Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood plays show in Israel, reportedly protests for hostage deal and elections

nme.com:

Radiohead‘s Jonny Greenwood has played a gig in Tel Aviv, the capital of Israel, a day after he reportedly participated in protests calling for hostages held in Gaza to be released and new elections to be held.According to The Jerusalem Post, Greenwood performed alongside Israeli musician Dudu Tassa in Barby on May 26.

They played material from their collaborative album of Arabic love songs, ‘Jarak Qaribak’, which was released last year.There were repeated calls for peace throughout the gig with Tassa reportedly saying: “There are musicians here, not politicians.

Music has always worked wonders, may we know better days and may everyone return safely.”Greenwood’s wife, the artist Sharona Katan, is Israeli.

Their family had a nephew who was serving in the Israeli defense Force and was killed in the ongoing war against Hamas.Greenwood’s performance was criticised by pro-Palestine activists who accused him of “artwashing genocide”.The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a founding member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement called for “peaceful, creative pressure on his band Radiohead to convincingly distance itself from this blatant complicity in the crime of crimes, or face grassroots measures.”PACBI also pointed out that at the same time that Greenwood’s concert was taking place, Israeli forces were bombing displaced Palestinians sheltering in tents in Rafah, Gaza, which had prompted a large outcry on social media in the last week.