For decades, Israel’s greatest advantage in the West was not simply military or political support. Israel and its supporters enjoyed enormous influence over the boundaries of acceptable discussion about Palestine: which violent incident received attention, whose security mattered the most, which historical context was relevant and, crucially, what criticism of Israel could be allowed in public. That power has not disappeared.
But the extraordinary controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s US tour shows how rapidly it is eroding. The fact that the American rapper was dropped from the tour after he spoke about Palestine on stage meant that the old system worked. A powerful billionaire objected.
The artist disappeared from the stage. What was different this time was the backlash. In response to the censorship, every remaining support act on Sheeran’s tour walked away.
Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga all withdrew. Meanwhile, ticket prices for Sheeran’s remaining concerts plunged, in some cases losing 50 percent of their value, as many fans felt outraged. Macklemore stood his ground and pledged the $1m he had earned from his appearances to six organisations supporting Palestinians.
Subsequently, the media reported Sheeran would donate $2m towards humanitarian relief in the region. All of this has helped generate further donations and attention for Palestinian aid organisations, including a $1m pledge from children’s educator Ms Rachel. An attempt to push “Free Palestine” off the stage resulted in Palestine receiving vastly more attention, artists abandoning one of the world’s biggest tours and more funds being donated to Palestinian organisations.
The attempt to control the message amplified the message itself. And that tells us something much bigger than how controversy is handled in the music industry. Amid its genocide in Gaza, Israel is facing a crisis not simply of public opinion, but of narrative control.
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