When people are killed in Obomber’s drone attacks it barely warrants a mention in the mainstream media, if at all.  The Irish media does not cover such stories, preferring to propagate the sycophancy that accompanies his presidency in this country. The continuing crime that is Guantanamo receives no coverage really.  There are great and honest journalists like John Pilger and Glenn Greenwald, among others, who document the war mongering, but the mainstream media remains complicit in it.  Murder people and we turn away, but belt out a tune and we’re all watching. It’s fucked up.

U.S. drones targeting rescuers and mourners

There had been online efforts on Twitter to talk to Cassandra and show her the true nature of the apartheid state and the importance of the Palestinian call for BDS. Israeli group Boycott from Within sent this letter to Cassandra asking her to cancel. Cassandra Wilson, Please do not support selective empowerment of women under Israeli apartheid

You can thank Cassandra for her courage and integrity in supporting equality for the Palestinian people at her Twitter account @reallycassandra or Contact her here.

Reaction from the festival organisers has been ugly with them threatening to sue and a report in Haaretz claiming that music promoters are to introduce cancellation clauses into contracts with artists due to play Israel. This move is yet another to shut down freedom of speech and of action from apartheid Israel as it stipulates: “that the artist is aware of possible political pressure to cancel their appearance.” It is also indicative of the increasing success of BDS, particularly in the cultural arena, and its threat to the fallacy that Israel is a democratic state. Every artist that cancels or refuses to play there makes the struggle against apartheid that bit more winnable.

In 2012 already the tUnE-yArDs, Cat Power and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have cancelled their dates in apartheid Israel, all of them citing political reasons.  It’s a great start to the year, a great turn for justice for Palestine. We can only hope it inspires more artists to act in good conscience and not to play in apartheid Israel, artists like the Red Hot Chili Peppers  and Guns N’ Roses.

Cassandra Wilson has had some great support on Twitter and some rotten racism from the supporters of apartheid too. See below, click on images to enlarge.

The beat drops when the wall falls! One world, one love.

A door opens
Solidarity for Khader Adnan

Big Tomás Ashe walks down a prison corridor,
The gates of death close behind,
Seán McGaughey from the county of Tyrone,
Food and water denied, life goes, eternal name
Bellaghy offered Francie Hughes, a giant of a man,
His final fight was hunger, he won, he died, he lives.

McSwiney, Lynch and McIlwee
Murphy, Stagg and Sands,
All have walked that lonesome road,
The doors of death closed in

Forever on my mind, forged indelibly,
Sacrifice everlasting, perpetual legacy,
Their life was not for living, but to give for you and me,
All forced to death by the cruel hand of tyranny.

An iron shackle, ties Khader, to a lonesome prison bed,
His wife, and fearsome family, filled with hope and dread.
Will he join the martyrs, or his family?
Both will gently take his hand and grant eternity.

Voices of the living fade,
You are nearer death than life,
Your body wastes, with every day,
A door opens to the afterlife,

You are weak and you are strong,
You are gentle wind and mountain side,
A broken body, impenetrable soul,
Weakened heart, relentless tide.

Israel holds your lovely life, in their cruel hands,
To them, your life it is nothing, like every Arab man’s,
For you death is permitted, but certainly is not willed,
I fear those awful tyrants, won’t stop until you’re killed.

Another walks now towards that death,
His shadow hard to see,
But in his battle cry there is,
A call for you and me.

Wherever man is denied, his basic liberty,
Wherever he is restrained,
He will not fall unto his knee,
Nor to the hunger pains.

A door opens to you now, Khader of Palestine,
Your God he waits for thee,
If you walk towards, his warm embrace,
I wish you eternity.

Israel you’re a terrorist,
Your crimes, the world can see,
Too often have you told your lies,
And sought immunity.

But the crimes that have made you monster,
Are the same that will make you pay,
When justice knocks those apartheid walls,
And Palestine gets its day.

Khader could not break you,
But you could not break him,
His weakened frame, attacked by pain,
Hold power and strength within.

If Khader goes and when a smile,
Cracks through your rotten face,
Remember this that every tide,
Returns and gathers pace.

