Only three days before Lauryn Hill was set to perform in Israel, the American soul a singer has canceled her concert. In a statement posted on her Facebook page, the “Killing Me Softly” singer wrote:
Dear Friends and Fans in Israel,
When deciding to play the region, my intention was to perform in both Tel Aviv and Ramallah. Setting up a performance in the Palestinian Territory, at the same time as our show in Israel, proved to be a challenge. I've wanted very much to bring our live performance to this part of the world, but also to be a presence supporting justice and peace. It is very important to me that my presence or message not be misconstrued, or a source of alienation to either my Israeli or my Palestinian fans. For this reason, we have decided to cancel the upcoming performance in Israel, and seek a different strategy to bring my music to ALL of my fans in the region. May healing, equanimity, and the openness necessary for lasting resolution and reconciliation come to this region and its people.
Respectfully,
Ms. Lauryn Hill
The comments on her Facebook Page announcement said it all. Israelis expressed their disappointment, encouraging her to not be afraid of the threats, and not fall for cheap anti-Israel propaganda. Pro-Palestinians and BDS supporters rejoiced, with statement such as a warning that soon “Israe-hell will burn.”
This says it all. If the BDS movement would have truly been pro-peace, as Ms. Hill probably thinks, they would have put pressure on performances in both Tel-Aviv and Ramallah. Instead, it was more important to them to pressure her into cancelling both of her concerts here.
Ms. Hill, on her behalf, is no innocent. She should have known better. Like artists such as Lady Gaga, Robbie Williams, Elton John and Justin Timberlake, she should have understood that the BDS is mostly talk, and less action, and that canceling her concert in Israel would have a bigger effect on her future sales, not the other way around. Instead of having several hundreds of anti-Israel boycotters, she now has thousands of disappointed fans.
Moreover, she failed to follow the most important rule in music: it's supposed to bring people together, it is for everyone, and it shouldn't mix with politics.
Sadly, Ms. Lauryn Hill cave in to the sleaziest, lowest type of pressure, and did not even have the courage to admit it. Instead of telling the world how she was pressured and threatened, or, perhaps, announced her anti-Israel and pro-BDS agenda – she chose the path of a cowered: A vague announcement, within lies the failed attempt to reconcile and still be appreciated by all.
The words she wrote are peaceful, but the intention, and the outcome, is anything but.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.