Singer Lana Del Rey has canceled her planned performance at an Israeli music festival after pressure from Palestinian boycott activists. It was the second time in four years the American pop star has canceled a concert in Israel.
In a Twitter message late Friday, Del Rey said she was postponing the performance "until a time when I can schedule visits for both my Israeli and Palestinian fans."
The decision sparked anger among many of her Israeli fans over the weekend.
It was not clear whether the cancellation was a direct result of calls by anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement on the singer not to perform in Israel. Still, it marked a setback for Israel, which aims to prevent politics from infiltrating the arts.
Earlier last week, Del Rey had vowed not to succumb to BDS pressure. She also told Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters, a fervent supporter of the BDS movement, that she would perform in Israel despite the pressures and that music is not supposed to be political.
Del Rey was scheduled to headline the inaugural Meteor Festival at Kibbutz Lehavot HaBashan in northern Israel on Sept. 7.
The BDS movement urges businesses, artists and universities to sever ties with Israel in protest against what it claims are Israeli crimes against Palestinians and to promote the Palestinian cause. Israel says it masks a more far-reaching aim to delegitimize or destroy the Jewish state.
Organizers of the three-day Meteor Festival announced the cancellation on the event's Facebook page and added a jab at the singer: "We've been informed that Lana Del Rey won't play at Meteor. We want to thank her for choosing us to be part of her public relations campaign."
According to organizers, anyone who purchased tickets to the show after Aug. 15 – the date on which it was announced Del Rey would perform – is eligible for a refund.
Frustrated Israeli fans took to social media to express their disappointment. Some even posted messages directly on Del Rey's Facebook page.
"We should decide that anyone who cancels a show in Israel for political reasons can't perform here for 10 years after the cancellation. I have a feeling we'll do just fine without her," wrote one former fan.
Sophie Carmon, 18, from Tel Aviv, said, "This is absolutely awful. I'm very disappointed in her. Artists who are much bigger names than her didn't yield to BDS pressure, and it's infuriating. She knew about the political situation here long before she confirmed her show. It's hard not to think this was just a publicity stunt and exploitation of her fans. I'm very angry. I wrote to her on Twitter that she has lost a fan. She's an artist, not a politician, and she needs to come and perform and spread love and culture."
Another fan from Tel Aviv said, "We were ready to drive all the way up north to see her, even though she already canceled a show because of Operation Protective Edge [in 2014]. This cancellation is very painful to the fans who love her."
Others took a more positive approach, saying the festival's line-up is strong enough without Del Rey.
"It'll be an amazing festival with or without Lana Del Rey, we're going to have a great time," one person wrote on social media.
The festival will include performances by dozens of acclaimed international and local artists.