More will follow Khader’s lead,
and join his noble fight,
You cannot stop the rising tide,
For wrong cannot trump right.

My own thoughts here:

Dying to Live – Khader Adnan, a Lesson in Dignity and the Essence of Freedom

Although thousands of people in Palestine and all over the world have held vigils, have emailed, tweeted, posted, made phone calls and representsation to politicians, the Israeli authorities, the EU’s foreign affairs representative, the so-called international community has been predictably silent on this case.  While Catherine Ashton had many words for the family of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, and often called for his release, she has had nothing to say about Khader Adnan until today when the usual vague statement calling on Israel to do what it could to “preserve the health” of Adnan, never calling for his release was issued. Having presided over 61 days of Adnan’s hunger strike, Israel clearly has zero interest in preserving his health or his human rights. Such a statement is an insult to Khader Adnan, to his family, to all Palestinian prisoners, unfortuatley this is standard stuff from the EU. My email to Catherine Ashton is below, I have received no answer. Until today the Irish media had not touched this story.

I wish I could do something for Khader Adnan, I can’t. All I can do is hope that all these messages of solidarity will be of comfort to his family and that his courage and will to resist help to end Israel’s brutalisation of Palestinians, and administrative detention. Yesterday I wrote this on the Facebook page Solidarity Letters to #KhaderAdnan رسائل دعم لخضر عدنان, it’s all I have:  “Khader Adnan, your humanity shines so brightly, especially in the face of Israel’s utter inhumanity. Your soul is beautiful and free, your struggle for justice is an inspiration – they will never break your spirit. We are with you. Kulna Khader. Much respect, solidarity and love, Zoe”

Email to Catherine Ashton

Dear Catherine Ashton,

Why have you not made any attempts to intervene on behalf of Khader Adnan, a Palestinian man into his 61st day of hunger strike? Khader Adnan has not been charged with any crime and is being held in Israeli administrative detention, like hundreds of other Palestinian prisoners. Khader Adnan is shackled to his bed. This ‘legal system’ is a sham and Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners, including Adnan, is barbaric.

You made statements in sympathy with the family of Gilad Shalit, where are your statements now? Are you an honest broker in the Middle East or another politician barely paying lip service to justice while the Palestinian people continue to be oppressed and occupied by Israel?

As a citizen of the EU and as a human being, I find your silence on this case reprehensible and unrepresentative of most European citizens who in fact do not support apartheid, administrative detention or people having to starve themselves to death to protest the inhumanity and illegality they are subjected to by Israel.

I await your response with interest. Meanwhile, time is running out for Khader Adnan.

Regards,

Please SIGN and share this petition:

Amnesty International -Israel: End use of administrative detention

Cat Power, Please Respect the Boycott of Apartheid Israel      (Facebook page)

Cat Power: Listen to Palestinian Voices, Don’t Play Apartheid Israel     (Open Letter)

Letter to Cat Power from Boycott from Within

During the day of Thursday 9th,  Cat Power was looking for a gig in Ramallah on February 13th and soon was inundated with messages explaining that Palestinians didn’t want her to play in Ramallah, they wanted her NOT to play in apartheid Israel and to respect their call for BDS.  Screenshots of her tweets below, click on images to enlarge.

Looking to play Ramallah

Cancelling apartheid

Thanks are due to Cat Power who made this courageous decision to cancel, she should be very proud of her actions and proud to be part of the BDS campaign.

This is a good day for the BDS campaign, a great day for justice! We can only hope it inspires more artists to act in good conscience and not to play in apartheid Israel, artists like the Red Hot Chili Peppers .

The beat drops when the wall falls! One world, one love.

You may have heard about the growing movement of people who stand in solidarity with Palestinians and their struggle for human rights.  You may have heard of Boycott, Divest and Sanctions against Israel (BDS).  This is a people’s movement, and a growing number of musicians are choosing to be a part of BDS.

In 2006, the majority of Palestinian civil society united to ask artists like you to respect their call for a cultural boycott of Israel. [1] We are confident that, seeing the facts of Israel’s crimes against humanity of apartheid and colonialism,  you will decide to refrain from playing in Israel until justice is delivered to the oppressed Palestinian people.

