We are citizens of Israel, opposed to our government’s policies of military occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing [1]. Many of us are veteran human rights activists who have long worked against these policies and for Palestinian freedom. We strongly support the Palestinian civil society call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) [2], aimed at ending these policies. We have come to the conclusion that international involvement is necessary in order to end our government’s daily, systemic war crimes, and violations of Palestinian human rights and lives. We, therefore, ask you to heed the Palestinian call and cancel your concert in apartheid Israel. 

We are aware of the unfortunate fact that at the time of the South African call to boycott the apartheid regime, Queen had chosen to violate the boycott [3], something which the band members have never expressed regret for. Today, it is the analysis of many veteran South African anti-apartheid activists of the time, that not only is Israel employing an apartheid regime over the Palestinian people, but supporting the Palestinian-led, world-wide boycott is the only way to bring apartheid to an end [4]. It would be a step towards making up for the past, and towards a more humane future, if you were to heed the call against apartheid, this time around.

Adam, we address you directly, because you don't share the same history, nor the position that you're "apolitical". Because of your support of the LGBTQ community, we mention here that many of us in the group are LGBTQ. As such we've experienced the state of Israel abuse of our hard-gained rights in order to pinkwash its apartheid and military occupation against the Palestinian people, while whitewashing the still very existing queerphobia and inequality in Israel [5].

All the while this dichotomist view of LGBTQ folk as apposed to Palestinian is false, assuming Palestinians LGBTQs don't exist. This erasure is a racist assumption, and yet another layer of oppression that Palestinian LGBTQs face; In addition to; being under Israel's hermetic military siege [7] and serial extermination campaigns of carpet-bombings in Gaza [8], alongside; Massive land grabs and colony construction [9], systemic house demolitions [10], mass arbitrary arrests [11] (including ill-treatment, beatings and torture [12]), and extrajudicial executions [13] in the West Bank; Within Israel itself over 50 laws discriminate against the indigenous Palestinians [14], while Israeli parliament members compete over who can make a more genocidal statement [15].

The injustice and constant deterioration of the situation has brought many groups around the world to pledge support for the BDS campaign, from LGBTQ groups and organizations [16], to churches [17], The Movement for Black Lives [18], and students' movements [19]. Artists have also stepped into the political arena on the side of human rights and have joined mass statements pledging to boycott Israel [20]. Many, such as Roger Waters, Brian Eno, Gil Scott Heron, Elvis Costello, Devendra Banhart, Coldplay, Faithless, Stevie Wonder, and Lauren Hill, to name a few, have cancelled their concerts or otherwise expressed support.

As privileged citizens of Israel, we ask you not to equate Israeli "right" to be entertained and Palestinian right to life. The show must not go on, when the life of some hang on the balance. Please cancel your concert in apartheid Israel.