BDS Holes Lie. Carlos Santana to play in Israel

Carlos Santana will be performing in Israel for the first time in 29 years

In a statement to the press, Santana manager Michael Vrionis announced “Carlos Santana is a citizen of the World and he plays his music and spreads his message of Love, Light & Peace wherever he goes...Carlos believes the World should have no borders so he is not detoured or discouraged to play anywhere on this planet. We look forward to performing in Israel this summer.”

Carlos Santana's name has been on the short-list of BDS "supporters" for years, because  BDS Holes lie. This should come as no surprise.

 From the BDS Movement: BDS at 7! – Celebrating, reflecting and further mainstreaming
- Scores of artists — especially musicians and filmmakers — and writers have refused to perform in Israel or cancelled scheduled performances following pressure from the BDS movement including Bono, Snoop Dogg, Jean Luc Godard, Elvis Costello, Gil Scott Heron, Carlos Santana, Devendra Banhart, Faithless, the Pixies, Cassandra Wilson, Cat Power, Zakir Hussain.

From the Bay Area Campaign to End Israeli Apartheid
"Principled musicians and artists are taking their stand with Palestinian people: Gil Scott-Heron, Elvis Costello, Sting, Bono, Snoop Dogg, Carlos Santana, Klaxons, Gorillaz, and the Pixies all declined offers by Israel to play there.  A growing number of distinguished people including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and writers and artists such as Arundhati Roy, Alice Walker, John Berger, Adrienne Rich, Ken Loach, and Naomi Klein, are publicly supporting the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.  "

From the US campaign to End the Israeli occupation:
Elvis Costello and Gil Scott-Heron both recently joined the growing list of artists and performers supporting the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement by canceling shows in Israel.  They join the likes of Snoop Dogg, Sting, Carlos Santana, Bono, and other performers who have recently declined to play or cancelled shows in Israel due to Israel's human rights violations.

From Anna Baltzer 
.... Many artists have responded by canceling appearances in Israel. These include: Carlos Santana, Gil Scott Heron, Elvis Costello, the Pixies, Devendra Banhart, the Tindersticks, Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman, among others.

To create the illusion of a successful movement, BDS holes lie.  Any change of plans, any sickness, any routine business decision  that results in a performance in Israel being cancelled is chalked up as a victory, and performers unwittingly find their names and their reputations hijacked to promote a philosophy of exclusion.

Good for Carlos Santana for saying "Not in my name", and for continuing to spread his message of love light and peace.

Israel Cultural Boycott fail

One visit to beautiful, diverse Israel and you know the rhetoric is a lie. Jews, Muslims and Christians eat together in the same restaurants, go to the same movies together, and wait in the same interminably long lines at the post office together.  There is no "separation" and there is no apartheid.

To perpetuate the lie, its important to keep people from seeing the truth themselves. To this end, the cultural boycott of Israel politicizes art and music , and anti-Israel activists expend considerable resources spamming and the social media accounts of performers scheduled to play in Israel.

Hows that cultural boycott going?

Scheduled to perform in Israel in the coming months

Julio Iglesias Concert in Tel Aviv, Israel. May 7, 2016
Enrico Macias in Tel Aviv, Israel. May 17, 2016
Deep Purple in Tel Aviv, Israel. May 22, 2016
The musical, Thriller Live in Tel Aviv, Israel. May 19-24, 2016
Elton John to Perform in Tel Aviv, Israel. May 26, 2016
Brian Wilson in Tel Aviv, Israel. June 8, 2016
Simply Red in Tel Aviv, Israel. June 14, 2016
Foreigner Concerts in Caesarea, Israel. June 14 & 15, 2016
Megadeth in Tel Aviv, Israel. July 2, 2016
Tame Impala in Tel Aviv, Israel. July 11, 2016
The Scorpions Concert in Tel Aviv, Israel. July 14, 2016
Mercury Rev in Tel Aviv, Israel. July 20, 2016
Enrique Iglesias in Tel Aviv, Israel. December 16 & 22, 2015

Bon Jovi.  Jennifer Lopez. Bruce Springsteen.  Beyonce and Kanye West are also expected in Israel later this year.

Sounds like a great big BDS fail to me.

A whole bunch of people no one has heard of are boycotting Israel

Over 100 "artists" have announced a cultural boycott of Israel . And not surprising, they aren’t exactly household names.  We're not talking  the "A" list, here.

