Lana Del Rey (Anthony Abbott)

More performers have dropped out of the Meteor Festival lineup as fans and human rights activists continue to urge pop singer Lana Del Rey and other slated artists not to “art-wash” Israel’s crimes against Palestinians.

The festival is set to take place next week in northern Israel.

On Tuesday, New York-based DJ Volvox stated on Facebook that she decided to cancel her appearance at the festival, citing the “complex” situation.

“My heart goes out to the young Israelis and Palestinians who were looking forward to my show, I recognize that they despise this conflict as we all do and yearn to be free of it,” she wrote.

Volvox’s cancellation comes days after US-based DJ Python stated that after “talking with friends and some well-informed folks,” he wouldn’t play the festival.

“[It] would feel really phony to act like I’m super politically active/informed, but I do think about what I feel is wrong or right, and it feels like the right thing to do is not go play,” he said. He added that he would be holding a fundraiser for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and Palestinian organizations.

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) thanked DJ Python for respecting the boycott call.

Thank you DJ Python for cancelling your performance at Meteor festival and respecting the Palestinian picket line.



We urge all remaining artists to follow this conscientious decision, and that of 8 other artists, and withdraw from this complicit festival. https://t.co/PeVLbnsYO3 https://t.co/w9BOheVI5R — PACBI (@PACBI) August 25, 2018

Update: Under pressure from human rights supporters, Israel's Meteor festival begins to lose artists! At least *nine* artists have either publicly withdrawn or are no longer on the line-up. Support Palestinian rights. Boycott Meteor festival.https://t.co/PeVLbnsYO3 pic.twitter.com/0KWmElcy51 — PACBI (@PACBI) August 25, 2018

The DJs join other artists who have canceled their scheduled gigs at the festival.

The Jerusalem Post reported over the weekend that UK artist Shanti Celeste and Sweden’s DJ Seinfeld have also canceled their gigs “due to BDS politics,” according to the festival’s producer. British DJs Secretsundaze and Dan Shake have been added to the bill to replace them.

South African duo Black Motion and bands Khalas and Zenobia have pulled out of the festival as well.

Other artists have publicly stated that they had refused offers to play.

PACBI and Jewish Voice for Peace have launched an online petition urging Del Rey and other artists – including A$AP Ferg, Pusha T, Flying Lotus, Of Montreal and Kamasi Washington – to drop their Meteor Festival gigs.

“Please don’t let your music serve to cover up gross violations of human rights and violate the Palestinian picket line,” the petition states.

.@ASAPferg your performance in Israel will be exploited to normalize apartheid, and if you don’t cancel your show you would be complicit. Palestinians living under military occupation, siege and apartheid are urging you not to cross the picket line and cancel your concert! https://t.co/7ewOl8sCKg — Tamara Nassar (@TamaraINassar) August 21, 2018

Cancel your concert in israel. How you gonna go play music for people currently committing a genocide against Palestinians? @LanaDelRey @ASAPferg @PUSHA_T — Nerdeen Kiswani (@NerdeenKiswani) August 21, 2018

"Highly political, he's considered as the jazz voice of the Black Lives Matter movement." says this Channel 4 interview with @KamasiW, yet he is willingly breaking the call for a boycott of apartheid Israel. https://t.co/uxeNepySdU — Louis Allday (@Louis_Allday) August 21, 2018

Del Rey stated last week that she wouldn’t cancel but said she planned on “visiting Palestine too.”

PACBI rejected her “token gesture as you step across our boycott picket line.”

As of Wednesday, Del Rey has not made any further comments on the issue.

Polishing Israel’s image

In response to the wave of cancellations, the Meteor Festival’s promoters issued a public statement on 24 August condemning the “BDS ambush” on acts playing the festival, which they claim is merely “an escapist and pure peace experience.”

“Our agenda is and has always been peace, coexistence, equality and our only aim is to bring people of all kinds together through the common love for music and art and our mindset from the very start has been to emphasis [sic] pluralism and cultural diversity,” the promoters stated.

The promoters said that “no one will make us hate, that includes the BDS, which insanely politicized our event.”

The promoters themselves have stated that their mission is to polish Israel’s image.

The festival is due to take place on land that is inaccessible to millions of Palestinians simply because they are not Jewish.

The Israeli government and groups aligned with it are slamming the BDS campaign and appear to be attempting to market performances in Israel as apolitical celebrations of art and culture.

Delighted that @LanaDelRey is not being intimidated by the BDS bullies and will play the Meteor Festival in Kibbutz Lehavot Habashan, Israel on 6-8 September alongside ASAP Ferg, Flying Lotus, Pusha T and Of Montreal. https://t.co/PCXZorZnmn — Ireland Israel Alliance (@irlisrAlliance) August 21, 2018

Creative Community for Peace, a thinly disguised front group for the far-right Israel lobby group StandWithUs, has been urging its supporters to thank Del Rey and other artists for “supporting cultural exchange” while they “connect with diverse audiences at their shows.”

Note the continued, deliberate misrepresentation of peaceful #BDS as violent - "ACTION ALERT! Artists are under attack by boycott groups." Creative Community for Peace is a front group for StandWithUs, a right-wing org with close ties to the Israeli government #LanaDontGo #BDS pic.twitter.com/AtmjjuB5Ex — Adalah-NY (@AdalahNY) August 24, 2018

Pop star Boy George, who rejected calls to cancel his performance in Israel last year, encouraged Del Rey to cross the picket line, claiming her music has a “magical healing force.”

Boy George is a scab who previously violated Palestinians' picket line. Too bad Boy George hasn't learned a thing. https://t.co/9YKDpIyqaG — Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) August 22, 2018

Palestine rights campaigners, however, are pushing back.

Israeli fans and the Israeli propaganda Hasbara will try to explain why #bds is wrong b/c “music has no borders” or “shouldn’t be political” but fact is that your Jewish fans from the West Bank will be able to attend your show while your Palestinian ones won’t. #LanaDontGo — Yaniv Junam جونم (@grapesofwhat) August 19, 2018

Imagine believing that "playing for your fans" matters more than millions not being able to attend simply because they are Palestinian.



You're saying Palestinian fans don't matter. That Palestinians don't matter. That occupied people living under apartheid don't matter. — Remi Kanazi (@Remroum) August 23, 2018

Hey @LanaDelRey it's great that you want to support Palestinian children. Around 700 Palestinian children are arrested and jailed every year by the Israeli military. The best way to support them and end this unjustice is to Cancel your Show in Israel — Ariel Elyse 💕🔥💕 (@ArielElyseGold) August 22, 2018

Your music, regardless of how beautiful, will not transcend the wall, the checkpoints and the borders. @LanaDelRey Please reconsider your position in the world, and don’t cross the picket line.#LanaDontGo pic.twitter.com/xdC8ZeECfN — ڤي. (@witchdraft) August 21, 2018