Gilberto Gil Decides to Cancel Show in Tel Aviv Following Palestinian Deaths in Gaza

05/23/2018 - 13h13

Gilberto Gil announced on Tuesday (the 22nd) that he would no longer be performing a concert in Tel Aviv, Israel, on July 4th.

The concert was going to feature Gilberto Gil and special guests, such as Mayra Andrade, Bem Gil (his son), Chiara Civello and Mestrinho and the repertoire was set to revolve around the classic 1977 record "Refavela".

The show was canceled less than a week after the Israeli army killed approximately 60 Palestinians during a protest in the Gaza Strip.

The country has been criticized by other countries and human rights groups for using lethal weapons during clashes with Palestinians along the Gaza-Israel border. But the country has claimed that it needs to protect its borders.

	Reprodução/BBC
	Gilberto Gil during a show in Londres

Even though Gilberto Gil did not attribute his decision to cancel the trip to the incidents, one of the producers behind the event cited "apprehension" concerning "the delicate moment" that Israel is going through and hoped that people could understand that "it is also a delicate matter for us".

The statement further stated that Gilberto Gil loves Israel and that "there will be other opportunities" under "better circumstances".

Gil's decision was praised by the BDS movement, which stands for "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions". The movement advocates boycotting Israel on the economic, academic, cultural and political levels in order to force the country to put an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories.

Israeli officials have yet to pronounce themselves, but the country's press has considered the cancellation a "victory for BDS".

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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