British rock group Radiohead is under pressure to cancel its upcoming show in Israel, The Guardian newspaper reported Monday. Radiohead is scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv on July 19. According to the report, the band has been asked to "respect" a cultural boycott on Israel by high-profile figures from the arts world, who are promoting the boycott in protest of Israel's policies regarding the Palestinians as well as the Judea and Samaria settlement enterprise. An open letter signed by 47 individuals, including actors Maxine Peake, Ricky Tomlinson, Miriam Margolyes and Juliet Stephenson, director Peter Kosminsky, Scottish Mercury prize-winning band Young Fathers, comedian Alexei Sayle and even South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, urged the band to "reconsider" performing in a country "where a system of apartheid has been imposed on the Palestinian people." The letter was organized by the Artists For Palestine U.K. group and follows previous requests by Palestinian activists for Radiohead to pull out of the Israeli gig. "In asking you not to perform in Israel, Palestinians have appealed to you to take one small step to help pressure Israel to end its violation of basic rights and international law," the letter reads. "Since Radiohead campaigns for freedom for the Tibetans, we're wondering why you'd turn down a request to stand up for another people under foreign occupation. ... Surely if making a stand against the politics of division, of discrimination and of hate means anything at all, it means standing against it everywhere -- and that has to include what happens to Palestinians every day." Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is married to an Israeli artist, Sharona Katan, and he recently released an album with an Israeli singer, Shye Ben Tzur. A spokesperson for Radiohead told The Guardian the band had no comment.
