Learn about the history of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, equality and justice by exploring major events in the history of their oppression on this day of the year.
7 September
MASS BOYCOTT OF ISRAELI MUSIC FESTIVAL
This day in 2018 was the second day of the three-day Meteor Festival held in an Israeli kibbutz. At least 19 artists - musicians, DJs and producers - from around the world withdrew from the festival after accepting the arguments from the BDS movement. They were asked to join those artists who “are increasingly refusing to allow Israel to use their art to cover up its grave violations of Palestinian human rights”. Israeli kibbutzim enforce a rigid ban on membership for all Palestinians, including Palestinian citizens of Israel.
مقاطعة جماهيرية ضخمة لمهرجان الموسيقى الإسرائيلي
7 سبتمبر
كان هذا اليوم في عام 2018 اليوم الثاني من مهرجان النيزك الذي استمر ثلاثة أيام والذي أقيم في كيبوتس إسرائيلي. انسحب من المهرجان ما لا يقل عن 19 فنانًا - موسيقيون ودي جي ومنتجون - من جميع أنحاء العالم بعد قبول الحجج من حركة المقاطعة. طُلب منهم الانضمام إلى هؤلاء الفنانين الذين "يرفضون بشكل متزايد السماح لإسرائيل استخدام فنهم للتستر على انتهاكاتها الجسيمة لحقوق الإنسان الفلسطيني". تفرض الكيبوتسات الإسرائيلية حظراً صارماً على العضوية لجميع الفلسطينيين، بمن فيهم المواطنين الفلسطينين في إسرائيل.
The case for a cultural boycott of Israel
Israeli government officials have summed up how Israel instrumentalizes culture to cover up its grave violations of international law. "We are seeing culture as a hasbara [propaganda] tool of the first rank,” one official admitted, “and I do not differentiate between hasbara and culture."
Israel’s cultural institutions are part and parcel of the ideological and institutional scaffolding of Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid against the Palestinian people. These institutions are clearly implicated, through their silence or active participation, in supporting, justifying and whitewashing Israel’s occupation and systematic denial of Palestinian rights.
When international artists perform at Israeli cultural venues and institutions, they help to create the false impression that Israel is a “normal” country like any other. The absolute majority of Palestinian writers, artists and cultural centers have endorsed the cultural boycott of Israel, and there is a growing number of anti-colonial Israelis who support BDS, including the cultural boycott of Israel.
Artists Who Pulled Out of Israel's Meteor Festival Amid BDS Pressure
Lana Del Rey’s cancellation Saturday of her performance at Israel’s Meteor Festival has elicited many and varied responses, with pressure being applied on other musicians on social media to refrain from playing at the festival in Kibbutz Lehavot Habashan at the end of this week. A source close to the production said Del Rey was paid an advance of $700,000 before she cancelled, Variety reported Friday.
A day later, American electronic musician Shlohmo also announced that he wouldn’t be coming to Israel.