Julian Casablancas, Rage Against The Machine and Patti Smith among 600 artists calling for Israel boycott in support of Palestinian rights

It comes following the recent Israel-Gaza conflict

Julian Casablancas, Rage Against The Machine and Patti Smith are among 600 artists who have signed an open letter in support of Palestinian rights and a boycott of performances in Israel.

Run The Jewels, Roger Waters and Questlove have also pledged their support to #MusiciansForPalestine, a document that calls for an end to human rights abuses to Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and worldwide.

It comes following the recent Israel-Gaza conflict.

The letter, which you can view below, calls for “justice, dignity and the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people and all who are fighting colonial dispossession and violence across the planet.”

It adds: “We call for you to join us with your name in refusing to perform at Israel’s complicit cultural institutions and by standing firm in your support of the Palestinian people and their human right to sovereignty and freedom. We believe this is crucial to one day live in a world without segregation and apartheid.”

The letter continues: “Complicity with Israeli war crimes is found in silence, and today silence is not an option. Silence is not an option, as the brutal Israeli bombardment of besieged Gaza claimed more than 245 lives in the last weeks. Silence is not an option as residents of Sheikh Jarrah in occupied Jerusalem are continuously forced out of their homes.”

It comes after several artists spoke out and held protests previously over the conflict which only recently led to a ceasefire.

Rage Against The Machine also previously expressed their solidarity with the Palestinians following a series of deadly Israeli airstrikes.

They wrote on Twitter: “The violence and atrocities we are witnessing in Sheikh Jarrah, the Al Aqsa compound and Gaza are a continuation of decades of Israel’s brutal apartheid and violent occupation of Palestine. We stand with the Palestinian people as they resist this colonial terror in all its forms.”

The conflict started earlier this month after Israel police blocked off the Damascus Gate, where Palestinian Arabs typically gather for Ramadan.

That led to an attack on Orthodox Jews, which in turn led to the Israeli police raiding the al-Aqsa Mosque.

A series of airstrikes and rocket attacks then followed between Israel and Palestinian militants.

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