Lorde
has cancelled a performance in Israel scheduled for next summer after appeals
by pro-Palestinian activists.
The
New Zealand musician said in a statement on Sunday that “the right decision at
this time” was to cancel her June 2018 concert in Tel Aviv, which was announced
earlier this month.
Her
announcement followed calls by proponents of the Boycott, Divest, Sanction
movement to cancel her performance over Israel’s human rights record. Lorde
joins artists including Roger Waters and Elvis Costello in boycotting Israel
over its treatment of Palestinians.
Lorde
said that after having “lots of discussions” about the matter, “I’m not too
proud to admit I didn’t make the right call on this one.”
The
cancellation was welcomed by members of the BDS movement. The Palestinian
Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel posted a statement on
Twitter thanking the artist for “heeding appeals from your fans against
Israel’s art-washing of its brutal oppression of Palestinians.”
