Winston Marshall, a former guitarist for the British rock band Mumford & Sons, criticized BDS in an op-ed that was published on Friday.
The article itself is a response to American indie rock band Big Thief canceling its July shows in Tel Aviv after giving into BDS pressure. The band's bass player, Max Oleartchik, is the son of an Israeli musician.
Writing in The Jewish Chronicle, Marshall called BDS the "villains in this tale." He backs his statement by citing that the organization had stepped in the band's way from performing in a concert whose profits "would go to medical and humanitarian aid to Palestinian children."
"The real losers from this latest BDS victory are the ever-suffering Palestinians."
Winston Marshall
"Sorry, poor Palestinians, no help or money for you, it would be against your interests. Silly you for thinking that music could heal," Marshall wrote, saying that this is "the truth about BDS" and that they're "not interested in conflict-resolution." He claims that the organization's priority, citing the cancellation of the concert, is not to uplift Palestinians but to "deny Israel's right to exist" in their "statement of intent."
Background
Three years ago, Vulture magazine asked the guitarist if he was Jewish, to which he replied "ish." In addition to guitar, Marshall also played banjo for the band and on their album Delta in 2018.
Another artist also derided BDS recently — Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. On her first visit to Israel, said that she had never heard of the organization. Azalea had come to Tel Aviv to perform at its annual Gay Pride Parade.
In Marshall's op-ed, he concludes his statements by saying that BDS will continue to have a negative influence on the arts and that "the real losers from this latest BDS victory are the ever-suffering Palestinians."