Radiohead and the Smile guitarist Jonny Greenwood received public criticism following his performance with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa in Tel Aviv last week. Greenwood has been collaborating with Tassa since 2008, but received backlash for the recent performance due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hammas. The Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement even called for a grassroots boycott of Radiohead after the show.
Greenwood responded with a lengthy post on X, saying: “Others choose to believe this kind of project is unjustifiable, and are urging the silencing of this — or any — artistic effort made by Israeli Jews. But I can’t join that call: the silencing of Israeli filmmakers/musicians/dancers when their work tours abroad — especially when it’s at the urging of their fellow Western film makers/musicians/artists — feels unprogressive to me. Not least because it’s these people that are invariably the most progressive members of any society.” (Billboard)