This grassroots global people’s movement is the only foreseeable way to end Israel’s crimes.  The United Nations, despite numerous resolutions against Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people, has not ensured that Israel is forced to comply with international law.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa said

“International Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions against the Apartheid regime, combined with the mass struggle inside South Africa, led to our victory … Just as we said during apartheid that it was inappropriate for international artists to perform in South Africa in a society founded on discriminatory laws and racial exclusivity, so it would be wrong … to perform in Israel.”

Roger Waters, founder of Pink Floyd, emphasised

“Where governments refuse to act people must, with whatever peaceful means are at their disposal. For me this means declaring an intention to stand in solidarity, not only with the people of Palestine but also with the many thousands of Israelis who disagree with their government’s policies, by joining the campaign of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel. This is [however] a plea to my colleagues in the music industry, and also to artists in other disciplines, to join this cultural boycott. Artists were right to refuse to play in South Africa’s Sun City resort until apartheid fell and white people and black people enjoyed equal rights. And we are right to refuse to play in Israel.”

Playing in Israel today, in violation of the boycott call, sends two messages:

1. The artist has chosen to ignore the Palestinian people’s call for solidarity through BDS.
2. The musician is aware of and accepts that the Israeli Ministry of Culture will endeavor to use an artist’s name to legitimize and promote the current oppressive, racist, apartheid government through social media like Twitter[2], through press releases, and via the CCFP. [3]

Nissim Ben-Sheetrit, former deputy director general of the Israeli foreign ministry, stated “We are seeing culture as a hasbara [propaganda] tool of the first rank, and I do not differentiate between hasbara and culture.”  [4]
We hope you will refrain from playing in Israel, playing Tel Aviv has been compared to playing in Sun City during South African apartheid.  A musician does not need to play in Israel in order to “see” the human rights violations that are going on there.

Cat Power, this is your opportunity to be a part of a people’s movement and to choose to stand NOT with Israeli crimes against humanity, but with a movement that Belgium filmmaker Chris den Hond calls one of the “most prominent international grassroots movements against the Israeli policy of occupation and colonization of historic Palestine.”  [5]

Over 11 million people are oppressed by Israel’s violations of human rights against non-Jews. Howard Zinn referred to both American “western expansion” and Israel’s occupation of land as “ethnic cleansing.” [6] People were and still are forced from their homes, and made into refugees.  Gaza was made into a crowded, Israeli-controlled open-air jail.  The West Bank is surrounded by an apartheid wall and sprinkled with over 500 roadblocks and checkpoints. [7]

While Israel presents itself as a democracy, in fact it is a democracy only for Jews, whilst indigenous Palestinians, most particularly in the Occupied Territories,  are treated as less than human. Palestinians, lesser citizens within Israel itself, are discriminated against by 43 laws privileging Jews at their expense.[8]

Prior to the event I emailed Eamonn Gilmore’s office, see below, asking him not to attend this event. Many other friends and opponents of apartheid did the same. As a passenger on the MV Saoirse, I witnessed the absolute lack of respect that the Irish Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission were treated with by the Israelis, particularly on the last day of our illegal detention when we were twice prevented from flying home. During our imprisonment it was abundantly clear that Mr. Gilmore’s concern for us was minimal as he didn’t immediately call for our  release, however I expected that he might have had some concern for how the embassy officials were treated.  Freedom Waves to Gaza – Tales of a kidnapping from the MV Saoirse  

The response I got from the minister’s office is the exact stock response that everyone who wrote to him received and neither addresses the specific issues I  raised nor makes any reference to our kidnapping at sea,  I find this insulting. The email also cites the Tánaiste’s respect for the right of Irish citizens to protest the festival, something belied by the heavy handed treatment of those doing so by the Gardaí.  Gardai break up peaceful protest outside Israeli Embassy sponsored film festival

Palestinian civil society has called for a cultural and academic boycott of Israel and events sponsored by the state very definitely fall within this remit. As governments fail to support the Palestinian people, fail to ensure international law is upheld, it is up to civil society to act.

