Israel: Last News

Gordon Cox Theater Editor Live theater always reflects the moment in which it’s presented, but this season, Broadway charged head-on into the politics of today with unusual force: A play that directly addressed antisemitism, Israel and Gaza opened barely two months after the events of Oct. 7; climate protestors interrupted a 140-year-old drama about the threat of environmental calamity, and an onstage chronicle of Vladimir Putin’s rise to power opened even as the Russian invasion of Ukraine rolled into its third year.

Barclays bank customers are being encouraged to switch their accounts following a series of protests by pro-Palestine group, Palestine Action.

Bambie Thug has dedicated a performance of The Cranberries’ ‘Zombie’ at Download Festival to the people of Palestine.The artist, who memorably represented Ireland at this year’s Eurovision, played the Apex Stage at the Donington festival yesterday (June 14) and took the time to highlight the cause that is close to their heart.After singing the track ‘Trash’ from inside a wheelie bin, Bambie said, “You know what else is trash? Governments that allow genocides to happen. Our voices are more important than ever.”They then played a cover of ‘Zombie’, a song about the innocent victims of political violence, before rounding off the song with a cry of “Free Palestine”.Bambie had previously shared a recorded version of the cover earlier this year, which you can listen to below.The musician spoke to NME in May about playing the main stage of Download Festival this weekend, calling it “mental”.“I can’t wait,” they told NME. “After Eurovision I was like, ‘I’m going to be so bored’.

Barclays on Friday suspended its sponsorship of all Live Nation music festivals in 2024 after various acts dropped out in protest over the bank’s links to defense companies that work with Israel.The suspension includes upcoming Live Nation festivals across the UK this summer, including Latitude, Download and the Isle of Wight.“The protesters’ agenda is to have Barclays debank defense companies which is a sector we remain committed to as an essential part of keeping this country and our allies safe,” the bank’s spokesperson told Reuters.The suspension comes after several artists, including country singer CMAT, metal band Ithaca and comedian Joanne McNally, pulled out of the events.Last month, Barclay’s annual shareholders’ meeting was disrupted by activists protesting against its alleged indirect links to violence in Gaza.

Four years after Bad Boys original author George Gallo first went to court over copyright to the lucrative Will Smith and Martin Lawrence franchise, the scribe and Columbia Pictures have settled their differences.

Enter Shikari have spoken out after Barclays Bank withdrew from sponsoring Download, Latitude and Isle Of Wight festivals following an artist boycott.A number of bands had dropped out of the Donington Park festival in protest at their commercial partnership with Barclays, including Pest Control, Scowl, Speed and Zulu.Pest Control wrote that they “would not take part in an event whose sponsor profits from facilitating a genocide”, while Scowl added they were boycotting due to “Barclays Bank sponsorship of the event and Barclays’ connection to Israel and the genocide Israel is committing in Palestine.”And now, it appears that Barclays have withdrawn their sponsorship of Download, Latitude and Isle of Wight Festivals, with the bank no longer being listed on their official websites.In a response shared with NME, Latitude confirmed the news, saying: “Following discussion with artists, we have agreed with Barclays that they will step back from sponsorship of Latitude Festival.”NME have also contacted Download Festival for comment.Enter Shikari, who are set to play the main stage at Download this weekend, have responded to the news with a lengthy social media post, which read: “There has been mounting pressure for bands to drop out of Download festival due to the involvement of Barclays Bank.”A post shared by enter: shikari (@entershikari)“We have been in talks with Download themselves, expressing our serious objection at Barclays involvement. We have considered all options, and along with other artists have been working tirelessly on this.”“We don’t believe in rushed reactions and always want the best outcome for all involved.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based sales agency Films Boutique has closed further deals for Ray Yeung’s “All Shall Be Well,”following the North American deal with Strand Releasing and the first international sales previously announced by Variety.The film has been acquired by Nour Films in France, One From the Heart in Greece, Mezipatra in Czech Republic and Slovakia, HBO Europe in Eastern Europe, Beta Film in Bulgaria and Falcon in Indonesia, in addition to the already announced deals with Vedette in the Benelux, Karma in Spain, Trigon in Switzerland and Lev in Israel.Films Boutique is in negotiations with potential buyers in the U.K., Latin America, Germany and Japan.Additionally, New Voice Film Productions Ltd. secured distribution deals with Golden Scene for Hong Kong and Macau and Flash Forward Entertainment in Taiwan.“All Shall Be Well” is written and directed by Yeung and was produced by Yeung’s frequent collaborator Michael J.

Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 had its first full day of play at the international box office on Wednesday with No. 1 starts in each of its eight material markets, including strong debuts in majors Korea and Germany as well as the Philippines. The total through day one overseas is $4.9M. Majors joining through Friday include Australia, Mexico and the UK.

Greater Manchester would not need to introduce a Clean Air Zone under a Labour government, Sir Keir Starmer has said. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the Labour leader ruled out forcing the charging scheme through.

System Of A Down‘s Shavo Odadjian has launched his brand new project Seven Hours After Violet with the gnarly new single ‘Paradise’.The bassist has unveiled the new five-piece band, which consists of Odjajian, Taylor Barber from Left To Suffer on vocals, Alejandro Aranda from Scarypoolparty on guitar/backing vocals, with Morgoth and Josh Johnson from Winds of Plague on guitar/production and drums respectively.Speaking about the new song, Odadjian says ‘Paradise’ “showcases the various dynamics we explore throughout, which makes it the perfect introduction to Seven Hours After Violet.”“I’ve been making music for over 30 years, and I wanted to do something super heavy but melodic and come back to my roots,” he continued. “Until this band, every side project I’ve done has been outside the walls of heavy music.

EXCLUSIVE: Clive Myrie, one of the BBC’s most senior news anchors, has been criticized after making thousands of pounds delivering speeches to an investment company linked to Israeli arms suppliers.

Pnina Blayer, the honorary president and former artistic director of the Haifa International Film Festival (HIFF) has died. She was 77. 

Two disruptions marred the annual Congressional Baseball Game last night in Washington, D.C.

Lankum have said they have signed a letter asking Latitude to drop Barclays as a sponsor amid the current boycott of the bank over its ties to companies who are supplying weapons and military technology to Israel.Numerous acts have already pulled out of the Henham Park festival over its sponsorship by Barclays, including CMAT, Pillow Queens, Mui Zyu and Georgia Ruth. Comedians Joanne McNally and Alexandra Haddow have also dropped out.Now, Lankum have lent their voices to the conversation by revealing that they have signed a letter to Latitude over the issue, suggesting that the festival itself will be subject to acts taking a collective stand.“In relation to the Barclays sponsorship of Latitude Festival, we have signed a letter asking the festival to drop the bank due to their links with weapons firms involved in the genocide in Palestine,” they wrote in a statement.“We have also been working behind the scenes with a number of the acts scheduled to play at the festival as we firmly believe that collective action is the most effective action.“Hopefully we will have more news on this soon.”“Love and solidarity, Cormac, Daragh, Ian and Radie.”In relation to the Barclays sponsorship of Latitude Festival, we have signed a letter asking the festival to drop the bank due to their links with weapons firms involved in the genocide in Palestine.We have also been working behind the scenes with a number of the acts… pic.twitter.com/DIGdmhDxIp— LANKUM (@LankumDublin) June 12, 2024The announcement of artists pulling out of Latitude comes shortly after the major boycott of The Great Escape in Brighton last month, also due to its ties with Barclays.

