Days after Madonna announced she would open her world tour in Ramat Gan in May, American indie singer/songwriter Cat Power has joined the list of artists, including Elvis Costello and the Pixies, who have cancelled scheduled shows in Israel owing to personal considerations over the treatment of Palestinians.Power, one of the most respected indie rockers of the last 15 years, was scheduled to perform for the first time in Israel on Sunday night at Reading 3 in Tel Aviv. However, on Thursday, the singer, whose real name is Chan Marshall, posted a message on her Facebook account expressing a change of heart.“Due to much confusion in my soul, playing for my Israeli fans w/such unrest between Israel and Palestine I can’t play, as I feel sick in my spirit. XX,” she wrote.She also tweeted: “Music is healing and it is not humane if all cannot have the choice, the right, to attend,” apparently referring to Palestinians who would not be able to travel to Tel Aviv to see the show. The announcement came after Power had tweeted earlier in the week asking her fans to “find a show in Ramallah… for the people of Palestine”.Pro-Palestinian organizations had previously mounted a campaign to convince Power to call off her Tel Aviv gig, much as they do for virtually every performer who books a show in the country. There was a Facebook page set up specifically to change her mind as well as an open letter to the singer from the group Don’t Play Apartheid Israel (DPAI).A statement issued Friday by promoter ICP Concerts confirmed the cancellation.
