To perform or not to perform in Israel? Here’s how it went for 10 Western artists

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JERUSALEM – A movement that encourages boycotts of Israel, its products and institutions has had some success, particularly in raising awareness about the situation of Palestinians who live in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in the besieged Gaza Strip. Formally known as the boycott, divestment and sanctions – or BDS – movement, it demands that Israel end the occupation, grant full equality to Palestinian citizens of Israel and allow Palestinians the right to return to places they left or fled from after the founding of Israel in 1948.

By publishing open letters, pushing online petitions and launching Facebook pages, BDS leaders and their supporters have succeeded in inducing some people to stop buying items produced in the West Bank or in encouraging companies to break ties with their Israeli counterparts. The campaign has also garnered a few voices of support among well-known actors, authors, scholars and, recently, the American Studies Association.

When it comes to persuading musical acts not to perform in Israel, however, the movement appears to have been less successful – especially if measured by how many artists have ended up performing here in recent years.

Here are some bands and singers who have played here, despite criticism and pressure not to.

RIHANNA

RIHANNA

Rihanna during a concert in Tel Aviv on May 30, 2010, as part of her “Last Girl on Earth” tour. (Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

The Barbados-born superstar played in Tel Aviv last October. She touched a nerve in this volatile region when an Israeli reporter misquoted her as singing, “All I see is Palestine” in one of her songs. She actually sang, “All I see is dollar signs.”

To perform or not to perform in Israel? Here’s how it went for 10 Western artists

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