London, May 18, IRNA — British singer and songwriter Elvis Costello has joined the international boycott of Israel by pulling out of two gigs at the Caesarea Amphitheatre.
The 55-year old English musician of Irish heritage said in a statement that he did not want his performance to be a “political act”.
“One lives in hope that music is more than mere noise, filling up idle time, whether intending to elate or lament,” Costello said in an announcement on his website.
“There are occasions when merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act that resonates more than anything that might be sung and it may be assumed that one has no mind for the suffering of the innocent,” he said.
His decision to join the boycott comes after being urged by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign following reports in the Jerusalem Post saying that he was opposed to cultural boycotts.
“It is after considerable contemplation that I have lately arrived at the decision,” said Costello, who first came to prominence in the 1970s.
“It is a matter of instinct and conscience. It has been necessary to dial out the falsehoods of propaganda, the double game and hysterical language of politics, the vanity and self-righteousness of public communiqués from cranks in order to eventually sift through my own conflicted thoughts,” he said.
“Sometimes a silence in music is better than adding to the static and so an end to it. I cannot imagine receiving another invitation to perform in Israel, which is a matter of regret, but I can imagine a better time when I would not be writing this,” he added.
His decision contrasts with the refusal by Elton John to cancel his concert in Tel Aviv next month despite widespread calls for him to respect the boycott of Israel, for its war crimes and countless violations of international law.
The international boycott, disinvestment and sanctions campaign is seeking to emulate the example of South Africa and end the apartheid regime in Israel.