An American band has defied calls to boycott Israel, playing a sold-out show in front of 60,000 people in Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park.
Imagine Dragons, an indie pop band formed in Las Vegas, were urged by pro-Palestine campaigners to ditch their show in Tel Aviv over claims about Israel's human rights record.
Holocaust survivor and activist Dr Gabor Maté urged the group to pull out of the show, saying: "I respectfully urge the progressive and humane-minded artists Imagine Dragons to stand by their principles and support both Palestinians and courageous Israelis by not performing in this apartheid country.”
🇮🇱HAPPENING NOW: @Imaginedragons peforms to a packed crowd in Tel Aviv, Israel.
— Creative Community for Peace (@CCFPeace) August 29, 2023
An incredible finale to their hit “Demons.” pic.twitter.com/TWNnFKAzMA
But the band ignored activists calling for a boycott and addressed the crowd warmly at their show.
Lead singer Dan Reynolds told the audience “It’s not normal to have such a big crowd,” adding: “Tel Aviv, we love you.”
The band's Jewish drummer Daniel Platzman was also on stage and joined his bandmates in performing at Reading and Leeds festival last weekend before jetting off to Tel Aviv.
Earlier this summer, Robbie Williams also defied boycott calls to perform at Yarkon park, telling a crowd of Israelis that he was "grateful for the Jewish people" and paid tribute to his Jewish wife Ayda Field and their four children.