Peter Kosminsky, Who?
Mike Leigh. Wasn’t he the one...? Er, no.
Jimmy McGovern, Huh?
Phyllida Lloyd,  sounds kinda familiar, but...no.
Max Stafford-Clark, Oh, oh, oh- didn't he play the kooky sidekick in, no... sorry. I'm mistaken.
Will Alsop OBE,  Alsop's Fables, right? Right?
John Berger,  I'm sure his mother loves him
Miriam Margolyes,
Maggie Steed,
Riz Ahmed,
Anna Carteret,
Jeremy Hardy,
Brian Eno, I’ve heard of him!
Richard Ashcroft,
Gillian Slovo,
China Miéville,
Aminatta Forna,
Hari Kunzru,
Liz Lochhead,
Hanan Al-Shaykh,
Peter Ahrends,
David Calder,
Caryl Churchill,
Sacha Craddock,
Selma Dabbagh,
Ken Loach,
Roger Michell,
April De Angelis,
Andy de la Tour,
Mike Hodges,
Rachel Holmes,
Ann Jungman,
Kika Markham,
Simon McBurney,
Andrew O’Hagan,
Courttia Newland,
Michael Radford,
Lynne Reid Banks, 
Kamila Shamsie,
Alexei Sayle,
Roger Waters, the nutbar from pink Floyd
Mark Thomas,
Susan Wooldridge,
Laura Mulvey,
Pauline Melville,
Khalid Abdalla,
Bidisha,
Nicholas Blincoe,
Leah Borrromeo, Played Emily in Homestead Highs' production of "Our Town" (or is that the wrong Leah Borrromeo?)
Haim Bresheeth,
Victoria Brittain,
Niall Buggy, NO!!!! Not Niall Buggy!!!! Actually, I have no idea who Niall Buggy is
Tam Dean Burn,
Jonathan Burrows,
Taghrid Choucair-Vizoso,
Ian Christie,
Liam Cunningham,
Ivor Dembina,
Shane Dempsey,
Patrick Driver,
Okin Earl,
Leon Rosselson,
Sally El Hosaini,
Paul Laverty,
Eyal Sivan,
John Smith,  He had a fling with Pocahontas a few centuries back, right?
Mitra Tabrizian,
Siobhan Redmond,
Ian Rickson,
Tom Leonard,
Sonja Linden,
David Mabb,
Rose Issa,
Gareth Evans,
Alisa Lebow,
Annie Firbank,
James Floyd,
Jane Frere,
Kadija George,
Bob Giles,
Mel Gooding,
Tony Graham,
Penny Woolcock,
Omar Robert Hamilton.

After 13 years of demonization, this is the best the haters can muster up.

Whats this I've heard about Taylor Swift in negotiations to play in Israel?

Hey, Monsters! Lady Gaga has arrived in Tel Aviv!

Lady Gaga has landed in Tel Aviv.  And yes, thats another A list BDS fail.

Lady Gaza writes, via Twitter : " We are here Israel. I simply cannot wait to perform in Tel Aviv" Favorited  4,700 times. Retweeted 3,400 times.

Enough said.

Salif Keita reports threats and harassment from "peaceful" BDS movement

More BDS lies and bullying.

Today, the BDS'ers gleefully claimed that Afro-pop singer-songwriter and musician Salif Keita's 11th hour cancellation of his Israel gig was because he  "has joined the cultural boycott of Israel."  No, not quite.  Keita is yet another artist that has reported threats, harassment and intimidation from the anti-Israel cru. But unlike Paul McCartney and Eric Burdon, Keita capitulated and cancelled his show. Does anyone still think the BDS movement is "peaceful"? 

From the facebook page of Salif Keta:

Salif Keita forced to cancel Jerusalem Festival due to dangerous threats by BDS

Dear Sacred Music Festival, Hadassah Hospital, Salif Keita fans,

 On behalf of Salif Keita and the Salif Keita Global Foundation, we would like to thank you for organizing a magnificent unifying music festival, and a visit of the albinism treatment center in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, Mr. Keita will not be able to attend either events because of the cancellation of his show at the Sacred Music Festival.

Although, the show was cancelled, Mr. Keita (and his foundation for albinism) would like to convey his most sincere apologies to all concerned, such as the concert organizers, the Albinism Treatment Center and especially all his wonderful and diverse fans in Israel. The reason for the cancellation is not one which was made by Mr. Keita, but by his agents who were bombarded with hundreds of  threats, blackmail attempts, intimidation, social media harrassment and slander stating that Mr Keita was to perform in Israel, “not for peace, but for apartheid.”
  
