A non-profit organisation dedicated to "countering the cultural boycott of Israel" is urging Kiwi songstress Lorde to ignore calls for her to avoid the Middle Eastern nation on her tour.
Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) says while "a small but vocal" number of activists are putting pressure on her to boycott Israel, "the majority of the entertainment industry stands behind her".
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Lorde was urged to cancel her scheduled Tel Aviv concert by many of her fans this week, and on Friday revealed she'd "been speaking with many people about this and considering all options".
But CCFP told Newshub she shouldn't give in to the "artistic censorship" that a boycott of Israel would represent.
"Artists such as Lorde continue to be subjected to tremendous pressure from some of our peers in the entertainment community and organisations dedicated to division," a statement reads.
"The cultural boycott is built on the premise that there can be no dialogue or communication between Israel and the rest of the world - that Israel should be ostracised, demonised and bears sole responsibility for the problems of the region.
"While we may have vastly different opinions on the supremely complicated Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we can all agree that the arts - through their ability to create dialogue - can and should be an important part of the solution."
The group, which champions musicians like Nick Cave and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, who have spoken in support of playing shows in the country, says anti-Israel groups have "failed" in efforts to bring about a widespread boycott.
"Intimidation and bullying will never win," CCFP told Newshub.
"This past year Israel has experienced its largest concert season in history, with concerts by Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Aerosmith, Radiohead, Nick Cave and hundreds of others.
"Rather than expend this energy to divide, we hope that one day [boycott] groups and individuals will band together to unite. We invite them to sit at the table with us and work side by side to be sure no one is silenced."
Lorde is set to perform at the Tel Aviv Convention Centre on June 5, 2018.
Newshub.
