Israeli music festival cancelled in Egypt's Sinai following boycott calls

An Israeli music festival that was planned in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula has been cancelled amid calls to boycott the event following an escalation in Israeli violence against Palestinians.

The festival organisers said their attempts to reverse the decision were unsuccessful. It was scheduled to take place between 7 and 11 April.

"Our voice is loud.. Our voice is heard!! Two days after we announced the intention of the Zionists to hold an art festival in beloved Sinai, the festival management announces the cancellation of the concert without giving any reasons so far," a post on the page of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in Egypt said.

صوتنا عالي .. صوتنا مسموع !!

بعد يومين من إعلاننا عن نية الصهاينة عقد مهرجانا فنيا في سيناء الحبيبة، إدارة المهرجان تعلن إلغاء الحفل دون ابداء اي أسباب حتي الأن. pic.twitter.com/rcN7nDfuj3

— BDS Egypt (@BdsEgypt) April 8, 2023

The Israeli Indigo Festival is a yearly music event which takes place in Sinai, bringing together a range of artists, DJs and other musicians. It was planned to take place in the town of Nuweiba along the Gulf of Aqaba coast this year.

The founder of the Boycott Israel in Egypt committee, Abdelaziz al-Husseini, said the pressure to cancel the event was amid Israeli escalation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, in addition to recent attacks on the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon and Syria.

Israel last week responded to a barrage of rocket fire from the three territories, targeting what it said was Hamas, Hezbollah, Syrian regime and Iran-backed militants and infrastructure.

The missiles came in response to Israel’s attacks at Al-Aqsa where it beat and arrested hundreds of worshippers,

Al-Husseini said the festival would have taken place on the anniversary of other tragic events in the region, such as the 1948 Deir Yassin massacre in Palestine and the 1970 bombing of the Bahr El-Baqar primary school in Egypt, both carried out by Israel.

Speaking to Al-Araby TV, he added that such events are a provocation against to Egyptian society.

Egypt and Israel have established diplomatic relations after signing a peace treaty in 1979. However, most Egyptians still have a negative view of Israel, considering it an enemy state, due to its ongoing occupation of Palestinian territory and persecution of Palestinians. 

Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 while the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan all normalised ties in 2020.

Palestinians say normalisation with Israel while it continues to occupy the West Bank and besiege the Gaza Strip is a betrayal of their cause.

Arab leaders’ embrace of Israel officials has been met with especially vociferous criticism since an extreme-right government led by Benjamin Netanyahu’s came to power at the end of 2022.

The cabinet includes ultra-religious figures who have incited violence against Palestinians.