Pro-Israeli group urges Ed Sheeran to drop Macklemore from opening act over pro-Palestinian speech

The Israeli-American Council has launched a petition calling for Ed Sheeran to drop rapper Macklemore from his tour. According to the Jerusalem Post, Macklemore used his opening set to advocate for a "Free Palestine" and accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. He also performed his song "Hind's Hall" with footage from Gaza and pro-Palestinian encampments projected on the stadium screens.

Macklemore's performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey has sparked outrage among some Jewish patrons, who felt ambushed by his anti-Israel messages. The Israeli-American Council and other groups have expressed concern that Jewish concertgoers were subjected to what they describe as antisemitic and anti-Zionist propaganda.

Thousands of Israeli-Americans have signed a petition calling for Ed Sheeran to remove Macklemore from his tour. The incident has sparked a backlash, with some fans expressing anger and demanding apologies and refunds.

Brief written by urgent.news from Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, The Times of Israel — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.