Says Radian Records A&R Executive Andrew Felluss, “Israel is not the place to play at the moment. In light of Israel”s ongoing apartheid and human rights violations perpetrated against the artists and people of Palestine, cultural isolation is a non-violent action that we in the artistic community can engage to affect positive change in the region and help end America”s complicit policies.”
Several artists have been challenged recently for their intentions to play to Israeli audiences, including Bono, Bjork, Snoop Dogg, and Leonard Cohen. Mr. Cohen, who has previously entertained the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during combat, is now under pressure from activists demonstrating along his tour from North America to Europe, beginning with the Adalah-NY demonstration at Radio City in New York. The Cohen tour is planned to conclude in Tel Aviv, Palestine-Israel in September. In a recent interview, Roger Waters, of Pink Floyd announced that he too would not play in Israel again until the dismantling of the Apartheid Wall. Further endorsements from Brian Eno and John Berger have strengthened the call for Cultural Boycott, and helped raise awareness of Israel”s history of colonial crimes against the people of Palestine.
While stating the necessity for boycott, Mr. Felluss also acknowledges the difficulty in engaging artists on the matter, most of whom feel their best work for justice can be done on stage. “Asking an artist not to play”, he says “is like asking a bird not to sing, that”s what they do. So, in the act of cultural boycott, it is important for us to develop positive alternatives to entertaining apartheid.” To that end, Mr. Felluss has teamed with other artists and activists worldwide to help build a new alliance of Artists Against Apartheid which is planning several Pro-Justice campaigns worldwide.
Many, if not most in the boycott movement reference the call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) from Palestinian civil society and its goals:
“We, representatives of Palestinian civil society, call upon international civil society organizations and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era. We appeal to you to pressure your respective states to impose embargoes and sanctions against Israel. We also invite conscientious Israelis to support this Call, for the sake of justice and genuine peace.
These non-violent punitive measures should be maintained until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people”s inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with the precepts of international law by:
1. Ending Israel”s occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.” Source
PACBI, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel began in 2004, and is also supported in the United States by the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.
