Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav on Sunday banned Israeli Arab singer Lina Makoul from participating in events held by the municipality after she announced the previous day that her concert would be held in “Haifa, Palestine.”
“Lina Makoul, you should understand: Haifa is a city in the Jewish and democratic State of Israel, and it will remain so forever,” Yahav wrote in a post on social media. “Nothing, certainly not you, will change that.
“Music is meant to connect people, and I regret that you use your talent to harm coexistence and the state in which you grew up. As long as I am mayor, you will not perform in any city event,” he continued.
Yahav’s decision bans Makoul from participating in municipality-organized events such as Independence Day celebrations, but does not stop her from appearing at municipality-owned venues.
Makoul was born in Ohio to Israeli Christian parents and raised in Acre, north of Haifa. The singer, who won The Voice Israel in 2013, has described herself as American-Palestinian in media interviews.
In 2018, Makoul sparked controversy when announcing that she would not perform at Independence Day events, in protest of the Jewish state.
Last week, Haifa rescinded invites to Hatzel (“The Shadow”) and Subliminal, two Israeli rappers who have publicly taken right-wing positions, to appear at the city’s Independence Day events, Israel Hayom reported.
“Independence Day is a day of unity, with the intention of enabling a shared celebration for all residents, of a mixed city that is a symbol of coexistence, and this is how the events in Haifa are planned,” the municipality stated. “Artists that the municipality will fund are those who unite, not divide.”
Hatzel, also known as Yoav Eliasi, wrote in response, “Meet Yonah Yahav, the mayor of Haifa—the man who talks about freedom of expression and pluralism, as long as the opinions are the same as his.
“Yahav, you are not silencing me—you are silencing the voice of half the nation. The voice of millions who think differently from you, who deserve to be heard just like anyone else,” added the top rapper.
Israel’s 77th Independence Day, or Yom Ha’atzmaut, will be celebrated from Wednesday night to Thursday night, following the conclusion of Yom Hazikaron, the Jewish state’s Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars and Victims of Terrorism.
