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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Lana Del Rey Cancels Israel Show

American singer Lana Del Rey. (AFP)

In a setback to Israel, American singer Lana Del Rey canceled a performance at an Israeli music festival next week.

"It's important to me to perform in both Palestine and Israel and treat all my fans equally," said the artist, who had been scheduled to perform at the inaugural Meteor Festival in northern Israel.

"Unfortunately it hasn't been possible to line up both visits with such short notice," she wrote on Twitter on Friday.

"Therefore I'm postponing my appearance at the Meteor Festival until a time when I can schedule visits for both my Israeli and Palestinian fans."

The 33-year-old had faced pressure from supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement seeking to end Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

A petition, saying her performance would "cover up gross violations of human rights" and calling on her to cancel her show, garnered over 14,500 signatures.

It was not clear whether the cancellation was a direct response to the BDS boycott call.

BDS urges businesses, artists and universities to sever ties with Israel in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

In 2014, Del Rey canceled a performance scheduled for Tel Aviv due to an Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Several politically active musicians have called off shows in Israel over the past years, including Lauryn Hill and Elvis Costello.

In December, New Zealand singer Lorde also canceled a show following BDS pressure.

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