Lorde cancels Israel concert after pro-Palestinian campaign

[Equinox Moon]

Source: Guardian

25 Dec 2017
The New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde has cancelled a planned concert in Israel following an online campaign by activists opposed to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The announcement of the cancellation of the June concert, barely a week after it was announced, came as the singer cited an “overwhelming number of messages and letters” she had received as having led to her decision.

Israel’s culture minister, Miri Regev, called on Lorde to reconsider and she was denounced by pro-Israel supporters on social media. She follows a number of other artists who have cancelled performances in Israel including Elvis Costello, Lauryn Hill and Gorillaz. Radiohead resisted high-profile campaign asking them to cancel a gig in Israel last summer.

“Today, millions of people stand opposed to the Israeli government’s policies of oppression, ethnic cleansing, human rights violations, occupation and apartheid. As part of this struggle, we believe that an economic, intellectual and artistic boycott is an effective way of speaking out against these crimes. This worked very effectively against apartheid in South Africa, and we hope it can work again.”

“We can play an important role in challenging injustice today. We urge you to act in the spirit of progressive New Zealanders who came before you and continue their legacy.”


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/dec/25/lorde-cancels-israel-concert-after-pro-palestinian-campaign

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The artists have power!

[Archae]

1. This is Palestinian propaganda.

Pure bullshit.

[Equinox Moon]

2. I don't understand

The post is about a singer canceling her concert and her reasons. I am open to understanding what your comment is about.

[Archae]

5. Right here...

“Today, millions of people stand opposed to the Israeli government’s policies of oppression, ethnic cleansing, human rights violations, occupation and apartheid. As part of this struggle, we believe that an economic, intellectual and artistic boycott is an effective way of speaking out against these crimes. This worked very effectively against apartheid in South Africa, and we hope it can work again.”

"Oppression?" How so?

"Ethnic cleansing?" This is EXACTLY what Hamas and other Palestinian groups are calling for against Jews. And this is *NOT* occurring by Israelis against Palestinians.

And Palestinians drove THEMSELVES out of countries that even when they were given a homeland, they screwed it up by trying to overthrow the Jordanian and Lebanese governments.

[Aristus]

6. People who have had their homeland stolen from them aren't likely to get it back

by saying "Pretty please."

When Israelis stop building settlements on West Bank land in defiance of UN resolutions, a lot of problems in the region will clear up relatively rapidly.

Anyway, when do we invade Israel for defying UN resolutions? That's what we do, right? Iraq defied three UN resolutions, and got invaded. Israel has thumbed their noses at more than forty-five resolutions since 1960. No US-led invasion in sight.

[Mosby]

9. the IP conflict has nothing to do with all the failed states in the region

The Palestinian's homeland was rejected by the Arab League in 1947 and illegally annexed by Jordan and Egypt in 1948. Ironically it was liberated by the Jews in 1967, if the Zionists had lost that war, Palestinian national aspirations would be a memory only.

There is only one path to peace and that is bilateral negotiations. Boycotts, sanctions, etc. Set back and harm the process by unfairly punishing one side, and encouraging Palestinian intransigence and promoting a one sided view of the land dispute.

[NCDem777]

20. The land wasn't stolen

The Palestinians and other Arab countries got this bright idea in 1967 to form a huge army and try to wipe Israel off the map.

Did not work out how they wanted and they lost territory. Actions have consequences.

If Palestinians would stop with the wipe Israel off the map claptrap, they may get some of what they want. Egypt and Jordan figured this out long ago.

[still_one]

28. before 1967 Jews were banned from visiting the holiest in Jerusalem. As a result of the 1967

War where Egypt, Jordan, and Syria tried to destroy Israel, Israel captured Jerusalem. Instead of reciprocation to what the Arabs had done by banning Jews from Jerusalem, not only did Israel open Jerusalem to all religions, but it left al-Aqsa Mosque in the hands of Muslims. In contrast, Non-Muslims are NOT allowed to go to Mecca at all.

Just reading some of the comments in this thread imply that some do not know the history in the middle east

[still_one]

27. Are you even aware of the History of the middle east? Based on your comments, obviously not

[Ken Burch]

7. Everything the Israeli government is doing in the West Bank is oppression.

It can't be called anything BUT oppression to have every inch of Palestine under perpetual(and now probably eternal)military occupation by the IDF.

It can't be called anything BUT oppression to subject all Palestinians to collective punishment and restriction over the actions of a violent minority within them.

It can't be called anything BUT oppression to continue to expand the West Bank settlements, all of which are illegal under international law, and to position those settlements in such a way as to make the creation of a Palestinian state with contiguous land impossible.

It can't be called anything BUT oppression to divert most of the water to those settlements, to demolish homes, destroy the olive and lemon groves Palestinians have made their livelihood from for centuries, or to destroy NGO-constructed solar panels in Palestinian towns simply because those solar panels were constructed without the approval of the occupying army.

It can't be called anythign BUT oppression to arrest a teenage Palestinian girl who had just seen IDF soldiers shoot her cousin in the head simply because, in her fully justified rage and grief, she walked up and slapped those soldiers.

NONE of that makes the people of Israel one bit more secure, none of that does anything to prevent armed resistance, none of that has any effect at all but to make peace impossible, because peace cannot happen while the people of Palestine are kept helpless and powerless no matter what they do.

The creation of Israel was justified. Israel as a country has a right to exist in peace and security on the pre-1967 borders-nothing beyond those borders is needed.

And the suffering inflicted on Palestinians since its creation was never justified. And the Palestinians of the West Bank have done nothing close to deserving the collective immiseration inflicted on them since 1967.

