Pro-Palestinian activists recently called on Dutch musician Yuri Honing to refrain from playing at Israel’s upcoming Red Sea Jazz Festival. In their letter, the anti-Israel group stressed such a move would be “in solidarity with the Palestinian civil society boycott call” of Israeli government-sponsored events aimed at “masking Israeli human rights violations by art and culture.” The Holland-based group added: “Fans of your music living in the West Bank, in a land governed by Israel, are under martial-law and will not be permitted to come to Eilat and enjoy your performance, and the same goes for Palestinians living in Gaza under Israeli siege.”

Earlier last month a British group, The Portico Quartet, agreed to cancel their participation due to “moral-political reasons, namely…opposition to Israel’s ongoing human rights violations.” The Eilat jazz festival will take place January 17-19.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center)