These threats were made by a group named BDS, who also threatened to keep increasing an anti-Salif Keita campaign, which they had already started on social media, and to work diligently at ruining the reputation and career that Mr. Keita has worked 40 years to achieve not only professionally, but for human rights and albinism.

Of course, we do not agree with any of these tactics or false propaganda, but management’s concern is to protect the artist from being harmed personnally and professionally. Although, we love Israel and all his fans here, and the fantastic spirit of unity of the Sacred Music Festival, as well as the important work your hospital is doing for albinism, we did not agree with the scare tactics and bullying used by BDS;  therefore management decided to act cautiously when faced with an extremist group, as we believe BDS to be.

In addition, Mr. Keita is not a politician who plays for governments, but a musician who performs for his fans who are of all faiths and origins in Jerusalem.  It is unfortunate that artists like him are threatened by this group who falsely claim to defend  human rights, when they should take their concerns to governments or ask for support of their cause in a lawful way, and not by endangering the freedom of expression of artists, or using harrassment and intimidation of artists who play for peace and for all people, in order to bring some kind of justice to the Palestinians they claim to represent.

Since Mr. Keita, during his stay and performance in Jerusalem, had planned to visit the Hadassah Hospital and albinism center, he had also planned to make a donation of certain goods to the hospital which he would still like to offer. The boxes are already in Jerusalem and were shipped for his planned visit to the hospital. The modest donation consists of about a couple of hundred new UV protected sunglasses, as well as UV protected clothing, swimgear and hats for patients with albinism.

Again, we thank you for your invitation to Jerusalem, and are deeply saddened and disappointed by the outcome of this planned performance and visit. We hope that you will receive this donation with the love it was intended to bring to the patients, as we determine a future time to be able to perform in Israel, and  visit your important center for albinism and skin cancer treatment.

Sincerely,

Salif Keita and Coumba Makalou
The Salif Keita Global Foundation INC
Washington, DC

Elsewhere on Facebook, Tali Shapiro and her posse declare "victory", calling this a "cultural boycott success" and an "important milestone"

UPDATE

And true to form, Seattle Blogger Richard Silverstein cant keep up with the big kids, tweeting minutes ago:

Academics against Academic freedom

 23,000 students from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds attend Hebrew University, one of the crown jewels of Israel's higher educational system.  4,600 Arab students are enrolled, along with 1,200 students from over 50 countries.   Hebrew University  is one of the highest ranked universities in the world, and is ranked first in academic excellence by Israel’s Council for Higher Education. Eight Nobel Prize winners are Hebrew University graduates or researchers.

Twenty percent of the student body at Hebrew University is Arab. They do not boycott this academic powerhouse. Yet, this group of academics, disgraced math professors , graduate students,  anti-Israel activists and "independent researchers"  have signed a petition asking people to boycott the June 2014 ‘International Conference on Oral History’ organized by the Oral History Division of the Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry at Hebrew University. Call them the "Academics against Academic freedom"

Academic boycotts are anathema to the free exchange of ideas that characterize a democracy.  The American Association of University Professors, as an organization, stands in opposition to academic boycotts as a matter of principle in keeping with their long-standing commitment to the free exchange of ideas, urging that academics seek alternative means, less inimical to the principle of academic freedom, to pursue their concerns.

 The AAUP especially oppose selective academic boycotts that entail an ideological litmus tests, refusing to endorse the use of political or religious views as a test of eligibility for participation in the academic community.

The undersigned 79 represent a true minority in the academic world, representing those who place a narrow political agenda above the pursuit of liberal ideals and the free exchange of ideas.

1. Professor Ahmed Abbes, Directeur de Recherche au CNRS, Bures-sur-Yvette, France

2. Professor Saleh Abdel Jawad (Hamayel), Birzeit University, Palestine

3. Professor Nadia Abu el Haj, Barnard/Columbia University, USA

4. Professor Lila Abu-Lughod, Columbia University, New York, USA

5. Professor Ghada Ageel, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

6. Professor Ammiel Alcalay, Queens College, City of New York, USA

7. Dr. Diana Allan, Society for the Humanities, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA

8. Professor Lori Allen, University of Cambridge, England

9. Professor Amjad Barham, Hebron University, President of the Palestinian Federation of Unions of     University Professors and Employees, Palestine