Dear Tánaiste,

I’m writing to ask you to reconsider your attendance at the “Israeli Film Days” event hosted by the Israeli Embassy at filmbase tomorrow evening. Given this statement made in numerous email replies during the time of incarceration of the MV Saoirse crew, myself among them: “The Tánaiste has consistently stated his condemnation of and opposition to the overall blockade on Gaza, as it is implemented in practice by Israel.”; it is astonishing that you would attend an event such as this, hosted by the very state implementing this illegal, immoral siege.

The Israeli state is practising apartheid against its Palestinian citizens;  occupation and imprisonment of the West Bank and Gaza – no government should be enabling any normalisation events hosted by such a state.

Having witnessed first hand the contempt with which the excellent Irish Embassy officials Breifni O’Reilly and Conor Long, as well as ourselves as Irish citizens, were treated with by the Israeli officials while in prison and the day we were due to fly home, I find your attendance at this event unbelievable.

Please reconsider attending, please stand with the oppressed, not with the oppressors.

Best regards,

13th December 2011

Dear Ms. Lawlor,

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore T.D, has asked me to thank you for your correspondence concerning his attendance at the Israeli film festival held in Dublin in November.

The Government does not support academic, cultural or other boycotts against Israel. This has been the position of every Irish Government. Attempts to impose a cultural boycott only play into the hands of those in Israel who claim that Ireland’s consistent criticisms of Israeli policies are based on antipathy rather than on our genuine and valid concerns about the human rights abuses arising from the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories. The Tánaiste is of the view that these actions only undermine Ireland’s voice on these critical issues in the quarters where it most needs to be heard.

The Tánaiste fully respects the rights of those who wished to protest about the festival, but believed strongly that efforts to prevent the festival being held at all amounted to an attack on free speech in Ireland, which he did not hesitate to oppose. He attended the opening of the festival to make this clear. As he stated in his remarks on the occasion, filmmakers in Israel, as elsewhere, are often to the fore in challenging political or social orthodoxies. Indeed, no suggestion appears to have been made that these films were themselves defending, or even concerned with, the Israeli policies of which the Tánaiste and others have rightly been critical. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade likewise sponsors the showing of Irish films at festivals around the world, to make more widely known the diversity of voices in contemporary Ireland. We would likewise expect the authorities in other countries to protect our right to do so.

Clearly, the Tánaiste’s attendance can not in any way be construed as supporting or condoning specific Israeli policies, but as supporting the principle of free speech and the right of these voices – in this case from Israel – to be heard. The remarks of Israeli Ambassador Modai at the opening made clear that he too did not put any wider construction on the Tánaiste’s presence.

Yours sincerely,

_______________

On January 18th 2012 Israeli MKs Reuven Rivlin (speaker of the Israeli parliament and rightwing Likud member) and MK Yitzhak Herzog (Labour) and their entourage had a private meeting in Leinster House with the Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore.  Knesset speaker commences official visit to Ireland

MK Rivlin, contrary to international law, has called Jerusalem the capital of Israel and has attended a JNF tree planting ceremony – the same JNF that has been involved in ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land. Herzog is a supporter of illegal settlements on Palestinian land. Just what is it about Israeli officials and official events that Minister Gilmore finds so appealing,  more than international law or conscience?

Merrill Garbus is a signatory of the 500 Artists Against Israeli Apartheid letter published in February 2010, so it’s fair to think the cancellation indeed was political.

Montreal artists are now joining this international campaign to concretely protest the Israeli state’s ongoing denial of the inalienable rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties, as stipulated in and protected by international law, as well as Israel’s ongoing occupation and colonization of the West Bank (including Jerusalem) and Gaza, which also constitutes a violation of international law and multiple United Nations resolutions.

Palestinian citizens face an entrenched system of racial discrimination and segregation, resembling the defeated apartheid system in South Africa. A matrix of Israeli-only roads, electrified fences, and over 500 military checkpoints and roadblocks erase freedom of movement for Palestinians. Israel’s apartheid wall, which was condemned by the International Court of Justice in 2004, cuts through Palestinian lands, further annexing Palestinian territory and surrounding Palestinian communities with electrified barbed wire fences and a concrete barrier soaring eight meters high.

