http://www.salon.com/2014/05/01/pink_floyds_roger_waters_and_nick_mason_why_roll...

Band's founding members come together to argue in favor of the BDS movement -- and urge the Stones to reconsider

With the recent news that the Rolling Stones will be playing their first-ever concert in Israel, and at what is a critical time in the global struggle for Palestinian freedom and equal rights, we, the two surviving founders of Pink Floyd, have united in support of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), a growing, nonviolent global human rights movement initiated by Palestinian civil society in 2005 to end Israel’s occupation, racial discrimination and denial of basic Palestinian rights.

The BDS movement is modeled on the successful nonviolent movements that helped end Jim Crow in the American South and apartheid in South Africa. Indeed, key figures who led the South African freedom struggle, like Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mandela’s close associate, Ahmed Kathrada, have come out in support of BDS for Palestinian rights. BDS offers us all a way to nonviolently pressure the Israeli government to fully realize that its injustices against the Palestinian people are legally and morally unacceptable and unsustainable.

The movement does not advocate a particular political framework — one state or two — and neither do we.  Rather, we call for a resolution that upholds freedom, justice and equal rights for all, irrespective of identity, and does not cause additional suffering for either people.

So, to the bands that intend to play Israel in 2014, we urge you to reconsider. Playing Israel now is the moral equivalent of playing Sun City at the height of South African apartheid; regardless of your intentions, crossing the picket line provides propaganda that the Israeli government will use in its attempts to whitewash the policies of its unjust and racist regime.

We are nearing the tipping point in global awareness that the denial of Palestinian rights has had a devastating impact on generations of people, and that they need our support now more than ever.  Consequently, we encourage you, fellow artists, to ask yourselves what you would do if forced to live under military rule and discriminatory laws for decades. If the answer is that you would resist until justice prevailed, we ask that you champion BDS as a nonviolent, collective means of securing a better future for all. If you wouldn’t play Sun City, back in the day, as you, the Rolling Stones did not, then don’t play Tel Aviv until such time as freedom reigns for all and equal rights is the law of the land. 

“Together We Stand”

Have you ever heard of a tipping point in some government's regime dependent on whether a rock-n-roll band played inside their borders  or not?

Apartheid did not end because Little Steven produced some crappy song...perhaps more awareness was brought to the surface...but it had nothing to do with the musical acts.

Do you think the Stones show would ever be attributed to further hostilities or even to the end of hostilities in Israel or the region? I can't imagine a history book stating as such.

No one seems to care that the Stones play in Communist China...home to pirated music, film, sweat shops, and such...

This may be naive, there is a chance they simply want to play to the fans in Israel?  We all know they wouldn't play somewhere to simply make a politcal statement and they won't take a chance on not making money at this point either.  The Stones aren't young men and heaven knows the Palestinian issue is not going away any time soon - I would be surprised if it happened in my lifetime.  So what if it is simply for the fans in Israel that have never seen the Stones live?

Hello Brainy....its been ages, darling.  Don't be a stranger.

FG!

its just a gig waters et al should just fuck off.

Be great if the Stones boycotted the living piss out of Israel.  All those Israeli tickets are being bought with U.S. taxpayers' hard earned green dollars ($,$$$.$$) anyway.  ($$$$ = Large Green).  Come play over here!  This situation really chafes.  Shades of Scopes.  Shades of Pollard.  Shades of Liberty.  Shades of Arbogast at Knuckle Hill.

Pink Floyd struggled mightily in their attempts to organize a boycott of Israel.  The influence of the Israel Lobby on U.S. politicians was just too much to overcome.

Bitch wrote on May 2^nd, 2014 at 9:32pm:


I don't care either way about the Stones playing Israel, but do you honestly believe they are being "defiant" and that they don't give a fuck about popular opinion? The Stones are a corporation that pick gigs and the songs that they play at gigs like a corporation would. I don't know if this is what you really believe or what you wish the Stones really were. They haven't been defiant since the 60s.

My balls are really in an uproar over this Israel thing.  I'm liable to go off all half-cocked.  Have the Stones officially responded to Pink Floyd yet?  For Christ sakes.

MarshallG wrote on May 4^th, 2014 at 3:56am:


Yes, he wisely opted out for fear of being called an anti-semite, bigot, etc.  I bet some genius media type invents "the K word" soon.

My balls are still in an uproar about this, and its not because I give any more of a rip about Palestinians than the pro-Israel conglomerate lobby syndicate commission ($$$,$$$,$$$ in excess swag alone) does.  It's because I support the American taxpayer - those hard working, god fearing, fruited plain, salt of the mud that get fucked over on every goddam Sunday morning!