Tunisian Singer’s Concert Cancelled After She’s Accused of Normalizing Ties With Israel
by Shiryn Ghermezian
Tunisian singer Emile Mathlouthi in her first performance in Jerusalem, during her participation in the Nights of Tarab festival on July 27, 2023. Photo: Saeed Qaq via Reuters Connect
Tunisian singer Emel Mathlouthi announced on Wednesday that her upcoming concert in Tunisia has been cancelled by organizers, reportedly because she recently performed in Israel.
Mathlouthi, 41, performed for the first time ever in east Jerusalem on July 27, as part of the Tarab Nights Festival, and also recently in Bethlehem and Ramallah, which is under the Palestinian Authority. She was scheduled to perform on Aug. 9 at the Hammamet International Festival in Tunisia but her show has been removed from the event’s lineup.
Tunisia has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
“I am very sorry to announce our much awaited concert in Hammamet has been cancelled with no official reason,” Mathlouthi wrote in an Instagram post. “We believe that our latest tour in beautiful Palestine has sparked an unjustified controversy accusing me of normalization.”
The singer added that the concerts in Israel were “organized by Palestinians to a Palestinian audience” and adhered to the “guidelines” of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel as well as the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).
“My body of work and long stand with the Palestinian people is unquestionable,” she explained in her Instagram post. “Long live Palestine and its beautiful people. I have been deeply touched by their warmth, generosity and amazing resilience. This was the most beautiful week of my life.”
Mathlouthi further told AFP the cancellation of her performance in the Hammamet International Festival is “clearly an attack against me personally and what I stand for… I grew up knowing about the Palestinian struggle, and I have always sung for Palestine.” She said she has been the victim of a “big misinformation campaign” and said her concerts in Israel were “with Palestinians for Palestinians.”
“They believe that going to Palestine anywhere is normalization,” the singer said.
