Boy George arrived in Israel for two concerts in Tel Aviv, which will take place on November 4 and 7. Tickets for the shows are sold out. His visit has been presented as a sign of disagreement with international calls for artists to boycott Israel over the country's actions in the Palestinian territories.
On Monday, the British singer met in Jerusalem with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Also present at the meeting was Elkana Bohbot, a hostage freed from the radical Palestinian movement „Hamas“, who survived the attack on the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.
Herzog expressed his gratitude to Boy George for his public support for Israel and the Jewish community. „Boy George, thank you for your friendship and for choosing to bring your music to Israel,“ the president said, according to Israeli media. He presented the singer with a sculpture of red anemones, inspired by the memorial at the site of the Nova festival in the Negev Desert.
Boy George, who became world-famous as the vocalist of the British band Culture Club, is the performer of the hit „Karma Chameleon“. Earlier this year, he released the song „We Will Dance Again“ in memory of the victims of the Nova festival.
The singer said that his support for Israel had cost him friendships, led to threats and created obstacles to his career. His critics accuse him of using the song to justify the way Israel is waging the war in the Gaza Strip and of ignoring the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population.
Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, a number of foreign artists have canceled their appearances in Israel or joined calls for a boycott. Against this backdrop, Boy George's decision to perform two concerts in Tel Aviv has attracted additional attention.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas fighters invaded southern Israel, killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza. In response, Israel launched a large-scale military offensive in the Strip. According to data from health authorities in the enclave, cited by DPA, more than 74,500 Palestinians have been killed in it.