Comedian Eddie Izzard is set to perform in Israel tonight. His plan was to run in the Palestine Marathon tomorrow, in what looks like a sign he is not taking sides in the conflict.
That has not sat well with Palestine Marathon organizers, who demand complete subservience.
https://bdsmovement.net/news/eddie-izzard%E2%80%99s-registration-palestine-marathon-friday-sent-back-him-organisers
Artists for Palestine UK (APUK), whose Artists’ Pledge for Palestine has over 1200 signatories, has been campaigning for British comedian Eddie Izzard to withdraw from his projected March 30 gig in Tel Aviv.
Izzard, known for his progressive views and loved for his outspokenness on a whole range of issues, has – surprisingly – so far declined to comment; but on March 28 he posted a Tweet saying he was looking forward to playing Tel Aviv, and running in the Palestine Marathon the day after:
Now Palestine Marathon organisers have sent back his registration.
APUK commented: ‘It’s hard to believe that someone as politically aware as Eddie Izzard should imagine he could get away with this. He should know as well as anyone that you can’t hunt with the hounds and run with the hare – particularly when the hare in this case is the squeezed and besieged Palestinian population, under illegal military occupation by Israel. Quite rightly, they’ve declined to indulge his patronising desire to run with them the day after he entertains their oppressors. We wish he’d listened to us sooner and avoided this humiliation.’
The Palestinian Campaign for the Cultural and Academic Boycott of Israel, commented: “Eddie Izzard is not welcomed in the Palestine marathon after he has crossed our boycott picket line. Today, performing in Tel Aviv is equivalent to performing in Sun City during the time of apartheid, and there is no balancing act that can justify violating the Palestinian boycott call. We refuse to be used as a fig leaf to cover up Izzard’s whitewashing of Israel’s occupation and apartheid.”
This all or nothing attitude is a reason the palestinians do not have a state. That, and their propensity to murder Jews.
But apparently Eddie did not get the memo.
https://twitter.com/eddieizzard/status/847373081618243586
Unless he’s just trolling them.
Whatever happens, this is a loss for the BDS-holes. They come off looking nasty and intolerant.
Which they are.
