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The
holding of the festival in Israel generated a
strong repudiation and a call for non-attendance
promoted by the BDS (Palestinian Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions) organization that leads
an international campaign against the Israeli
occupation of the Palestinian territories
Pop
queen Madonna will sing at the Eurovision
Song Contest final on May 18 despite calls to
boycott the festival, which this year is being
held in Israel, because of the conflict with
Palestine.
"I
will never stop playing my music to please someone
else's political agenda, just as I will never stop
talking about human rights violations, no matter
where in the world they occur," she said in a
statement released by the North Press -American.
Its
producers announced in April that Madonna would
sing two songs, one of them unreleased, in the
Eurovision Song Contest, which takes place this
year in Tel Aviv after the victory of Israeli
singer Netta Barzilai in 2018.
The
festival in Israel sparked strong repudiation and
a call for non-attendance by the Palestinian-led
BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions)
organization that leads an international campaign
against Israeli occupation of the Palestinian
territories.
About
50 British personalities, including singer Peter
Gabriel and filmmaker Ken Loach, joined the
protest against "systematic violation of the
rights of Palestinians by Israel."
"My
heart is broken every time I hear about innocent
lives being lost in this region," Madonna
said in her statement. "And the violence that
so often perpetuates itself to adapt to the
political objectives of the people who benefit
from this ancient conflict."
"I
hope and pray that we will soon be free from this
terrible cycle of destruction and believe in a new
path to peace," he added.
The
North American star and his entourage of 135
people (rapper KoVu, 40 singers, 25 dancers,
technicians, etc.) are expected to arrive on
Wednesday, according to a statement from Sylvan
Adams, a Canadian-Israeli billionaire known for
funding much of Madonna's trip to Tel Aviv.
The
Eurovision semifinals are celebrated on 14 and 16
May, and the grand finale on Saturday, 18 may.
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