Guess who is flapping his gums again, this time against singing great Dionne Warwick, who rejects BDS and is to perform in Israel in a few days?
Singer and U.N. global ambassador Dionne Warwick recently released an interesting if puzzling statement asserting that she would, and I quote, “never fall victim to the hard pressures of Roger Waters, from Pink Floyd, or other political people who have their views on politics in Israel.”
“Waters’ political views are of no concern,” I assume she means to her, the statement read. “Art,” she added, “has no boundaries.”
Until today, I have not publicly commented on Ms. Warwick’s Tel Aviv concert or reached out to her privately. But given her implicit invitation, I will comment now.
First, in my view, Dionne Warwick is a truly great singer. Secondly, I doubt not that she is deeply committed to her family and her fans.
But, ultimately, this whole conversation is not about her, her gig in Tel Aviv, or even her conception of boundaries and art, though I will touch on that conception later. This is about human rights and, more specifically, this is about the dystopia that can develop, as it has in Israel, when society lacks basic belief in equal human value, when it strays from the ability to feel empathy for our brothers and sisters of different faiths, nationalities, creeds or colors.
It strikes me as deeply disingenuous of Ms. Warwick to try to cast herself as a potential victim here. The victims are the occupied people of Palestine with no right to vote and the unequal Palestinian citizens of Israel, including Bedouin Israeli citizens of the village of al-Araqib, which has now been bulldozed 83 times by order of the Israeli government.
I believe you mean well, Ms. Warwick, but you are showing yourself to be profoundly ignorant of what has happened in Palestine since 1947, and I am sorry but you are wrong, art does know boundaries. In fact, it is an absolute responsibility of artists to stand up for human rights – social, political and religious – on behalf of all our brothers and sisters who are being oppressed, whoever and wherever they may be on the surface of this small planet.
Forgive me, Ms. Warwick, but I have done a little research, and know that you crossed the picket line to play Sun City at the height of the anti-apartheid movement. In those days, Little Steven, Bruce Springsteen and 50 or so other musicians protested against the vicious, racist oppression of the indigenous peoples of South Africa. Those artists allowed their art to cross boundaries, but for the purpose of political action. They released a record that struck a chord across the world. That record, “I Ain’t Gonna play Sun City,” showed the tremendous support of musicians all over the world for the anti-apartheid effort.
Alas, it is Waters who is – to quote his own words here – “showing [himself] to be profoundly ignorant of what has happened in Palestine since 1947.”
Either that, or he just refuses to acknowledge real facts.
Facts like:
- The Jews’ indigenous right to a homeland in the land of Israel
- Israeli being attacked by 5 Arab nations in 1948, following the palestinian Arabs’ rejection of the Partition Plan, in an attempt to destroy her and drive the Jews in to the Sea
- Subsequent wars of annihilation initiated by the Arabs
- The palestinian’s use of terrorism and refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state
- Israel’s right to defend herself in the face of this terrorism and the real security considerations that give rise to policies that are discriminatory
- Israel’s belief in in equal human value, as evidenced by the rights of minorities, Israelis working against racism and discrimination that exist in Israel like every other country in the world, as well as Israel’s disproportionate representation in overseas humanitarian endeavors
- Human rights violations by the palestinians against Israel AND palestinians
- Illegal Bedouin appropriation of lands and the rationale of court decisions behind the razing of places like Al-Araqeeb
I could go on and on as to the extent of Water’s ignorance but I think you get my drift.
In short: Waters is out of his depth and Dionne Warwick is quite simply delightful.
