Lana Del Rey Will Perform in Both Israel & Palestine

Lana Del Rey came under fire when the news broke that she would headline Israel's inaugural Meteor Festival alongside A$AP Ferg, Pusha T, and Of Montreal, and the Lust For Life singer defended her controversial decision. “We signed onto the show w the intention that it would be performed for the kids there and my plan was for it to be done with a loving energy w a thematic emphasis on peace,” she wrote in a statement on Twitter. “If you don’t agree with it I get it. I see both sides.”

Critics are angry with Del Rey for performing in the country because of its ongoing treatment of Palestinians, but the artist says that if she refused to play in every country she disagreed with politically, she wouldn't be performing in the U.S. either. “I would like to remind you that performing in Tel Aviv is not a political statement or a commitment to the politics there just as singing here in California doesn’t mean my views are in alignment w my current governments opinions or sometimes inhuman activities,” she explained. “I’m not in anyway likening the gravity of certain travesties that have occurred in Israel to the current hardships we’re facing here...For the record I’m doing the best I can and my intentions are better than most peoples that I know.”

Hoping to appease her fans, Del Rey announced Tuesday that she will now also visit Palestine and perform there. “I want peace for both Israel and Palestine.”