10. Ryvka Barnard, Doctoral student, New York University, USA

11. Dr. Samia al-Botmeh, Birzeit University, Palestine

12. Professor Oren Ben-Dor, Southampton University, England

13. Professor Hagit Borer, Queen Mary, University of London, England

14. Dr Robert Boyce, London School of Economics and Political Science, London University, UK

15. Professor Haim Bresheeth, SOAS, University of London, England

16. Professor Michael Chanan, University of Roehampton, England

17. Professor Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University, New York, USA

18. Professor Lawrence Davidson, West Chester University, USA

19. Professor (emerita) Sonia Dayan-Herzbrun, Université Paris, France

20. Professor Ann Douglas, Columbia University, New York, USA

21. Professor Haidar Eid, Al-Aqsa University, Gaza, Palestine

22. Professor Randa Farah, University of Western Ontario, Canada

23. Professor (emeritus), Emmanuel Farjoun, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

24. Arie Finkelstein, Student, Université Paris Est, France

25. Senior Scholar Bill Fletcher, Jr., Institute for Policy Studies; former President, TransAfrica Forum,
Washington, DC, USA

26. Professor Cynthia Franklin, University of Hawaii

27. Professor Candace Fujikane, University of Hawai‘i at Ma-noa, Honolulu

28. Dr Terri Ginsberg, ICMES, New York, USA

29. Professor (emerita) Sherna Berger Gluck, California State University, Long Beach, USA

30. Professor (emeritus) Yerach Gover, City University of New York, USA

31. Professor Michel Gros, CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research, Rennes, France

32. Professor (emerita) Sondra Hale, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

33. Professor Salah D. Hassan, Michigan State University, Lansing, USB

34. Professor Sami Hermez, University of Pittsburgh, USA

35. Shir Hever, Independent Economist/Researcher, Palestine-Israel

36. Tineke E. Jansen, Independent researcher, former IOHA Council member, England

37. Professor Rhoda Kanaaneh, Columbia University, New York, USA

38. Dr. Fatma Kassem, Independent researcher, Israel

39. Professor Robin D. Kelley, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

40. Professor Tarif Khalidi, Center for Arab & Middle Eastern Studies, American University,Beirut Lebanon

41. Dr Laleh Khalili, Reader in Politics, SOAS, University of London, England

42. Professor David Klein, California State University, Northridge, USA

43. Professor Dennis Kortheuer, California State University, Long Beach

44. Professor Ronit Lentin, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

45. Dr Les Levidow, Open University, UK

46. Professor David Colles Lloyd, University of California, Riverside

47. Professor (emeritus) Moshé Machover, Kings College, University of London, England

48. Professor Nur Masalha, SOAS, University of London, England

49. Professor Joseph Massad, Columbia University, New York, USA

50. Professor William Messing, University of Minnesota, USA

51. Jennifer Mogannam, Ph. D. candidate, University of California, San Diego

52. Professor Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Syracuse University, New York, USA

53. Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb, California State University, San Bernardino, USA

