Someone Doesn't Love Lana
By: Michael Springmann/Arab America Contributing Writer
Pop singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey has just canceled her September 7 appearance at Israel’s Meteor Festival. (She had pulled out of an earlier engagement in 2014.) According to Variety, the entertainment trade paper, “the organizers are said to be livid”, especially since Del Rey (real name Elizabeth Woolridge Grant) had asked to perform at the event.
The Jerusalem, Post asserted that the reason Del Rey gave, to treat her Palestinian and Israeli fans equally, was a cover for submitting to Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) pressure. Quoting Del Rey, the paper wrote: “the singer stated she will wait until ‘a time when I can schedule visits for both my Israeli and Palestinian fans.”
Variety noted “Western artists who perform in Israel often face protests and social media criticism from believers of the BDS movement, which calls for ‘boycott, divestment and sanctions’ against the country. Among the most vocal proponents of the stance is Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters.
Del Rey had previously defended her decision to perform in Israel, writing on Aug. 19: ‘I believe music is universal and should be used to bring us together. … Performing in Tel Aviv is not a political statement or a commitment to the politics there just like singing here in California. doesn’t mean my views are in alignment with my current government’s opinions or sometimes inhuman actions.’”
— Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) August 31, 2018
According to a Del Rey Tweet, “Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself; I am large – I contain multitudes.” Arsen Ostrosky responded “Sorry, but pretty lame excuse…You said you were above politics, yet you succumbed to it. You said you believed in the power of music for good, yet you caved to the haters. You are no better than them! And to post on Shabbat when many in Israel won’t see! Shame on u!” The Jewish Voice for Peace had another take on the matter. In a Tweet, they said “Incredible! @LanaDelRey CANCELS her performance in Israel at the Meteor Festival. #LanaDontGo succeeds!”
Sarah Wilkenson Tweeted “In a BDS moment to savor, Lana del Ray sees sense & pulls herself out of Apartheid Israel‘s bogus music festival.
In a BDS moment to savour, Lana del Ray sees sense & pulls herself out of Apartheid Israel's bogus music festival https://t.co/1Gz3BfyFTc
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) August 31, 2018
BDS appears, at least in this instance, to be working.
Michael Springmann is an attorney, author, political commentator, and former diplomat. He has written Visas for Al Qaeda: CIA Handouts That Rocked The World and a second book Goodbye, Europe? Hello, Chaos? Merkel’s Migrant Bomb. Both are available on Amazon. The books’ website is: www.michaelspringmann.com