Gaza remains under siege. Israel continues to impose collective punishment on the 1.5 million Palestinians of Gaza, who still face chronic shortages of electricity, fuel, food and basic necessities as the campaign of military violence executed by the apartheid state of Israel endures. UN officials recently observed that the “situation has deteriorated into a full-fledged emergency because of the cut-off of vital supplies for Palestinians.” As a result of Israeli actions, Gaza has become a giant prison.

The global movement against Israeli apartheid, supported by a large majority of Palestinian civil society, is not targeted at individual Israelis but at Israeli institutions that are complicit in maintaining the multi-tiered Israeli system of oppression against the Palestinian people.

In fact, the Palestinian civil society BDS call, launched by over 170 Palestinian organisations in 2005, explicitly appeals to conscientious Israelis, urging them to support international efforts to bring about Israel’s compliance with international law and fundamental human rights, essential elements for a justice-based peace in the region. The present appeal is also rooted in an active engagement with many progressive Israeli artists and activists who are working on a daily basis for peace and justice while supporting the growing global movement in opposition to Israeli apartheid.

Israel uses all culture as propaganda to obscure and solidify its oppression – its use of music and musicians is no exception. A ubiquitous catchcry of Israel’s hasbara diplomats, many of whom are now paid for their efforts, is “Music should cross borders, not create them”. Yet in breaking the boycott, musicians undermine the peaceful tactic which Palestinian people have chosen to struggle for their rights. Musicians who respect the boycott conscientiously choose to support non-violent resistance to terrible injustice.

Israeli apartheid creates borders which no music can cross.

Related Links

PACBI
BDS Movement
tUnE-yArDs on Twitter
tUnE-yArDs on Facebook
Musicians sign up to back Occupy :

Rapper Talib Kweli rubs shoulders with British saxophonist Evan Parker, and the bassheads at Glitch Mob stand next to the Flaming Lips’ Kliph Scurlock. Alongside septuagenarians such as Roy Harper and Frederic Rzewski, there is Tune-Yards’ Merrill Garbus.

The Red Sea Jazz Festival is a festival that is sponsored and promoted by the government of Israel.  The festival is a part of the effort to normalize apartheid and talented Jazz musicians are being used to cover up Israel’s crimes.  Your presence at such a festival sends the message that there is nothing wrong with the injustices that Israel commits daily against the Palestinian people.  It undermines their non-violent call to boycott, which is their last resort for justice and freedom after 64 years of oppression and dispossession.

Your recent effort to raise awareness for the children of Africa through UNICEF was very commendable and would lead us to believe you would be interested to hear more about the plight of the Palestinian people.  Being a musician of conscience, would you consider staying home?  Would you refrain from playing in Israel?

Imagine if the children of Africa that you raised funds for were under military rule, and because of their ethnicity they were placed behind tall cement walls, and made to wait for hours to go through checkpoints.  Suppose they were forced into an open air prison in which musical instruments and chocolate were not allowed in, and drones littered their skies daily, their memories grey with sadness from 22 days of bombing where over 1400 people were left dead, white phosphorus burning hands that would have liked to play music.  If they asked you not to play for the government that was harming them, would you ignore their request and play anyway?  Would you wine and dine with the elite in a resort, letting them hear your lovely voice and smooth jazz music all the while ignoring the suffering just miles away?  Three artists based in France decided to cancel their Israel gigs in 2011 –  will you join Vanessa Paradis, Mireille Mathieu, and Oumou Sangare?

Students in Seoul, Korea  participated in Israel Apartheid Week in 2011.  Please watch their very creative efforts:

Eilat while Gaza Suffers

If you are still not sure why over 170 civil society organizations in occupied Palestine have come together since 2005 to ask artists like yourself to boycott Israel, we’ve included some valuable background information below, written by the Palestinian BDS movement.Regards,
Don’t Play Apartheid Israel
We are a group, of over 820 members, representing many nations around the globe, who believe that it is essential for musicians & other artists to heed the call of the PACBI, and join in the boycott of Israel.  This is essential in order to work towards justice for the Palestinian people under occupation, and also in refugee camps and in the diaspora through the world.
_____________________________________________________________________________

