{"id":240619,"date":"2025-10-26T04:28:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T04:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/240619\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T04:28:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T04:28:09","slug":"i-wont-go-near-netanyahus-g","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/240619\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I won\u2019t go near Netanyahu\u2019s g"},"content":{"rendered":"

Radiohead front man Thom Yorke announced he has no plans to return to Israel. \u201cI don\u2019t want to go within 5,000 miles of Netanyahu\u2019s government,\u201d he said in an interview to The Times.<\/p>\n

According to legend, Radiohead\u2019s first major international breakthrough began in Israel, where the then-unknown British band arrived in the early 1990s and was met with great enthusiasm. Since then, the group has become one of the most acclaimed in the world, maintaining deep appreciation for its Israeli fan base and returning for several performances over the years.<\/p>\n

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Guitarist Jonny Greenwood even lived in Israel for extended periods after falling in love with artist Sharon Katam, with whom he built a family there.<\/p>\n

However, in a joint interview with Greenwood, Yorke said that due to recent events and the backlash he has faced over past shows in Tel Aviv, he has decided not to perform in Israel again. Still, he rejected calls to cut ties with his close friend Greenwood, who remains deeply connected to the country and its music scene.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t want to go within 5,000 miles of Netanyahu\u2019s government, but Jonny has roots there, so I understand,\u201d Yorke said when asked if he planned to return. He recalled his unpleasant experience performing in Tel Aviv in 2017, despite pressure from the BDS movement to cancel the concert.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was at the hotel when a guy, clearly well connected, approached me and thanked me. That really freaked me out,\u201d Yorke said. \u201cThe show was hijacked. I understand the calls for a boycott, sort of. At the time, I thought the performance was fine, but once that guy spoke to me, I just wanted to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greenwood, in contrast, has neither left nor intends to. His family ties and ongoing collaborations with local musicians, especially with Israeli artist Dudu Tassa, keep him connected. Together, they released the album Jarak Qaribak in 2023, blending influences from across the Arab world.<\/p>\n

Despite their intentions, their planned UK tour has faced protests from pro-Palestinian activists, leading to cancellations in Bristol and London. Still, Greenwood continues to work with Israeli and Arab artists.<\/p>\n

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Jonny Greenwood <\/p>\n

(Photoi: Rob Grabowski\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n

\u201cI politely disagree with Thom,\u201d Greenwood said. \u201cI think the government will use the boycott to say, \u2018Everyone hates us, so we\u2019ll do whatever we want.\u2019 That\u2019s far more dangerous. It\u2019s crazy. The only thing I regret is dragging Thom and others into this mess. But I don\u2019t regret working with Arab and Jewish musicians. I can\u2019t apologize for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The acclaimed guitarist, also known for his collaborations with American filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, emphasized that he too opposes Netanyahu\u2019s government but believes it does not represent the Israeli public or local artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes people call my work meaningless or na\u00efve, and I get that,\u201d Greenwood said. \u201cBut when my collaborations are described as evil, that\u2019s wrong. I\u2019ve protested against the government, seen stickers everywhere saying \u2018F*** Ben Gvir.\u2019 I\u2019ve spent a lot of time in Israel with my family. I can\u2019t say, \u2018I won\u2019t make music with you because of the government.\u2019 That doesn\u2019t make sense. I have no loyalty or respect for their government, but I do for the artists born there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the political climate continues to cast a shadow over Yorke and Greenwood\u2019s joint tour. Both say they feel growing pressure from boycott movements. \u201cThey don\u2019t care about us,\u201d Yorke said. \u201cIt\u2019s all about sharing dramatic stuff on Instagram. I don\u2019t think Israel should be in Eurovision, but I also don\u2019t think Eurovision should exist at all, so what do I know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite their criticism of Eurovision, both musicians also expressed frustration with anti-Israel activists. Yorke recalled his own activism for environmental legislation in Britain. \u201cI spent two weeks obsessively reading about it,\u201d he said. \u201cI mention it because nowadays you don\u2019t need to be an expert. You just need to have the right opinion and keep repeating it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Greenwood agreed, saying that dynamic now defines much of the political left. \u201cOn the left, people look for traitors. On the right, for realists. It\u2019s depressing that we\u2019re as close as they can get to balance,\u201d he said, lamenting the attacks he faces for trying to foster coexistence through music. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy that I feel scared to admit that, even though it still feels progressive to me. Booing at a concert doesn\u2019t strike me as brave or progressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the interview, Yorke jokingly pointed at Greenwood and said sarcastically, \u201cYou\u2019re whitewashing murder, mate. And apparently I am too, just for sitting next to you.\u201d But he admitted the situation weighs heavily on him. \u201cIt keeps me up at night,\u201d Yorke said. \u201cActivists tell me what I\u2019ve done with my life, what I should do next, and that my own thoughts don\u2019t matter. They want to erase what I\u2019ve created, something that means a lot to millions of people. But they can\u2019t take that away from me. I don\u2019t see myself as a bad person.\u201d<\/p>\n

He illustrated how such tensions have become routine, describing a recent encounter with a fan who confronted him not just about his silence on politics, but about his friendship with Greenwood.<\/p>\n

\u201cLately people have shouted \u2018Free Palestine\u2019 at me on the street,\u201d Yorke said. \u201cOne guy told me, \u2018You have a platform, you must cut ties with Jonny.\u2019 And I told him, \u2018You and I are standing here in London shouting at each other while the real criminals, who should be in The Hague, are laughing at us and manipulating us online while they keep killing people.\u2019 It\u2019s a performance of powerlessness. It\u2019s a purity test, like Arthur Miller\u2019s The Crucible at its worst. I respect the outrage, but it\u2019s strange to be the one taking the hits.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Radiohead front man Thom Yorke announced he has no plans to return to Israel. \u201cI don\u2019t want to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":240620,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[49,48,75,341],"class_list":{"0":"post-240619","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/240620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}