Radiohead faces backlash from fans after announcing Israel gig

British band Radiohead has faced a wave of harsh criticism online after announcing that they will play a gig in Israel.

The alternative rock group said on Wednesday that they will play a show in the Israeli capital Tel Aviv in July to the dismay of many of the band's fans.

The move has sparked angry responses and an online campaign to try and convince the group to adhere to the comprehensive economic and cultural boycott against Israel known as BDS - an acronym for the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement.

"Disgusted that Radiohead would play in [an] apartheid state. Would not cross the road to see them now," said one Twitter user, responding to the announcement of the gig.

Another Twitter user said: "Nice work guys. Reward Israel as it rapidly expands illegal settlements in the West Bank."

The Facebook group "Radiohead fans for Palestine" has been set up to urge the band to "respect the wishes of the Palestinian people" and cancel the show.

"We are a small group of radiohead fans who were dismayed to hear the band is intending to break the boycott by playing in Israel and want to put pressure on them to cancel the show," Alan Franklin, the head of the initiative, told The New Arab.

The New Arab has reached out to Radiohead for a comment but has yet to receive a response.

The BDS movement, which seeks to apply pressure on Israel by through academic, cultural and corporate boycotts of the Jewish state due to its continued occupation of Palestinian land, has garnered worldwide support and caused huge concern for Israel's government.

Israel accuses the BDS movement of seeking to delegitimise its right to statehood, with its parliament recently having debated a bill on banning BDS supporters from entering the country.

Last year, an Egyptian rock band faced calls for a boycott by Palestinians for coordinating travel arrangements with Israeli authorities ahead of a performance in the occupied West Bank.