BACKGROUND INFORMATION from the PACBI

Israel subjects Palestinians to a cruel system of dispossession and racial discrimination

Perhaps you are not familiar enough with Israel’s practices, widely acknowledged as violations of international law. If this is the case, then we hope you will reconsider your planned concert after thinking through some of Israel’s trespasses. Your performance would function as a whitewash of these practices, making it appear as though business with Israel should go on as usual. Concretely, Israel routinely violates Palestinians’ basic human rights in some of the following ways:

The fall of South African apartheid was preceded by many musical artists who joined to create a movement. That movement became known popularly as “I’m not gonna play Sun City.”  Israel has not yet seen its Sun City moment fully, but as you’ll see, significant rumblings are beginning.

January, 2011: Jon Bon Jovi was asked not play in Israel.  Thus far, boycott efforts have been successful.  The singer had announced on Larry King Live he would perform in Israel.  After boycott efforts to ask him to refrain, no concert ever happened. [1]

French pop star Vanessa Paradis refuses to perform in Israel.[2] Her partner, American film icon Johnny Depp also cancels his visit to Israel.

February, 2011: Roger Waters (founder of Pink Floyd) comes out in strong support of the cultural boycott when he writes “Artists were right to refuse to play in South Africa’s Sun City resort until apartheid fell and whites and blacks enjoyed equal rights.  And we are right to refuse to play in Israel until the day comes — and it surely will come — when The Wall of occupation falls and Palestinians live alongside Israelis in the peace, freedom, justice and dignity that they all deserve.” [3]

German bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff, scheduled to sing five classical concerts in Israel, withdraws shortly beforehand.   He’d been asked to cancel his concerts by BRICUP, Boycott from Within and others.  He said his withdrawal was on grounds of illness.

Pete Seeger unequivocally supports the cultural boycott, stating “I misunderstood the leaders of the Arava Institute because I didn’t realize to what degree the Jewish National Fund was supporting Arava. Now that I know more, I support the BDS movement as much as I can.” [4]

May, 2011: August Burns Red refrained from playing at Tel Aviv’s Barby.  Just over one week prior to their gig sources said “they have no plans to reschedule, they cancelled because they do not want to play in Israel.”  A three month long effort had been launched to ask the band to refrain. [5]

Marc Almond’s cancellation was welcomed by the BDS Movement. [6] Letters, as well as a Facebook page were created to let the “Tainted Love” singer know about the real Israel.  His fans passed out leaflets before a UK concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London.  His welcome response came four days later when he refused to play in Israel.

June, 2011: Although Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is not a musician, the cancellation of his film promotion at the Jerusalem Film Festival brought a whirlwind of attention to the cultural boycott of Israel.  101 organizations signed a letter praising the basketball legend. [7]

Also, in late June, Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine announced that they would refuse to perform in Tel Aviv. [8]  The voice of the Palestinian people was ultimately respected by the vintage punk rocker Jello Biafra.

Punk rock fans unite with punk bands and artists to launch Punks Against Apartheid.

July, 2011: Musicians Dave Randall, Maxi Jazz, and Jamie Catto release the single “Freedom For Palestine”  with the Durban Gospel Choir.  As the video went viral it gained momentum from endorsements by Coldplay, LUSH Cosmetics, Lowkey,  Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Massive Attack, Roger Waters, and many more. [9]

August, 2011: Tuba Skinny, while in Rome en-route to Israel , received information about the cultural boycott.  Tuba Skinny refused to perform at the Israel Government-sponsored Red Sea Jazz Festival, cancelling their concert only a few days prior to their scheduled gig. [10]  Latin jazz great Eddie Palmieri of Puerto Rico [11]and jazz musician Jason Moran of Houston [12] followed Tuba Skinny, and also cancelled their appearances at the Red Sea Jazz Festival.

September, 2011: Natacha Atlas stuns her Israeli booking agents when she refuses to play her scheduled concert in Israel.  She bravely states on her facebook page:

“…after much deliberation I now see that it would be more effective a statement to not go to Israel until this systemised apartheid is abolished once and for all. Therefore I publicly retract my well-intentioned decision to go and perform in Israel and so sincerely hope that this decision represents an effective statement against this regime.”[13]

The cultural boycott came closer to home as the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra went on tour.  Creative protests were seen in many cities in the USA and Europe.  A protest in London during  the BBC’s Prom Live Broadcast of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra resulted in worldwide press coverage when the BBC decided to halt its live broadcast of the concert.

