Police are investigating punk-rap duo Bob Vylan after one of its members chanted “death, death to the IDF” at Glastonbury Festival.
Avon and Somerset Police said they are looking at whether a criminal offence was committed by the group, which performed in front of thousands of festival goers on Saturday.
Glastonbury’s organisers said they were “appalled” by the remark, which referred to Israel’s military, after the crowd joined in with the chant.
The Israeli embassy said it was “deeply disturbed” and suggested extremism and violence was normalised in the UK.
Here, The Independent takes a closer look at the history of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and why it is controversial.
What is the IDF?
Founded in 1948, the Israeli Defence Forces is Israel’s national military and is comprised of ground troops, a navy and airforce.
When it was formed it drew soldiers and weapons from Jewish paramilitaries - the Haganah, Irgun and Stern Gang - who were involved in what Israel calls its “War of Independence” in 1948.
Palestinians refer to this as the “Nakba” - Arabic for catastrophe - as hundreds of thousands of people were driven from their homes into refugee camps.
Soldiers from Britain’s “Palestine regiment” which fought in the Second World War against the Axis powers were also incorporated into the Israeli military.
Today, the Israeli military claims to “face terrorist organisations like Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad” and works to “defend the state of Israel and its civilians”.
There are roughly 169,500 active IDF personnel and 465,000 reservists, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Israel’s navy has around six submarines, eight missile boats and 38 patrol boats, according to recent figures.
The Israeli Air Force has hundreds of aircraft including dozens of F-35 fighter jets often used to airstrike Gaza.
In much of the Middle East, the Israeli military is referred to as the “Israeli Occupation Forces” or “IOF” due to Israel’s ongoing illegal occupation of the West Bank.
The Israeli military occupied Gaza between 1967 and 2006, when former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon withdrew troops and dismantled settlements.
However, it has continued to impose a land, air and sea blockade on the strip, which it claims is needed for security reasons.
The Israeli military claims occupation is necessary to defend Israel’s security following the Intifadas of the 1980s and early 2000s.
The IDF’s mission statement on its website reads: “Every ground, aerial and naval operational activity and exercise we conduct is first and foremost carried out for the sake of defending the State of Israel and its civilians.
“People from every corner of Israel, every religion and every walk of life come together in order to serve in the IDF. Our soldiers invest their time, withstand challenges, and often risk their lives to protect the State of Israel from its enemies and ensure the safety of the people they love.
“Defense is our mission—security is our goal.”
How does Israel’s conscription work?
Every Israeli citizen over the age of 18 who is Jewish, Druze of Circassian must serve in the Israeli military.
Israeli men must serve for 32 months and women are expected to enlist for 24 months. They can work anywhere from elite combat units to support teams.
They are assigned to a reserve unit, train with that cohort and can be called up for active service if needed until 40.
Why is the IDF controversial?
While it claims to be the “most moral army in the world”, the Israeli military has been accused of reckless and disproportionate conduct.
Most recently, there have been multiple incidents at aid sites in Gaza, intended to provide food for starving Palestinians. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,000 injured while waiting for food at sites run by the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to the Gaza Government Media Office.
On Friday, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported claims from soldiers that they had been told to deliberately shoot at Palestinians at aid distribution centres. One described the aid distribution as a “killing field” and said commanders ordered troops to fire at Palestinians as a way of “communication”.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz rejected the claims, which they called "blood libels."
The military told Reuters that the IDF had not instructed soldiers to deliberately shoot at civilians. It added that it was looking to improve "the operational response" in the aid areas and had recently installed new fencing and signs, and opened additional routes to reach the handout zones.
Israel's Military Advocate General has ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over the allegations.
In another incident in March this year, 15 Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) paramedics and emergency workers were killed by Israeli troops near Rafah.
The Israeli military originally claimed soldiers opened fire because the convoy approached “suspiciously” in the darkness without headlights or flashing lights.
But it later said it had mistakenly identified the paramedics as a threat and that the incident was under “thorough investigation”.
And in April 2024, seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli airstrike after delivering food to Palestinians in central Gaza. Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak said “far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives in Gaza” after the attack.
An Israeli soldier told Haaretz the strike happened because “every commander sets the rules for himself.”
The Israeli military said it attacked the convoy because officials believed an armed member of Hamas was travelling with the group.
Israel maintains that it takes care to avoid civilian casualties.
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