squatters that went in after the Israelites were kicked out? I don't think so. These people who are complaining about Israel taking land that belongs to Israel, need to give their land back to the Indians. Read your history books, please before you open your fly trap.

[Adam Flude]

Did you support the brutal Apartheid in South Africa?

...Why do you support it in Israel & Palestine?

SHAME on you for even considering supporting the regime who has subjugated 12,000,000 people, MOST of whom STILL live in miserable segregation not ONLY from the COLONIAL RACIST, RADICAL-ZIONIST INVADERS but ALSO from EACH OTHER.

SHAME ON YOU

[Jedidjah]

If the Pixies want to play in Israel then that’s there choice, and that’s exactly the point: it’s their choice. You can’t pretend that agreeing to preform in Israel is somehow a neutral, apolitical decision, untouched by the social reality on the ground. We’re not asking them to boycott Israel as a symbolic demonstration of some abstract ideology, we’re asking them to boycott Israel because going there is a statement in favor of an ideology of occupation and oppression.

There are times in history when neutral simply does not exist. (I don’t think I need to remind anyone of past examples).

Signed,
a Jew who has lived in Israel.

[Susan]

Now you see why I only read the LA Times for free online. For years, I paid money to read their Israel bashing editorials and the platform it serves as a forum for inciting hatred in the local communities. Now, I don't pay a dime and hope at some point the Times can no longer publish. Used to love the good, newsworthy articles, but they are not worth the effort.

[Farren]

I am a white South African who grew up under Apartheid and I can tell you that cultural isolation is a very effective tool for changing the minds of people who would oppress another. For every Pixie-loving Israeli that rightly decries the Apartheid occupation, there are likely 2 that support it, if the composition of the Knesset is anything to go by. And I'm sure peace loving Israeli's can endure the loss if it brings the message home to their ethnic nationalist brethren.

[Remi Kanazi]

During the 1980’s, the boycott of South Africa included a cultural boycott whereby musicians and artists from around the world were prohibited from performing in the apartheid state.

After traveling to the occupied Palestinian territories, a host of individuals have asserted that Israeli occupation is in fact worse than South African apartheid. Among these people are highly esteemed anti-apartheid advocate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Jewish South African politician Ronnie Kasrils.

A cultural boycott does not hinder the prospects for peace; rather it serves to empower conscientious Israelis and Palestinians, and provides the international community with a viable non-violent solution to the current impasse.

[Rachel]

Please Pixies, you got me through high school! Don't play apartheid Israel! Think about all those Palestinian kids with white phosphorous burns. Think about how the Israelis who bombed them will never be held to account. Please don't let them get away with it. Please don't entertain them as though nothing is wrong. Please don't play apartheid Israel.

[hannahleeeee]

Pixies: I am a huge fan but need to urge you to honor the global boycott of Israeli Apartheid. Israel is a rogue state that ignores human rights and international law and gets away with it for 60+ years. Governments are not going to end the horrors of Israeli policy toward Palestinians, we've gotta do it through collective action. PLEASE DON'T PLAY TEL AVIV!!!!!!!

PS I'm Jewish and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor -- this has zero to do with anti-Semitism and everything to do with JUSTICE!

[Jonas Moffat]

BOYCOTT APARTHEID
BOYCOTT RACISM
BOYCOTT OCCUPATION
BOYCOTT TERROR
BOYCOTT ISRAEL
THIS MEANS YOU PIXIES!

Please?
Thanks.
Bye.