Demi Lovato apologises for 'spiritual' visit to Israel

American singer and actress Demi Lovato has apologised for visiting and praising Israel despite its occupation of the Palestinian territories.

"I'm sorry if I've hurt or offended anyone, that was not my intention," she posted Wednesday on Instagram. 

"Sometimes people present you with opportunities and no one tells you the potential backlash you could face in return," she added.

Lovato faced criticism after she posted pictures of her trip to Israel on Instagram. The pictures show her being baptised in the Jordan River and visiting the Western Wall in the occupied East Jerusalem.

In her apology, she clarified the trip was a "spiritual experience" and not a political statement.

"I accepted a free trip to Israel in exchange for a few posts. No one told me here would be anything wrong with going or that I could possibly be offending anyone," the 27-year-old singer said.

It is unclear who funded the pop star's trip.

In her post of pictures from her trip, Lovato said she was raised Christian and has Jewish ancestors.

"When I was offered an amazing opportunity to visit the places I'd read about in the Bible growing up, I said yes," she wrote. 

Twitter Post

"There is something absolutely magical about Israel.  I've never felt such a sense of spirituality or connection to God."

Lovato's fans took to Twitter to express their views on her trip. 

"No one is mad at demi for her religion. It’s the fact that she willing went to israel despite what they're doing to palestine," one user tweeted.

Many drew attention to Lovato disabling the comments on her controversial Instagram post.

Lovato is not the first celebrity to come under fire for her relationship with Israel.

Madonna angered pro-Palestinian advocates with her decision to perform at the Eurovision song contest in Tel Aviv in May. 

Many high-profile musicians have refused to perform in Israel in recent years, including Lorde, Brian Eno, Faithless and Massive Attack, citing their objection to Israel's violation of Palestinian rights and failure to comply with international law.