Denise Jannah, was written to just prior to her tour in Israel.  She did perform in Israel, but her experience in Israel caused her to regret her choice, and she came out in support of the cultural boycott.  She stated: “Please let me start by telling you this: of a cultural BDS boycott Ramon and I had NO knowledge, none at all. This is where the problem started, for had I known I would have done things differently: the reasons for this boycott are valid.” [14]

Riverdance set designer Robert Ballagh, in bold support for BDS, called for the cancellation of Riverdance’s tour in Israel, but he was unable to stop it because he does not possess the copyright. However he donated all his royalties from the performance of Riverdance in Israel to the Irish Ship to Gaza campaign.[15]

October, 2011: The Yardbirds were scheduled to play in Israel, and a letter [16] signed by professors in the UK was written to them from BRICUP. They subsequently cancelled their performance.  Humanitarians are asking them not to reschedule in 2012.

Greek singer Martha Frintzila bows out of her performance at the Israel Government-sponsored Jerusalem Oud Festival with a the statement that she: “…will not participate in Oud Festival in Jerusalem for conscientious and political reasons.” [17]

Hosam Hayak, a regular performer at the Jerusalem Oud Festival, chose this year to cancel, making a press release in Arabic on his facebook notes.[18]

In another boost to the cultural boycott,  John Michael McDonagh, director of Golden Globe nominated (director and main actor) film The Guard, announces that, “due to the conflict, [he] declined to attend the Haifa Film Festival 2011.”

November, 2011:  The Jerusalem String Quartet was met with creative protests in both the UK and North America.  Parody programs were received by concert attendees in at least four North American cities.[19]

Macy Gray tweets regarding her February Tel Aviv gig @MacyGraysLife “i had a reality check and I stated that I definitely would not have played there if I had known even the little that I know now.”

Punkers Zdob si Zdub of Moldavia were also asked to refrain playing in Israel.  They cancelled their 5 November concert, and the BDS movement is asking them to refrain from playing in 2012, as they are being pressured to “reschedule.”[20]

Mireille Mathieu was asked by BDS France [21] to cancel her concert in Tel Aviv.  The French singer was also the recipient of a letter [22] signed by seventy people in the artistic community in Gaza asking her to respect the boycott.  Mireille Mathieu’s courageous announcement [23] on her website that she has postponed playing in Tel Aviv is a welcome one.  The BDS movement encourages her to stand strong against pressure from both French and Israeli booking agents to “reschedule” her concert in the apartheid state.

Rapper MF Doom was called on by numerous groups and individuals not to “rap in the apartheid state.”  Press reports indicated he cancelled his 26 Nov concert due to illness.  As of this publication, Doom has not rescheduled his concert in Tel Aviv.

In Switzerland, over 150 artists pledge to boycott apartheid Israel.[24]

December, 2011:  Oumou Sangaré becomes the third French artist in 2011 to cancel her planned performance with the Israeli Opera, as BDS makes inroads into the classical music world.  An informative letter from BDS France was followed by letters from DPAI and BDS Italy. [25]
Joe Lynn Turner’s 16 December concert in Tel Aviv is cancelled.[26]

Joker (UK) refuses to bring his dubstep-bass sounds to Tel Aviv. It appears that his decision might have been influenced by other musicians in the London music scene who asked him to reconsider.

Looking Ahead to 2012:
UK and Irish musicians are taking the lead under the “Freedom for Palestine” banner.  In the USA, expect Lupe Fiasco to continue to vocalize his support for Palestinians.

Current campaigns for cultural boycott are underway for Bruce Springsteen, Arch Enemy and Red Hot Chili Peppers to alert  them about the reasons to join fellow musicians in refusing to play in the apartheid state. Cultural BDS is growing and volunteers remain busy working in countless creative ways.

Also see: 2011 Summary of the Cultural Boycott of Israel