54. Dr Karma Nabulsi, University of Oxford, UK

55. Professor Premilla Nadasen, Queens College, City of New York, USA

56. Dr. Dorothy Naor, Independent researcher, Israel

57. Dr Sonia Nimr, Birzeit University, Palestine

58. Professor Isis Nusair, Denison University, Ohio, USA

59. Professor Gary Y. Okihiro, Columbia University, New York, USA

60. Professor Ilan Pappe, Exeter University, England

61. Professor Willie Van Peer, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany

62. Professor Gabriel Piterberg, UCLA, USA

63. Professor Jonathan Rosenhead, London School of Economics, University of London, UK

64. Dr Rosemary Sayigh, Center for Arab and Middle East Studies Centre, American University of Beirut,
Beirut, Lebanon

65. Professor (emeritus) Pierre Schapira, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France

66. Professor (Emerita) Evalyn F. Segal, PhD, San Diego State University, USA

67. Professor May Seikaly, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA

68. Professor Sherene Seikaly, American University in Cairo, Egypt

69. Professor Anton Shammas, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

70. Professor Sarah Schulman, ACT UP Oral History Project, New York (USA)

71. Professor Andor Skotnes, Chair, Department of History and Society, The Sage Colleges, Troy, NY, USA

72. Dr Kobi Snitz, Weizmann Institute, Israel

73. Professor Ghada Talhami, Lake Forest College, Illinois, USA

74. Professor Lisa Taraki, Birzeit University, Palestine

75. Sibel Taylor, PhD candidate, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, England

76. Dr Salim Vally, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

77. Dr. Patrick Wolfe, Trobe University, Australia

78. Dr Hala Yameni, Bethlehem University, Bethlehem, Palestine

79. Professor Mahmoud Zeidan, University of Cairo, Egypt

BDS fail: Alicia Keys and Idan Raichel together in Tel Aviv

It began shortly after pop super star Alicia Keys decided to play a July 4 gig in Tel Aviv.  The BDS'ers spared no effort in their attempt to pressure the 14 time Grammy award winning singer to cancel the performance. In addition to the usual attempts to hijack her twitter feed and Facebook page, the BDS'ers solicited a letter from Alice Walker, who urged Alicia not to put her soul in danger by playing in Israel.  Even after Alicia Keys arrived in Israel, the onslaught continued,  with anti-Israel activist and cultural boycott advocate Tali Shapiro urging people to continue hounding Ms. Keys.

.

It was to no avail.

On July 4th, Alicia Keys and her special guest Idan Raichel joined together to use their music to "unify audiences in peace and love" at Alicia Keys' long-awaited, sold out concert in Israel. 



After Alicia Keys addressed the sold out crowd in Hebrew, "Ma Kore Tel Aviv", (What's up, Tel Aviv?") Shapiro's bitterness slipped out,  calling the ancient language of the Jewish people a "colonial language"

It was a massive BDS fail for those seeking to culturally isolate Israel.

From the Jerusalem Post:

Alicia Keys set the Tel Aviv on fire Thursday night with her powerful, soulful voice and a message of peace and love, BDS movement be damned....

Keys stood out most on her own, whether it was belting out "Girl on Fire," the song that gave her tour its name, or crooning her love song to her home town, "Empire State of Mind."

Keys ended the song with her smash-hit New York anthem, taking the state in a slinky, sparkling red gown and raising the whole audience.

"This song is about hopes and dreams," she said. "We all have the same hopes and dreams. It doesn't matter where you come from. Don't let anyone hold us back or push us down."

 Press release from the Creative Community for Peace: Alicia Keys plays for Peace in Israel

(Los Angeles -- July 4, 2013) -- The Creative Community for Peace (“CCFP”), an organization of leading executives from within the entertainment industry, congratulates Alicia Keys on the success of her first concert in Israel and the fulfillment of her goal to “unify her audiences in peace and love”. We are grateful that Alicia saw beyond the baseless accusations of apartheid and the rhetoric of the cultural Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (“BDS”) movement and did not allow their noise to drown out the melodies of freedom and the voices of change.

For several years, the cultural BDS movement has been pressuring artists from all over the world to cancel their performances in Israel with tactics that frequently cross the line and border on harassment. These boycott activists hijack the social media platforms of artists and inundate them and their representatives with petitions, phone calls, letters and thousands of Facebook posts, Tweets, and emails, often threatening the artist's reputation and professional career. At times they even violate copyright laws and will use an artist's work for their own self-gain, forcing the artist to take legal action to protect his or her work, as Alicia Keys had to do with an unauthorized video utilizing her song, “Girl on Fire.” But above all, the BDS movement works against reconciliation, distorts the dialogue of those who seek peace, and provokes discord among the fans of these iconic artists.

The Creative Community for Peace works within the entertainment industry to promote a positive environment for cultural exchange and seeks to provide balance to the misinformation that artists may see about Israel in social media. It believes that singling out Israel for a cultural boycott is hypocritical when human rights abuses go unchecked in various other countries in the Middle East. CCFP applauds Alicia Keys and the hundreds of other artists who, despite the concerted efforts of these misinformed groups, perform and visit Israel, cherishing the freedom of expression that exists there and coming away with an incredible experience.

Alicia Keys received an open letter from novelist and BDS supporter, Alice Walker, who said that by performing in Israel, Alicia would be putting herself in “soul danger”. In response to Alice Walker’s open letter, 17 members of CCFP’s advisory board, comprised of top level executives in the entertainment industry, signed their own open letter , refuting Walker’s false allegations of apartheid and congratulating Alicia Keys for looking beyond the rhetoric. Like Alicia, CCFP believes music is a universal language that should be shared and can help build bridges and promote understanding.

In addition to the open letter, the CCFP “Anti-Boycott Petition”  signed by over 18,000 people from every corner of the world, was sent to Alicia to show her that she has thousands of fans who support and believe in her message of peace and love.

