“Hi Israel, I’m so excited that my new album, Happier Than Ever, is out now,” she said in the 20-second clip.
The Israellycool blog reported that the innocuous greeting was met with a barrage of online reaction criticizing Eilish for acknowledging Israel’s existence.
One responder wrote: “Educate yourself and see what Israel are doing for Palestinian children [sic].”
Another wrote “Billie, it’s occupied Palestinian land, not Israel.”
People called her a "Zionist" for recognizing Israel during the clip.@billieeilish its “occupied palestinian land” not israel
— Ahmed Nour (@yofavgoalkeeper) July 31, 2021
billie eilish being a zionist is literally not surprising at all
— مؤيد (@levantinehabibi) July 31, 2021
Others criticized those reacting, saying that the reaction was unnecessary.
Happier Than Ever is distributed in Israel by Universal Music Group.are y'all really cancelling Billie Eilish for saying "Hi Israel" ????
— Лана Дворецкова (Смуглянка Ісраеліская) (@GolemOfOdesa) August 1, 2021