JERUSALEM (JTA) — Singer Lana Del Rey said she “will be visiting Palestine” in addition to a planned appearance in Israel following a public relations campaign by pro-Palestinian activists.
Earlier this week the American performer announced that she would stick to her decision to perform in Israel in the face of calls for her to boycott the country.
The singer will be appearing at the Meteor Festival in the northern kibbutz of Lehavot Habashan next month. Advocates of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel, known as BDS, have urged her to boycott the country in protest of its treatment of the Palestinians.
But in a statement posted Sunday to Twitter, the singer said “music is universal and should be used to bring us together.”
“I would like to remind you that performing in Tel Aviv is not a political statement or a commitment to the politics there just as singing here in California doesn’t mean my views are in alignment w[ith] my current government’s opinions or sometimes inhuman actions,” she wrote.
However, on Tuesday, Del Rey slightly modified her position, posting on Instagram that her “views on democracy and oppression are aligned with most liberal views” and that while she would still play in Israel, she understood the concerns “towards showing support to the Palestinians too. So I just wanted to let you know when I’m in Israel I will be visiting Palestine too and I look forward to meeting both Palestinian and Israeli children and playing music for everyone. I want peace for both Israel and Palestine.”
In a post on Facebook, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, a staunch BDS activist, had warned Del Rey that “Palestine is a unique situation in that the BDS picket line exists at the request of Palestine civil society as a whole. To respect it as I, and many others do, is a political act of support for the Palestinian people in their struggle for basic human rights. To cross it, conversely, is a political act in support of the apartheid state that would deny them those basic human rights. Even if in your heart of hearts you believe yourself to be neutral.”
Responding to Waters, Del Rey wrote that she had read his “statement about taking action even when you believe in neutrality” and that she “totally understand[s] what you’re saying and this is my action.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
