Is Israel the new South Africa? Remember, during the Apartheid, musicians boycotted South Africa and a group called Artists United Against Apartheid was even founded by Steven Van Zandt, and produced the protest album ‘Sun City’. Artists who did perform in South Africa despite the ban got in big trouble, and those who dare to record over there were harshly criticized… remember the controversy surrounding the recording of Paul Simon’s famous album ‘Graceland’?
Apartheid may be officially over, but there is currently another country which is attracting musicians’ attention: Israel. Ex-Pink Floyd Roger Waters is asking for a simple and direct boycott of the country as he wrote on his Facebook and on the Electronic Intifada, a pro-Palestinian website:
‘I write to you now, my brothers and sisters in the family of Rock and Roll, to ask you to join with me, and thousands of other artists around the world, to declare a cultural boycott on Israel.’
‘Please join me and all our brothers and sisters in global civil society in proclaiming our rejection of Apartheid in Israel and occupied Palestine, by pledging not to perform or exhibit in Israel or accept any award or funding from any institution linked to the government of Israel, until such time as Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.’
In his open letter, it’s interesting he is using the terms ‘Apartheid’, and even ‘ethnic cleansing’ to describe the situation over there, and it is not the first time that the rock star is asking for a boycott of the region, as he has encouraged institutions to withdraw investments there in the past, and has associated the star of David with symbols of other repressive regimes during his shows.
Furthermore, he is not the only one as Elvis Costello and Annie Lennox have expressed similar opinions against Israel, and Waters did persuade Stevie Wonders to cancel a fundraising for the Israeli Defense Forces last year.
I am far from being an expert on the situation over there, which have always been very complex and inextricable, there has been horrible crimes on both side and this endless conflict isn’t a black and white (no pun intended) situation like in South Africa. Roger Waters is entitled to have his own opinion about the situation, but does he have the right to call all musicians to follow his act?