Thank you Alicia Keys for sharing the gift of your music with the people of the state of Israel- Arab, Muslim, Christian and Jew alike. Your voice and your message have touched the hearts of thousands of people in a region wholeheartedly hoping for peace. We are sure that they will hope to see you again soon!

For several years, the cultural BDS movement has been pressuring artists from all over the world to cancel their performances in Israel with tactics that frequently cross the line and border on harassment. These boycott activists hijack the social media platforms of artists and inundate them and their representatives with petitions, phone calls, letters and thousands of Facebook posts, Tweets, and emails, often threatening the artist's reputation and professional career. At times they even violate copyright laws and will use an artist's work for their own self-gain, forcing the artist to take legal action to protect his or her work, as Alicia Keys had to do with an unauthorized video utilizing her song, “Girl on Fire.” But above all, the BDS movement works against reconciliation, distorts the dialogue of those who seek peace, and provokes discord among the fans of these iconic artists.

The Creative Community for Peace works within the entertainment industry to promote a positive environment for cultural exchange and seeks to provide balance to the misinformation that artists may see about Israel in social media. It believes that singling out Israel for a cultural boycott is hypocritical when human rights abuses go unchecked in various other countries in the Middle East. CCFP applauds Alicia Keys and the hundreds of other artists who, despite the concerted efforts of these misinformed groups, perform and visit Israel, cherishing the freedom of expression that exists there and coming away with an incredible experience.

Alicia Keys received an open letter from novelist and BDS supporter, Alice Walker, who said that by performing in Israel, Alicia would be putting herself in “soul danger”. In response to Alice Walker’s open letter, 17 members of CCFP’s advisory board, comprised of top level executives in the entertainment industry, signed their own open letter , refuting Walker’s false allegations of apartheid and congratulating Alicia Keys for looking beyond the rhetoric. Like Alicia, CCFP believes music is a universal language that should be shared and can help build bridges and promote understanding.

In addition to the open letter, the CCFP “Anti-Boycott Petition”  signed by over 18,000 people from every corner of the world, was sent to Alicia to show her that she has thousands of fans who support and believe in her message of peace and love.
Thank you Alicia Keys for sharing the gift of your music with the people of the state of Israel- Arab, Muslim, Christian and Jew alike. Your voice and your message have touched the hearts of thousands of people in a region wholeheartedly hoping for peace. We are sure that they will hope to see you again soon!

Thank you, Alicia Keys for standing strong against the BDS bullies. Thank you for standing up for truth. Thank for for respecting standing up for cultural freedom, and for resisting the efforts of those who seek to destroy the ancient homeland of the Jewish people. And thank you for honoring your fans and your music with an amazing performance. 

Cultural Boycott fail :"We play music, and we carry a message of peace and love"

The  "B" in BDS must stand for bullying.  Any artist that dares perform in Israel- any store that dares sell products from Israel opens themselves up to endless bullying.  Some, sadly  give in to the bullying. But most resist.

This wonderful open letter originally appeared on the blog of Christopher Deghelt of Deghelt Productions -a booking and management agency for Jazz artists and was addressed  to Mr. Dror Warschawski a French BDS activist.  The English translation  by Talia Shulman Gold is here, the Creative Community for Peace website.

[Mr. Deghelt replies to letter from Mr. Warshawshi, of The BDS Campaign in France]

As I pointed out to you over the telephone, we do not agree with your "pressure tactics on artists," or your Cultural Boycott.  We refuse to be made into instruments, and we won't give in to your pressure, whether by email, by mail, by telephone or on Facebook.

Performing in Israel does not mean we approve of the Israeli government or its politics, and it doesn't mean we don't understand the turmoil and the suffering of the Palestinian population.  Your attempt to railroad artists into a black-and-white dilemma is intellectually dishonest.  To allege that by performing at the Red Sea Jazz Festival we are supporting the Israeli government, or that by cancelling our concert we'll be showing our compassion towards the Palestinian people, demonstrates an extremely reductive attitude. We refuse to be placed in either category.

1)    Jacky hasn't performed in Israel for more than 15 years and many of his fans are elated by his impending arrival.  We love human beings, whether they are Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish or Muslim, and we will always perform for humankind.  We don't segregate our audience or our fans.

2)    We are apolitical, we play music, and we carry a message of peace and love. The Israeli-Palestine conflict is extremely complex. We disapprove all acts of violence on both sides and are profoundly saddened by this conflict and its tragic consequences.

