Israel’s ambassador to New Zealand has invited Lorde to meet him after the Kiwi singer cancelled her concert in Tel Aviv.
On Monday, Lorde cancelled a concert scheduled for Israel in June after criticism from the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Her decision also came after an open letter written by two New Zealand fans on website the Spin-off argued the concert would show support for Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Israeli ambassador to New Zealand Itzhak Gerberg yesterday extended an invitation to the 21-year-old musician.
‘‘By succumbing to the hateful agenda of the few who support BDS you encourage animosity in the region,’’ he said.
The Jewish Council of New Zealand earlier said that, in succumbing to pressure, Lorde had made a political statement. Spokeswoman Juliet Moses said the singer would perform in Russia on her Melodrama tour and despite that country’s human rights abuses.
‘‘Likewise, she is not accused of complicity with [US President] Trump and his policies when she performs in the United States.’’
The Zionist Federation of New Zealand said it was disappointed Lorde had caved into pressure from ‘‘those who wish to see the destruction of Israel’’.
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Comments
It's a bit more than a few,it would seem.
How is this considered as the "destruction of Israel" when it has to do with Palestinian also getting a homeland.
If politics and art are not connected in Israel, why is the ambassador involved?
This is a blatant attempt by the ambassador to bully a NZ citizen. This ambassador needs to be sent home.
The reason BDS was started is because unlike Russia, Israel has never been sanctioned for its breaches of international law, this is because the USA veto's every sanction. Thus BDS was formed to achieve what the corrupted UN system could not.