Facebook group urges Shakira to cancel Israel visit

"Shakira: Say NO to apartheid and YES to Freedom for Palestine" calls on singer to cancel upcoming J'lem visit as UNICEF ambassador.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, MELANIE LIDMAN
Shakira 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Shakira 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Columbian pop star Shakira, who is more famous for her hip-gyrating dance moves than her personal politics, is the target of a new Facebook page urging her to stay out of Israel.
The Grammy Award-winner, who has a Lebanese father and is rumored to have made anti-Israel statements in the past, is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. She is slated to visit Jerusalem in her United Nations capacity on Tuesday to join in the third annual Israeli Presidential Conference. "Shakira: Say NO to apartheid and YES to Freedom for Palestine" was created as a plea for her to change her plans.
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The Facebook page has 804 "likes" and purports to be written by a joint team of Israelis and Palestinians. The signatories bear traditional Hebrew and Arabic names.
At the top of the page, it reads, "Shakira, who has been accused of making an anti-Israel statement, is putting an end to the rumors on her relations with the Jewish state and will visit the country as the founder and representative of her 'Barefoot Foundation.'"
The presidential conference, which brings together 3,500 leaders in the Jewish world, also features big names such as American comedian Sarah Silverman, whose sister is a rabbi in Israel, and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.
It will be the first visit to Israel for Shakira, whose father is Lebanese. There were rumors in March that Shakira would perform in Israel sometime in the spring during her European tour, though those rumors were never realized.