Gilad Atzmon Attacks BDS and the Cultural Boycott on the BBC

Anti-Semitic Jazzman Fails to even mention the Palestinians

Blowing his own trumpet at the expense of the Palestinians

Brighton picket of Batsheva

Habimah picket

If there are any people left who believe that Atzmon is a genuine supporter of the Palestinians, they should listen in to his appearance last week on the Strand on the BBC World Service: The recording has also been posted on Vimeo (presumably because Atzmon wants people to hear it long after the BBC has taken it down from their website).

Brighton picket of Habimah

Like a chameleon, Atzmon adapts himself to the BBC environment. He makes no fundamental criticism of Israel. On the contrary, his contribution is more or less a postcard to Israel, viz:

Zionist counter-demonstration outside the Royal Albert Hall didn't prevent disruptions

-        During the first song, he admits that he ‘liked the idea of’ giving one’s life for the motherland, ‘on the Jewish altar’;

 -        He is so respectful of each of the 3 artists whose music he plays, especially the second band.......about whom he talks glowingly about their efforts ‘to integrate the Arabic sound’ with Israeli music. Apparently, he has no concerns about appropriation of the Arab and Palestinian narratives;

Picket of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra which activists disrupted

-        He flip-flops yet again over BDS, stating unequivocally that ‘I’m really troubled by the idea of boycotting art and academics’, asserting that ‘music can unite people’. His attack on the principle of a boycott is completely at odds with his observation last month that “BDS could easily become a positive development if it could only tell the difference between an academic and an avocado” 

The disruption of Habimah that Atzmon deplores

-        And during the last song, he waxes lyrical about the ‘incredible amount of musical talent which comes out of Israel’ and that this ‘music wasn’t at all political’ ie. it has nothing to do with Hasbara and should not be boycotted.

Atzmon waxes lyrical at Gaby Weber's German Conference

In short, Atzmon exudes nothing but awe and admiration for Israel.........on his one opportunity, on the BBC World Service, to address a large international audience and to make them sit up and take note......

Indeed, Palestine and the Palestinians do not even get a mention.

Boycott Batsheva

 As ever, Atzmon attacks the principles and personalities of the Palestinian solidarity movement, whilst refraining from exacting Israelis to similar scrutiny. Meanwhile, he spews forth articles every few days; not bad for someone who can’t string two sentences together without committing basic grammatical and spelling errors.

The openly pro-Israel camp seem to have been going through the motions and no more, in their comments on Atzmon’s BBC appearance:   They do have a point about how the BBC could give a platform to someone who so determinedly incites anti-Jewishness. That apart, they can have had no other qualms about his adulatory remarks about his fellow Israeli musicians.

Atzmon is the very thing he most attacks: an AZZ, a Zionist in anti-Zionist’s clothing.

The writer of the above article has chosen to remain anonymous but his comments are extremely relevant