Monday, March 24, 2014

Petition presented to Neil Young in support of his show in Israel

From  Lana Melman, Director of Creative Community for Peace

Top Industry Execs Present Anti-Boycott Petition to Neil Young!

The Canadians For Justice and Peace in the Middle East (“CJPME”) is one of the many organizations attempting to politicize art and disseminate misinformation to achieve its political goals. CJPME recently stated its intention to present Neil Young with a petition urging him to renege on his commitment to perform in Israel on July 16, 2014 by using Neil’s admirable advocacy on behalf of Native Canadians to mislead him with false comparisons between Native Canadians and Palestinians.

The Creative Community For Peace (“CCFP”) is an organization founded on the belief that music can and should be used to build bridges for peace. In keeping with our beliefs, we are devoted to countering the call for a cultural boycott of Israel and providing balance to the conversation.

We have submitted an Anti-Boycott Petition to Neil Young. The petition was presented on March 21, 2014, by 32 prominent members of the entertainment industry and garnered nearly twenty-six thousand signatures from people around the globe. It lets Neil know that boycott proponents do not represent the mainstream view which in fact supports liberal, open democracies such as Israel and the independence of artists.
 
Boycott advocates, such as CJPME, attempt to use the forums of music and culture to make inflammatory and incorrect political points. However, their message does not resonate with the vast majority of people who believe in the power of art and music to bring people together.

To date, their efforts have been overwhelmingly unsuccessful in deterring the hundreds of artists that choose to perform in Israel every year, including Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Avicii, David Guetta, and Cyndi Lauper. Instead, their action foments discourse and dampens hope for rational discourse.

We at CCFP wish for a resolution to the complicated Palestinian/Israeli peace process, and believe that the unique connections between artists and their fans and the dialogue it enables can be part of the solution.

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