Tom Jones under pressure to cancel Israel performance
Pop icon to hold concert in Tel Aviv on October 26 despite demands from boycott Israel groups to drop concert.
By JPOST.COM STAFFTom Jones Glastonbury 370(photo credit: REUTERS)
Welsh pop veteran Tom Jones has come under pressure to cancel his upcoming concert in Israel. The 73- year-old musical icon is scheduled to perform at the Nokia Stadium in Tel Aviv on October 26.According to the Wales Online news website, the pressure is coming from the Cardiff branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which has launched an online petition demanding that Jones drop the Tel Aviv performance from his tour, which also includes a concert in the United Arab Emirates.The Palestine Solidarity Campaign describes itself as a British-based “independent, non-governmental and non-party political” organization that works towards “peace and justice for Palestinians.”The petition, which has more than 1,200 signatures, includes an open letter to Jones.“Your show will breach the Palestinian call to boycott Israel until it complies with international law and ends its human rights abuses of the Palestinian people,” the letter says.“A performance in Israel today is akin to a performance in apartheid South Africa. Tel Aviv is today’s Sun City.”A Facebook page calling on Jones to cancel his concert has also been created.Artists performing in Israel routinely come under pressure from Israel boycott groups.Earlier this month, Eric Burdon of The Animals apparently canceled and then reinstated his concert in Tel Aviv following boycott calls.Alicia Keys, who appeared at the Nokia Arena in July, ignored similar demands for her to nix her Tel Aviv appearance, and even shared the stage with Israeli singer Idan Raichel.