EXCLUSIVE: Tomer Capone has long been a household name on Israeli screens, having worked on a number of successfully exported TV shows such as Hostages, political thriller Fauda and When Heroes Fly. He won an Ophir (equivalent to an Oscar in Israel) after he was handpicked by Natalie Portman for the romantic lead in her directorial debut A Tale of Love and Darkness. But when he was cast as series regular Frenchie (or Serge) in Amazon’s hit series The Boys, he was catapulted into the mainstream. His depiction of Frenchie, a former assassin with a murky past who is mired by deep childhood trauma, and the character’s heartfelt relationship with Kimiko (played by Karen Fukuhara) has offered audiences moments of respite from the superhero satire’s often dark, violent and lewd storyline. 

Selome Hailu After a fourth-month, worldwide search, the Amazon Prime Video drama “House of David” has found its cast of biblical figures. Michael Iskander will lead the series as David. The Egyptian American actor is best known for originating the role of Aaron in “Kimberly Akimbo,” which in 2023 won the Tony Award for Best Musical.

System Of A Down‘s Serj Tankian has weighed in on the current situation in Palestine and the movement to boycott companies with ties to Israel.Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 in response to its occupation of Palestinian territories, killing 1,189 people. Israel’s ongoing operations in the interim have killed 37,702 Palestinians [via Al Jazeera].Recently, record labels, promoters and more have called for a cultural boycott of Israel through the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), an offshoot of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) which was behind the huge wave of drop-outs from The Great Escape, Latitude Festival and Download Festival this year.In an interview with NME about his new autobiography Down With The System, Tankian has given his take on current world events and the ongoing boycotts.

Addie Morfoot Contributor One of the first feature-length documentaries about the repercussions of the Israel-Hamas war, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, is being released today on “Frontline.” Nonprofit news organization Retro Report and “Frontline” teamed up on “Crisis on Campus,” about America’s ongoing college campus conflict ignited by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Comedian Bill Burr called out the hypocrisy of liberals during a show on UC Berkeley’s campus over the weekend, reportedly telling the audience that he “f—ing hate[s]” them.Burr, never one to shy away from controversial topics, covered everything from his relationship with his wife and the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, to transgender rights and Biden’s cognitive decline, before wading into his issues with liberals, the San Francisco Gate reported.“I f—ing hate liberals,” Burr reportedly told the audience on Saturday. The outlet said it was clear he was referring specifically to “White liberals,” and that he took issue with their hypocrisy, not necessarily their political ideology.He proceeded to call out people who put “Black Lives Matter” signs in their windows without taking any quantifiable actions.“That’s like if I told you my great-grandmother in Germany had a ‘Knock it off, Nazis’ sign,” he said, according to the outlet.The comic continued, “If you run into a White person who says they’re an empath, run the other way.” Burr said such people “like making other peoples’ suffering about [themselves].”At a different point in the show, Burr seemed surprised at how the Berkeley crowd laughed at a joke about President Biden having dementia, SF Gate reported.This isn’t the first time Burr took the opportunity to air his frustration with liberals in public.

Apple TV+ series for Season 4, Variety reported on Monday. While Margulies, 58, made controversial comments last year about the Israel-Hamas war, sources said that the decision over her exit “was made before the controversy.”The Emmy winner reportedly turned down appearing in one episode of Season 4, although she’s “been asked” about coming back for a potential fifth season.The Post has reached out to Margulies’ rep for comment.Margulies joined “The Morning Show” in Season 2 as news anchor Laura Peterson. Laura becomes the on-again, off-again love interest of Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson.

Latitude 2024 due to the festival’s sponsorship with Barclays and its ties to Israel.They are the two leading names when it comes to the comedians who are boycotting this year’s edition of the event, and follow numerous musical acts who are refusing to perform while it is still sponsored by the bank.Joanne McNally announced her withdrawal from the festival last week, when she shared an update online. She was set to close the comedy tent at Latitude 2024, which will be held at Henham Park in Suffolk between July 25 and 28.“I’m getting messages today about me performing at Latitude when it’s being sponsored by Barclays,” she began on Instagram (via Goss.ie).