GLOBAL – Thom Yorke, the frontman of the acclaimed British band Radiohead, has unequivocally stated he will not perform in Israel while the current government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in power. This declaration, made in an interview with The Sunday Times on Sunday, October 26, 2025, marks a significant reversal from the band's controversial decision to play in Tel Aviv in 2017 amidst widespread calls for a cultural boycott.

“Absolutely not. I wouldn’t want to be 5,000 miles anywhere near the Netanyahu regime,” Yorke stated, articulating a clear political line for any future engagements in the country. The interview was conducted before the most recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was announced.

This shift in position comes after years of sustained pressure from the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a Palestinian-led campaign advocating for economic, academic, and cultural boycotts of Israel to pressure the state to comply with international law. The movement, inspired by the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, has gained traction among artists and academics globally.

A Contentious History

In July 2017, Radiohead performed to a sold-out crowd of 47,000 at Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park, defying public appeals from prominent figures like Pink Floyd's Roger Waters and British director Ken Loach. At the time, Yorke defended the decision, arguing that “playing in a country isn’t the same as endorsing its government.” He drew a parallel with performing in the United States under the Trump administration, stating, “We don’t endorse Netanyahu any more than Trump, but we still play in America.”

However, in his recent interview, Yorke expressed regret, recounting an unsettling experience from the 2017 trip. “I was in the hotel when some guy, clearly connected high up, approached me to thank me. It horrified me, truly, that the gig was being hijacked,” he recalled. This incident appears to have been a turning point in his perspective on the complexities of cultural engagement in the region.

Band Divisions and Broader Pressures

The issue has created a visible divergence within the band. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood, who is married to Israeli artist Sharona Katan, has continued to collaborate with Israeli musicians, including Dudu Tassa. Greenwood and Tassa performed in Tel Aviv in 2024, a move condemned by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) as “artwashing genocide.” Earlier in 2025, UK shows by Greenwood and Tassa were cancelled due to what they described as “credible threats.”

Greenwood expressed a different view from Yorke on the utility of boycotts. “I would argue that the government is more likely to use a boycott and say, ‘Everyone hates us — we should do exactly what we want.’ Which is far more dangerous,” he told The Sunday Times. He added, “The only thing that I’m ashamed of is that I’ve dragged Thom and the others into this mess — but I’m not ashamed of working with Arab and Jewish musicians.”

The pressure on artists is not confined to Radiohead. The BDS movement has successfully encouraged a number of musicians, including Lauryn Hill and Elvis Costello, to cancel performances in Israel. The debate often centers on whether cultural engagement constitutes a normalization of controversial government policies or serves as a bridge between people.

Kenyan Context and Diplomatic Ties

While this specific artistic debate has not generated significant public reaction in Kenya, the nation maintains long-standing and complex diplomatic relations with Israel. Formal ties were established in December 1963, and the two countries cooperate in various sectors, including security, agriculture, and technology. In May 2023, Kenyan President William Ruto and Prime Minister Netanyahu met in Jerusalem and agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation.

However, this relationship is viewed critically by some segments of Kenyan society. Activist groups like Kenyans for Palestine have emerged, particularly among younger Kenyans, advocating for boycotts of Israeli-linked brands and seeking to raise awareness about the Palestinian cause. In October 2022, the BDS movement called on Kenyan institutions to end their sponsorship of an Israeli film festival in Nairobi, labeling it an attempt to “whitewash” rights violations. The Kenyan government's official stance has been nuanced; while it has deep economic and security ties with Israel, it voted in favor of an immediate ceasefire at the UN General Assembly. This reflects a broader geopolitical balancing act common among many African nations.

Yorke's new stance, ahead of Radiohead's first tour in seven years, places the band once again at the center of a global conversation about the role of art and artists in political conflicts. It underscores the growing expectation for public figures to navigate and respond to deeply entrenched geopolitical issues, a challenge that resonates from concert halls in Europe to diplomatic corridors in Nairobi.