3)    If the Eilat Festival is financed in part by the Israeli government, it demonstrates their openness towards culture and jazz, which only benefits the examination of cultures in general.  A dictatorship would not invite foreign artists, quite the reverse.  Jacky's fans in Israel are like all other jazz fans, humane, pacifist and hoping for peace in this part of the world.  They are your best allies and yet you seem to want to punish them.  Moreover, the Eilat Festival is an international festival recognized for its quality and its openness to the world.

4)    Boycotting this festival sends an unjust message to the Israeli population as a whole, to our fans and to our friends, and stigmatizes a population and a country instead of contributing something peaceful and sending a message of hope. We are free to express our convictions in Israel and I've spoken about this to the Festival organizers.  Let's push your reasoning to its conclusion.  Assuming no foreign artist appeared in Israel and the jazz festival ceased to exist...who would win? What would happen to the openness, the freedom, and the chance to present a different culture? What would happen to expressing our opinions?  What about the arts policy in Iran, Syria, and Mali today?  No more foreign artists.  Is this your sense of openness and dialogue?

5)    You say that certain Palestinians won't be able to attend Jacky's concert and that is indeed very sad; we would be happy to play in Palestine, if ever invited (this still hasn't been the case).  We are not responsible for this situation and can only deplore it.  The road to a better world is a long one.

6)    We concur with Erik Truffaz in his response to you: if we had to agree with the politics of the countries inviting us to perform, we wouldn't have many places in which to perform.  Our mission lies elsewhere, in music and the hopes of carrying a message of peace and tolerance to the people of our planet.

7)    Your activism and your intolerance are abominable.  Phony Facebook "fans" have posted messages expressly asking our musicians not play in Israel.  This is sheer harassment.  Moreover, it's really quite surprising because these fans purporting to sway the artists are not fans at all, but simply your army of little soldiers polluting the calm and positive spaces of our artists'Facebook pages.

8)    During our phone conversation, you insinuated quite slyly that you were a big fan of Jacky Terrasson, that you used to buy his records and attend his concerts, but that you would think twice about it now, knowing he plays for Israel.  Your questionable words, like the tone of your last email, won't change our convictions.  I don't believe for an instant that you are a fan of Jacky Terrasson.

9)    What bothers me the most about your effort...is your hatred of Israel, a pathological hatred, blind and most assuredly hidden behind a veil of "political correctness."  Your actions don't demonstrate a love or defense of Palestinians but rather a hatred for Israelis. At one time, we knew full well in what direction such madness had driven our world.  You are an anti-Zionist and deceitfully and paradoxically an anti-Semite (you, the grandson of a rabbi renowned for his humanistic views). You hide this under the pretext of representing a humanitarian organization, under the pretext of being a defender of justice.

10)    When Stanley Jordan, the Portico Quartet, cancelled their concert at the Red Sea Jazz Festival, it was their choice, which we respect.  Some of our artists refuse to perform in Israel.  Those are their political convictions, we live in a democracy, and we sincerely respect all opinions.  Well then, respect ours as well.  We believe we can be more useful by being invited to play for the people of Israel, than by refusing to perform in a country of whose government's decisions we disapprove.   Jacky Terrasson is free to draw his own opinion, after his arrival.  Don't force people to think what you would like them to think...this is intellectual tyranny and manipulation, the same tyranny and manipulation you attribute to Israel's rulers.

11)    Palestine needs international support, positive actions and peace, and it's not by advocating violence (both intellectual and verbal) and intolerance that you'll help Palestine.  I myself have been to Ramallah to produce a free concert featuring Shakti, which the U.N supports.  We helped finance a school of music for children victimized by the war.  These are positive actions, non-violent, meaningful and humane.  Pitting both sides against each other is not striving towards peace; it is adding fuel to the fire.

12)    In my agency, I represent Muslim artists, Israeli artists, and people of many different religions and nationalities.  My office is a place of tolerance, peace and dialogue. I have produced more than 3000 concerts in the world, and it's the first time I have received such obnoxious letters.  You, a man of science, you should stick to the rigors of analysis instead of engaging in an open battle with artists.

I will end by quoting Koffi Annan who said, "Tolerance is a virtue that makes peace possible."

Very cordially yours,

Christophe Deghelt

Legendary Lollapalozza Concert coming to Israel. Massive Epic BDS fail

From Billboard:

Festival organizers announced Saturday it would hold Lollapalooza Israel in Tel Aviv next year, in what will be the country's first large-scale international music festival. Israel joins Chile and Brazil as the third of the festival's international expansions.

