Desk Report: Lana Del Rey has pulled out of a music festival in Israel next week in the wake of a backlash over her decision to perform.
The American singer was to have been one of the headline performers at the Meteor festival from 6 to 8 September. It is being held on a kibbutz in northern Israel that most Palestinians would not be permitted to attend.
In a tweet on Friday, Del Rey said she wanted to play for both Palestinian and Israeli fans, but it had not been possible to “line up both visits with such short notice”.
She had therefore decided to postpone her appearance at the festival until it was possible to “schedule visits for both my Israeli and Palestinian fans, as well as hopefully other countries in the region”.
The decision marks an abrupt reversal from her stance early last week when the singer tweeted: “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 w[ith] my current government’s opinions or sometimes inhuman actions.
Our time is a news portal