Story By: Alex Cope, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
Pop sensation Dua Lipa is facing a boycott from Israel after accusing their government of being “fake Jews” who created Hamas and said the IDF “thoroughly enjoy beating and shooting children”.
The English singer, 24, shared the controversial message on her Instagram page for her 46 million followers on Sunday and it has sparked a fierce backlash in Israel.
The pop star, whose parents were Albanian immigrants who left Kosovo for London, shared the post from ‘Vinarfuso’ which compared the death of George Floyd with the fate of Palestinians and read: “While everybody’s in the mood to talk about human rights, this is what happens EVERYDAY in Palestine paid for by our tax dollars. The big bad tough guys of the #IDF thoroughly enjoy beating and shooting children.”
The post says Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers have t-shirts which show a “pregnant Palestinian woman” with a sniper scope on her stomach with the words “I shot two kills”.
It continues: “The government which they hold no right to vote, a government which suffocates them socially, economically, and of course physically. Yet, the only ‘justification’ as to why they don’t deserve freedom is because ‘Hamas calls for the destruction of Israel’.
“Which is utterly HYSTERICAL bc the United States (fake Christians in the mid west) and Israel (fake Jewish ppl in the Israeli government) created Hamas SIMPLY for all of you geniuses to believe that hamas is the reasons for the decades worth of occupation, oppression, ethnic cleansing, and MURDER [sic].”
The post added: “To my dear Jewish friends and family, I love you all. This has NOTHING to do with you or religion, and all to do with justice and freedom.”
Lipa has since deleted the post.
However, a petition calling for Israel’s ‘Army Radio’ – operated by the Israel Defense Forces and the most popular station in the country -to boycott the English singer’s songs has now reportedly received thousands of signatures.
The petition was organised by the pro-Israel watchdog Im Tirtzu who wrote: “In light of the incitement against IDF soldiers, antisemitism, blood libels, conspiracy theories, and the blatant lies in the post that the singer shared, it is not fitting for a radio station affiliated with the IDF to continue to broadcast her songs.”
The petition has been sent to the Minister of Defence Benny Gantz and Minister of Culture, Hili Tropper. Army Radi, also known as Galgalatz in Israel, said: “Galgalatz does not boycott any artist. The songs are chosen at the discretion of the editors of each segment.”
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