Israel and its supporters enjoyed enormous influence over the boundaries of acceptable discussion about Palestine: which violent incident received attention, whose security mattered the most, which historical context was relevant and, crucially, what criticism of Israel could be allowed in public.
uncertain
criticism → enjoy → public
That power has not disappeared.
asserted
power → disappear → ?
But the extraordinary controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s US tour shows how rapidly it is eroding.
asserted
it → surround → tour
The fact that the American rapper was dropped from the tour after he spoke about Palestine on stage meant that the old system worked.
asserted
system → drop → stage
A powerful billionaire objected.
asserted
billionaire → object → ?
Venues applied pressure.
asserted
Venues → apply → pressure
The artist disappeared from the stage.
asserted
artist → disappear → stage
In response to the censorship, every remaining support act on Sheeran’s tour walked away.
asserted
act → remain → tour
Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga all withdrew.
asserted
Finneas → withdraw → ?
Meanwhile, ticket prices for Sheeran’s remaining concerts plunged, in some cases losing 50 percent of their value, as many fans felt outraged.
asserted
fans → remain → value
Macklemore stood his ground and pledged the $1m he had earned from his appearances to six organisations supporting Palestinians.
asserted
he → stand → Palestinians
Subsequently, the media reported Sheeran would donate $2m towards humanitarian relief in the region.
asserted
Sheeran → report → region
All of this has helped generate further donations and attention for Palestinian aid organisations, including a $1m pledge from children’s educator Ms Rachel.
asserted
All → help → educator
Consider what happened.
asserted
what → consider → ?
An attempt to push “Free Palestine” off the stage resulted in Palestine receiving vastly more attention, artists abandoning one of the world’s biggest tours and more funds being donated to Palestinian organisations.
asserted
funds → push → organisations
The attempt to control the message amplified the message itself.
asserted
attempt → control → message
And that tells us something much bigger than how controversy is handled in the music industry.
asserted
controversy → tell → industry
Amid its genocide in Gaza, Israel is facing a crisis not simply of public opinion, but of narrative control.
asserted
Israel → face → control
For almost three years, the world has watched Palestinians killed, displaced and starved.
asserted
Palestinians → watch → years
It has seen neighbourhoods flattened, hospitals overwhelmed and families repeatedly driven from one place to another.
asserted
families → see → another
A United Nations Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
asserted
Israel → conclude → Gaza
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
asserted
Court → issue → humanity
The old narrative increasingly struggles against a force Israel cannot easily control: people can see what is happening themselves.
asserted
what → struggle → force
Palestinian journalists, doctors, parents and ordinary citizens no longer depend entirely on Western governments or established media organisations to narrate their lives.
asserted
journalists → depend → lives
Images, testimony and documentation travel directly from Gaza to millions of phones around the world.
asserted
Images → travel → world
There are limits to propaganda when people can witness the consequences of power for themselves.
asserted
people → be → themselves
Public opinion increasingly reflects that rupture.
asserted
opinion → reflect → rupture
A Pew Research Center survey across 36 countries this year found a median of 67 percent of respondents held an unfavourable view of Israel.
asserted
median → find → Israel
Even in the United States, Israel’s most important ally, 60 percent viewed Israel unfavourably.
asserted
percent → view → Israel
Seventy-four percent of Americans aged 18 to 34 surveyed by Pew viewed Israel unfavourably, as did 78 percent of young Britons and 87 percent of young Australians.
asserted
percent → age → Australians
This does not mean everyone supports Palestine or agrees on what a political settlement should look like.
asserted
settlement → mean → what
It means that the cost of speaking up for Palestine is falling.
asserted
cost → mean → Palestine
For years, the implied question confronting artists, academics and other public figures openly supporting Palestine was: what are you prepared to lose?
asserted
you → confront → Palestine
Punish one person publicly and hundreds of others would understand the warning and keep silent.
asserted
hundreds → punish → warning
But deterrence only works when people are deterred.
asserted
people → work → ?
And that put pressure on the censors and those who complied.
asserted
who → put → censors
The backlash forced Sheeran to speak up publicly about Palestine.
asserted
backlash → force → Palestine
On Saturday, during his concert in Philadelphia, where he had to play solo, he called what is happening in Gaza “unjustifiable”.
asserted
what → have → Gaza
The equation has clearly changed.
asserted
equation → change → ?
Speaking for Palestine can still carry a professional cost.
asserted
Speaking → speak → cost
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
