A growing number of Western musicians, actors, writers, and other cultural figures are calling for a boycott of Israel over the ongoing Gaza conflict, drawing comparisons to the international cultural boycott of apartheid-era South Africa.
The movement, aimed at pressuring Israel through cultural channels amid limited government-led economic sanctions, has gained momentum across music, film and publishing industries. British actor Khalid Abdalla, known for The Kite Runner and The Crown, said, “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that, globally, we’re at a tipping point,” after signing a petition advocating a boycott of some Israeli cinema institutions.
Thousands have joined the initiative, including actors Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix, who pledged to sever ties with Israeli institutions implicated in genocide. The push is spreading beyond film, with British trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack forming a collective, No Music for Genocide, to restrict streaming of their work in Israel.
At recent awards ceremonies such as the Emmys, winners including Javier Bardem and Hannah Einbinder spoke out about Gaza, echoing statements made earlier at the Venice Film Festival. In addition, Israel faces potential boycotts in sports and Eurovision events, while Israeli conductor Ilan Volkov has publicly announced he will no longer perform in his home country.
Hakan Thorn, a Swedish sociologist at the University of Gothenburg, noted parallels with the South African anti-apartheid boycott, which began in the 1960s after the Sharpeville massacre. “There was definitely a shift in the spring of this year when the world saw the images of the famine in Gaza,” Thorn said.
A campaign to boycott Israel, known as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, began 20 years ago over the country’s occupation of Palestinian territory.
War update – Pages 16-17
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