JELLO...is showing sense....to have second thoughts(publicly) shows integrity. Not "wobbling".....good for you JELLO. Most of us have the luxury of discarding mistaken ideas in privacy...not in the full glare. I hope he goes on to reach others through his chosen art ....he has shown himself in my book to be a performer and a listener.

A boycott is by no means simple.....it has to be explained, sometimes In great detail...in this case and South Africa....it is a chance for all to at least make our voice and solidarity heard. Certainly no truck with Antisemitism, that is not the message at all. We should not assume what is obvious to us is plain to others...at the same time it was essential that the issue was taken up....and Gello grabbed the bull by the horns....lets everyone move on.....a just and lasting settlement awaits!

Jello should instead choose to play in Gaza or the West Bank.

Jello should instead choose to play in Gaza or the West Bank - weather

I wonder if jello played gaza or any other arab countries- would he get much of a turnout? i suspect not because i think that western rock and alternative music is not popular or even well known in arab countries, except amongst the western educated elite. israel is, for most intents and purposes, a european country in terms of its culture and people, and so there is an audience for this kind of stuff in israel. jus wondering what people think about this? Pil played israel ( led by former sex pistol john lydon who sang 'anarchy in the uk'.) but i suspect people in israel know about pil and alternative and punk music, whereas they probably do not in gaza, jordan etc, it is probably for the same reason that Pil and jello etc do not play algeria or pakistan or bangladesh etc. there is not much of a market for ageing punks in those countries.

but at least jello made the right decision and keeps my respect.

I doubt there would be much of an audience there, but Iran or Turkey, maybe.

Kudos to Jello, and to those who subscribe to recognizing the flux/movement among the people. Was anyone born 'advanced', radical, progressive, communist? No. We all got to where we are through struggle, learning, summation, and taking that knowledge back into practice. Jello's difficult decision to 'do the right thing' with a decent explaination, shows forward movement on his part, as well as his openness to struggle over this issue. Also, Jello's decision not to play Israel may have a positive effect on his fans/followers to investigate the situation in the Middle- East for themselves.Who can say how many new allies might develop from this. This is an overall positive thing.

No kudos to Jello. Well, good that he pulled out, victory is ours not his. labeling his detractors who support the BDS as the "'drive all the Jews into the sea’ crowd" is outrageous. It shows he really doesn't give a shit for the activist movement, painting us as just as bad as the "anyone speaking up for Palestinian rights a ‘terrorist’ " crew. He's just like the wimpy liberals he used to scorn in songs like "love me I'm a liberal". I reckon he's become just another egotistical rock star. boo.
"Have you're rich parents' money ready, world hunger's gone forever once your check's in the mail when [Alternative Tentacles] and the rock and racism connection bring you live, from [Tel Aviv], USA FOR [ISRAEL]! "
- to adapt an old DK rant against US support for apartheid.

<blockquote>'I doubt there would be much of an audience there, but Iran or Turkey, maybe.'</blockquote>


I certainly think if the event were to be done as a show that would be free (As opposed to other events and shows that Jello has done) that there would be a potential audience within Gaza and the West Bank that would be open to this. It would as well, show cultural solidarity towards Palestine.


<blockquote>
'I wonder if jello played gaza or any other arab countries- would he get much of a turnout?'</blockquote>



I certainly think there would be a turnout.

Why should we criticize artists for performing in Israel and not those who perform, say, in the United States (or France, or Britain) as he points out himself? If anything we would want progressive and radical artists to spread their work and ideas in places like Israel, where there is a chance one could help catalyze a movement of Israelis against the injustices going on there and use the stage to denounce the apartheid situation.

I find myself wondering why anyone would assume that the musical culture which produced "Meen Erhabi" would be incapable of appreciating punk rock.