[NCDem777]

22. Re: Everything the Israeli government is doing in the West Bank is oppression.

"And the Palestinians of the West Bank have done nothing close to deserving the collective immiseration inflicted on them since 1967."

Aside from the part where they threw their hat in with a large invading force out to destroy Israel. Or the part where killing all Jews is part of their school curriculum. Or the part where that "violent minority" is in control of their government.

Not saying that Israel hasn't done a lot of fucked up shit. It has. But a lot of people on the left want Israel to roll over and play dead and won't admit that Palestine's own intransigence has fed into Israel's.

[Ken Burch]

23. You make it sound like every Palestinian is complicit in those things.

(btw, "killing all Jews" is not part of the Palestinian school curriculum).

The vast majority aren't. Those who aren't have no power to do anything to stop those who are. And noting Netanyahu and the settlers and the IDF are doing can ever succeed in changing any of what you condemned there.

I didn't say NO Palestinian had done anything bad. The point is that it's wrong to collectively punish all Palestinians for the acts of some. And things like the settlement expansion, the water theft, the land confiscation, the thefts of the olive and lemon groves, and the destruction of solar panels just because the IDF hadn't approved their construction yet-we're talking solar panels, a technology thsat can't BE weaponized-have no security justification...they are done for one reason and one reason alone: to drive Palestinians out of the lands they've lived for centuries, out of an ideological fixation with erasing Palestinian national identity and seizing areas that no one but right-wing extremists would actually argue should be part of the State of Israel.

That fixation isn't about anything but the anti-democratic, anti-common humanity, fascist/nationalist goal of taking land for the sake of taking land-a goal that is pointless in the modern world.

[Scurrilous]

3. Good for her!

[J_William_Ryan]

4. Israel is in fact an apartheid state.

[former9thward]

11. In fact it is not.

You have no clue what an apartheid state is.

[Rustyeye77]

31. Oooo...the apartheid meme.

Load of bs.

What happened to all the Jews in Arab countries again ?

[DavidDvorkin]

8. Therefore I'm sure she'll also refuse to perform in Iraq and a number of other Arab countries

https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-expulsion-that-backfired-when-iraq-kicked-out-its-jews/

Right?

[RhodeIslandOne]

10. She has no concerts in any of those places.

Soooooo.....

[DavidDvorkin]

12. Did you really miss my point

Or are you pretending to?

[RhodeIslandOne]

13. She has no concerts in those places

So your question is answered.

[Mosby]

16. She has two tour dates in Russia planned

I guess Russian's actions in Chechnya, Ukraine, Syria etc don't bother her.

[PDittie]

14. Good for her!

[Cold War Spook]

15. I see very little difference

between what Israel is doing to the Palestinians and what the US has done to the indigenous peoples in what is now the US.

[hack89]

17. Other than the massive Palestinian population boom? nt

[Kaleva]

18. You probably see little difference in what Native American tribes did to each other.

[Cold War Spook]

24. What has that got to do

with what invaders did to them?

[Mosby]

29. who's the invader?

Jews are indigenous to Israel, Judea, Samaria, Middle East and the Mahgreb going back 3000 plus years.

Arabs are from the Arabian peninsula and conquered the Middle East in 638 AD.

The ME Arabs are colonialists and imperialists.

[Cold War Spook]

32. So are the Europeans.

Should they give back all the land they have conquered in the Americas and Africa?

[LanternWaste]

25. Native American conflicts had the lowest amount per capita of both dead and wounded.

Prior to their enslavement, forced relocation and Native American conflicts had one of the lowest amount per capita of both dead and wounded on the planet from the pre-Columbian to Colonial era. Indeed, pre‐Columbian warfare was almost negligible west of the Rockies. Northwest Coast, Columbia Plateau, and Arctic peoples tended to express violence at a personal level rather than between more elaborate political entities.

Of course, this body count greatly increased after those righteous men of the Enlightenment gave/traded weapons to them which allowed for more efficient killing while coercing tribes to make enemies of long-trusted neighboring tribes.

But I understand, attempting to creating a contrast with something we have very little knowledge of illustrates your passion if nothing else.

[Kaleva]

30. Why did you leave out civilizations such as the Aztecs, Incas, Toltecs and Mayans and others?

They were advanced enough to leave documentation on what they did to neighboring tribes and even amongst themselves.

You probably purposely left them out as it wouldn't support your argument.

Your statement:

"But I understand, attempting to creating a contrast with something we have very little knowledge of illustrates your passion if nothing else."

It is true we have little knowledge of the examples you spoke of but you state emphatically " Native American conflicts had one of the lowest amount per capita of both dead and wounded on the planet from the pre-Columbian to Colonial era." How can you possibly say that for sure if, as we both agree, we actually have very little knowledge of?

[Mosby]

19. the promoter

Concert organizer Eran Arielli apologized on Facebook to fans: “The truth is that I was naive to think that an artist of her age can withstand the pressure involved in coming to Israel.”

Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev urged Lorde to reconsider.

“Lorde, I expect you to be a ‘pure heroine’ like the title of your first album — a pure heroine of culture, void of any foreign political considerations, not to mention delusional ones,” she said.

The New Zealand Jewish Council issued a statement saying Lorde “succumbed” to “extremist bullies.”

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lorde-drops-israeli-concert_us_5a41b6e0e4b06d1621b54f0c

[Tarheel_Dem]

21. She won't be the last one either. n/t

[TubbersUK]

26. I'm pleased that she won't be going n/t