Brian Eno criticises Israel over its Gaza clashes

Producer shows support for Palestine

Jan 6, 2009
13 Comments
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Brian Eno has slammed Israel over the current conflict in the Gaza area, showing support for Palestine.

Speaking at a protest rally in London's Trafalgar Square on Saturday (January 3), the former Roxy Music star, who has just co-produced the new U2 album, claimed that Israel was to blame for the conflict.

Watch his speech by clicking on the video below.

"What we're seeing in Gaza is an experiment in provocation conducted by the Israeli government," he said. "You take one and a half million people, you stuff them into a small space, you deny them food, water, sanitation, medicine, and then act surprised when they get hostile.

"But you want that hostility, because that's the cue for you to act the victim. Israel is pretending to be a victim in a situation in which they are the oppressor.

"It's tragic that a country formed in the ashes of the holocaust should act in this way. It's heartbreaking. Why do the Israelis do it? What's the reason for creating this conflict?

"The reason is that under the cover of it they can continue to build settlements. They can continue to get large grants from the American government. They can continue to steal the homeland of the Palestinians, and continue to make a Warsaw ghetto in the Middle East.

"Please, all of you here [in Trafalgar Square], speak to your representatives, speak to your governments.

"I'm very happy to see there are a lot of Jewish people here, a lot of Arabic people from other countries, a lot of middle class English people like me. This is a mass movement, let's keep it going."

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Comments (13)

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spankyg73

Jan 6, 2009

Over 5000 rockets into Israel - imagine if Scotland was bombing england to that extent, do you think England would be to blame - how ludicrous...Eno is hardly well informed...

Damiank

Jan 6, 2009

Oh well that settles it. If Brian Fucking Eno says it's Israel's fault, it HAS to be.

DorGreen

Jan 6, 2009

Do Brain Eno knows what the people of Sderot, Israel was going through in the past five years?? can you imagine 15 seconds to run to a safe place or a rocket will hit you, for AT LEAST 20 times A DAY?!this is the reality in Sderot, Israel. this is Israel's right to protect her citizens, and stop these rockets form flying to israel from Gaza. Tell this to mister Eno, tell him to try living in Israel for a day or two, then let him talk.

jorges

Jan 6, 2009

Both parties are equally full of S**t, though I think Israel should be more prudent in this matter considering the military power they have can kill so many, so quickly. But, both Palestinians and Israelis need to start making sacrifices and good faith judgments in order for this to work. Both sides need to start doing the right thing, even if it means losing a little. Both sides need a little turn of the cheek. We can only hope.

gazmassie

Jan 6, 2009

Im not overly informed on this situation so i wont preach. All i will say is that it seems Isreal are always painted as the bad guys in any situation. I do agree with spankyg73 - If our neighbours were continuously bombing us, and they had ignored numerous warnings to stop doing so, Im sure we would retaliate.

moravcik24

Jan 7, 2009

So you mean that if extremists from a country like, lets say Ireland bombed England, England would launch an aerial assault on Ireland? Well the 80's showed this wouldn't happen and it would never happen. Everyone seems to have a different opinion when its a country so far away.

ramonesrip

Jan 7, 2009

you all seem to be missing the point buying into that stupid england/scotland likeness. well done Eno for speaking out - of course Israel have the right to defend themselves BUT the way they're going about it is by killing hundreds of innocent civillians - that is plain & simply WRONG

Sebastian X.

Jan 8, 2009

Props to Brian! We need more humanitarians from the world of rock'n'roll to speak out on this issue. Just like during the Apartheid days in South Africa.Israel is becoming one big Starbucks - they own the terms of agreement on everything for their own socioeconomic use -- which wouldn't be such a problem IF it didn't come at the direct determent to the disenfranchised Palestinians (who are the indigenous people of the land, remember?).As for the rockets: the Israeli government continues to create hundreds and of illegal "settlements" that are populated by ultra-religious emigrants who think gOD has given them the right to take other people's land. Those rockets have caused minimal damage and produced paltry casuality figures - and nothing of the scope committed by the ones with the tanks, the bombs, the helicopters. The analogies made above to England's neighbors are laughably misguided. For it was the Israelis barging in, uninvited, after the tragic events of the Holocaust. It would be the equivalent of, say, Macedonia coming and setting up shop in Wales, then violently trying to expand into England. And when the English resist they are called "terrorists". Coincidentally, the Israeli military is fully-stocked thanks to our (U.S.) republican administration, and well financed thanks to our (U.S.) republican administration.It's the same Orwellian doublespeak that calls Iraqis "insurgents" when an outside occupying force comes in and steals their shit.

ed2005

Jan 8, 2009

Israel's treatment of the palestinians is just horrific. As someone who travelled in the region ten years ago, I was appalled on leaving Israel to be asked by their security 'If I had spoken with any Arabs.' This is racism, and what's worse, it's institutional and state-sanctioned! What Israel is doing is as bad, if not worse, than apartheid. It is ridiculous to say Israel are using self-defence, it is blatantly one sided, and there is a disturbing amount of people out tere dissemninating pro-Israel proppaganda. Well saidSebastian X and ramonesrip

Kakicool

Jan 11, 2009

You can't just drive people out of what has been their land for the passed 2500 years! OK, so I've heard people say that it was Jewish land 2600 years ago (or whatever) but who's what it before then? It's ridiculous.

Enoiseverything

Jan 11, 2009

A pretty interesting defense of Eno and a call for more musicians to speak their mind: http://flavorwire.com/7355/unpopular-opinions-musicians-should-have-controversial-political-opinions

Gunnerd

Jan 11, 2009

This is ludicrous. How does Israel negotiate with a government who resorts to strapping bombs on their children and sending them out to play with the detonator in a village square? The living conditions of Gaza is deplorable yet no different than what all of Israel was like before 1948. The Palestinians had choices and could have turned Gaza is a self sufficient annex that they could then display to the world who, in its entirety, has a vested interest in not allowing the Palestinian people a country of their own due their inability to select and and maintain a government that doesn't have a mandate that seek the full and absolute destruction of Israel. Before speaking, Eno ought to look back on Britain's history with Palestine and the impossibilities they faced then that Israel faces now. It's so easy to just blame Israel but if left alone, I think the only thing the world would ever have to fear of Israel is their desire to buy everything wholesale. These are a peaceful people forced to defend their woman, children and way of life from a government that has been given every opportunity to live in peace.

jrewing1000

Jan 11, 2009

The level of ignorance on display here is shocking, especially from influencial media icons like Eno, who really should get their facts right before they abuse their position.Israel has time and time again stated it has no interest in taking land. It acts in self defence and will, as it has already declared publically, leave Gaza once it is satisfied there is no more threat to its people.It is very easy to judge this situation by what we see on the news, the horrific images and heart breaking stories of the hardship the people of Gaza suffer daily. But lets not beat around the bush here, they can have peace but only if Hamas wants peace.As for the moronic statement that you cannot drive people out of their land, get your history books in order, look it up for yourself and you will see a very different story.At the end of the day, Israel wants peace, Hamas wants war. There is a time when you are backed into a corner and you have to fight. The people of Gaza are sadly caught in the middle.