The General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW) thanks Pussy Riot for heeding their fans' appeals and canceling their show in apartheid Tel Aviv.

GUPW is the largest Palestinian women's coalition. It represents all Palestinian women in Occupied Palestine and in the refugee camps elsewhere, and it is a member of both the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC).

We appeal to all Pussy Riot members to cancel any planned participation in the International Writers' Festival in Jerusalem, sponsored by the so-called Jerusalem Municipality led by its far-right and deeply racist Mayor, Nir Barkat.

Barkat has called the number of indigenous Palestinians in Jerusalem a ‘strategic threat’ and said that his municipality's goal is to reduce the number of Palestinians in the city to maintain a 70-30 Jewish majority. He is the main guiding force behind the municipality's racial discrimination policies against Palestinians in housing, planning, education and all other services.

Participating in any festival sponsored by Israel is particularly hurtful at a time when the Israeli occupation army is implementing a shoot-to-kill-or-maim policy against peaceful Palestinian protesters in the occupied, besieged Gaza strip. Since 30 March, Israeli snipers have murdered over 33 Palestinian protesters and injured close to 3,000, most with live ammunition.

Like apartheid South Africa, Israel uses international performances and festival participation to "art-wash" its apartheid regime. We urge you not to lend your good name to covering up Israel’s military occupation.

Involvement in this festival undermines Palestinians’ non-violent protests and our struggle against oppression in all its forms. As women, we fully understand what it means to fight injustice, whether political and social, in parallel. And as women, we appeal to you not to hurt our struggles for emancipation, justice and equality.

The General Union of Palestinian Women