(CelebrityAccess) — Lana Del Rey pulled out an upcoming performance in Israel at the 11th hour after she was unable to schedule a second show for her Palestinian fans.
Del Rey had been scheduled to headline the inaugural edition of the Meteor Festival in Israel on Sept 7th.
In a message posted to her social media on Friday, Del Rey wrote:
“It’s important for me to perform in both Palestine and Israel and treat all my fans equally,” she wrote. “Unfortunately it hasn’t been possible to line up both visit with such short notice and therefore I’m postponing my appearance at the Meteor Festival until a time when I can schedule visits for both my Israeli and Palestinian fans, as well as hopefully other countries in the region”
A statement posted by Meteor Fest organizers on Friday pointedly said:
“Just got the word that Lana will be a no-show at Meteor. We do appreciate her for choosing meteor to help her score some press attention.
“With that, Meteor will take place with the same badass mix of local and international talent that we’ve been working with this past year. The mission that we’ve all been on together is reaching the finish line in just a matter of days as planned: A pioneering, independent festival in the Upper Galilee of a magnitude and quality that has yet to be seen in the Middle East.”
Del Rey, along with other international artists scheduled for the festival, had been under increasing pressure from Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS), a movement that “works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.”
International artists including Shakira, Gilberto Gil, and Natalie Portman have refused to travel to Israel citing concerns over the current situation.
