Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF
Published: May 18, 2010

Elvis Costello has canceled two concerts he was planning to perform in Israel this summer, citing the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Agence France-Presse reported. Mr. Costello was scheduled to appear at the Caesarea Amphitheater on June 30 and July 1. But in a statement on his official Web site, he wrote, “It is after considerable contemplation that I have lately arrived at the decision that I must withdraw from the two performances.” Mr. Costello went on to write that “there are occasions when merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act that resonates more than anything that might be sung,” and he added, “I must believe that the audience for the coming concerts would have contained many people who question the policies of their government on settlement and deplore conditions that visit intimidation, humiliation or much worse on Palestinian civilians in the name of national security.” Mr. Costello, above right, also said that he was “keenly aware of the sensitivity of these themes in the wake of so many despicable acts of violence perpetrated in the name of liberation.”