"Lollapalooza began as music's premier traveling festival," Perry Farrell, the festival's founder and Jane's Addiction frontman said in a statement. "As a musician, I really missed the days when we were on the move. In the last few years we've widened our scope, presenting Lolla to the 'festival generation' around the world. Next stop- Tel Aviv."

The festival is slated for Aug. 20-22, 2013 and will take place in the city's Yarkon Park, Israel's largest park. The park is no stranger to big acts, and has hosted concerts from Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney.

Organizers cited Israel's demand for live music in its decision to expand there.

"Israel is an incredibly sophisticated music market," Marc Geiger of WME Entertainment said in a statement. "Consumers have a voracious appetite for entertainment, yet there has never been a major music festival. To me, this combination screams Lollapalooza."

Perry Farrell toured Israel last year and he was intrigued by the possibilities of holding a three-day event concert.

From his interview with MTV news

"Tel Aviv goes all night long, there is no curfew, they've got all these incredible night clubs, they love dance music, Yarkon Park, can hold 60,000 people, and it's right off the beach. What else do you need?," he laughed. "They allow you to stay down at the beach and party! My crew and I, we were hanging out in the water at 4 in the morning, talking [about the idea] — I hate to say it, we had beers — we were like 'Yeah man, this is great!'"

Lollapalloza in Tel Aviv, August 20-22, 2013. Its a BDS fail of epic proportions.
Local BDS'ers have been spotted sitting in a corner, twitching softly and repeating "BDS is on a roll" over and over.

Note to Bay Area Anti-Zionists: How does it Feel to be irrelevant?

The spectacular San Francisco Davies hall hosted the Israeli Philharmonic on Feb.27and 28th. The 2,743 seat venue was filled to capacity with lovers of fine music and lovers of Israel.

An attendee reports:
I think that people who attended the IPO concert really appreciated the warm welcome from all of our people with the beautiful Israeli flags. There was some buzz about it all. Very festive! I was happy to look out at intermission and to see the police and security people.
As for the concert, it was out of this world! People jumped to their feet at the end of Mahler's 5th. Sensational!
Tonight, the orchestra played an encore. It was Johann Strauss waltzes, and the audience was so enthralled with the Viennese schmaltz. It was beautiful. I imagined myself in a tremendously graceful waltz with someone I like very much.
I think the most moving part of each evening was at the start of each program. The IPO played the Star Spangled Banner and followed with HaTikvah. They stood, and so did every single person in the symphony hall. There were also the flags on the stage - the American flag on the left and the Israeli flag on the right. You can imagine the height of the pride!

Contrast that with the press release sent out by Jess Ghannam to the Al Awda mailing list, highlighting the self absorbed narcissism of Camp Hate. Even the title of their press release "Bay Area community members say “Drown Out Apartheid” at Israeli Philharmonic in San Francisco" shows the extent of their denial of reality. No Jess, the Bay area community showed their support of the only democracy in the Middle east by turning out in thousands to hear the orchestra. The two dozen haters you sent over from QUIT were simply irrelevant.

Offensive sign at Sundays' anti-Israel protest


February 27 – Fifty members of the Bay Area human rights community protested the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s (IPO) performance at Davies Symphony Hall on Sunday evening, using chants, songs and street theater to highlight the IPO’s role in whitewashing Israel’s apartheid policies against the Palestinian people. The orchestra’s performances are being met with protests in six of the seven cities on its US tour, including a protest last Tuesday at Carnegie Hall in New York and at Seattle’s Benaroya Opera House on Saturday night.
Concert-goers were greeted with a checkpoint proclaiming “Palestinians Must Stop, Israelis Can Go Around,” modeled after checkpoints wait in the West Bank where Palestinians are frequently forced to wait for hours. The checkpoint was guarded by soldiers armed with musical instruments morphing into guns. Protesters carried signs reading, “Don’t Harmonize With Apartheid,” “Israel Fiddles while Palestine Burns,” and “Justice Presto, Not Lento.”
The protest also featured a kazoo band. Demonstrators banged pots and pans and blew whistles while chanting “drown out apartheid.”

Jess went on to make this scurrilous accusation " One fur-clad concert-goer tore up the mock program and stuffed it down the brassiere of the woman who offered it to her". To which I can only say: She would have needed the "Jaws of life" to accomplish that feat.

Giving out fake flyers