(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — A group of Palestinian artists have written a letter to former Pink Floyd bassist and songwriter Roger Waters asking him to cancel a concert set for Tel Aviv, Israel, out of solidarity with their fight against the West Bank barrier.
Waters has been a vocal critic of the 600-km network of fences and concrete barricades, but was persuaded to perform in the Middle East on June 22 by concert promoter Shuki Weiss after Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip last year, breaking a deadlock in the peacemaking process.
The Palestinian artists warned Waters that the concert may undermine lobbying against the barrier, which has been globally condemned for effectively annexing sections of West Bank Land, according to Reuters news service.
Israel has insisted that the barrier is a bulwark against suicide bombers spearheading a more than five-year-old Palestinian revolt.
“How can someone who wants to look like a leftist in the world – fighting against the Berlin Wall, for open border, and for love between people – come to Israel while they are still building their wall and hold a musical event?” Sliman Manour of the Palestinian Association for Contemporary Art told Reuters.
Mansour, one of the signatories of the letter, said it called on Water to cancel the concert or at least put on another performance for Palestinians. The music has indicated he opposes an anti-Israel boycott.
“I would not rule out going to Israel because I disapprove of the foreign policy any more than I would refuse to play in the U.K. because I disapprove of [British Prime Minister] Tony Blair’s foreign policy,” Waters told The Guardian.
Weiss said that Waters had been encouraged by the Gaza pullout and felt that peace should still be given a chance while staying firm in his opposition to the West Bank barrier.
“His message is about peace and coexistence, that walls should be replaced by bridges,” said Weiss. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
