Back in February, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds announced a European tour with plans to perform in Tel Aviv, Israel. In response, several artists—including Roger Waters, Thurston Moore, TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, and more—signed Artists for Palestine’s open letter urging Cave to cancel the dates. In a press conference held last night, Cave discussed his reasoning for continuing with the dates. In his explanation, Cave referenced the open letter, saying that if musicians choose to play shows in Israel, they “have to go through a sort of public humiliation from Roger Waters and co.“

Cave continued, “After a lot of thought and consideration, I rang up my people and said, ‘We’re doing a European tour and Israel.’ Because it suddenly became very important to make a stand against those people who are trying to shut down musicians, to bully musicians, to censor musicians, and to silence musicians.” He went on to say that he “loves Israel,” and that he wanted to take “a principled stand against anyone who tries to censor and silence musicians.” He concluded by referencing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement: “So really, you could say, in a way, that the BDS made me play Israel.”

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds are set to play two sold-out shows in Tel Aviv tonight and tomorrow. Watch a clip of the press conference below.

In response, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (a founding organization in the BDS Movement) has released a new statement. “Nick Cave’s performances in Tel Aviv and recent statement are a propaganda gift to Israeli apartheid,” they write. “We thank Nick Cave for making one thing abundantly clear—playing Tel Aviv is never simply about music. It is a political and moral decision to stand with the oppressor against the oppressed.” The independent initiative Artists for Palestine UK also issued a statement to Pitchfork, saying, “Artists for Palestine UK thinks it is Palestinians who are daily humiliated and silenced. It regrets that in a land of injustice, Nick Cave is giving comfort to the unjust.”

The open letter to Cave discussed Palestinian human rights, the apartheid state, and the Israeli government’s coverage of Radiohead’s Tel Aviv concert in July. It was also backed by filmmakers Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, who worked closely with the pro-Palestine organizations that criticized Thom Yorke. In July, Radiohead played their longest set in 11 years at their Tel Aviv show, despite a bitter back and forth between Yorke and Waters. In 2014, Lana Del Rey, Neil Young, Backstreet Boys, Cee Lo Green, and other artists cancelled their Israeli shows in response to the conflict in Gaza.