{"id":1068542,"date":"2021-11-30T12:44:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T17:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1068542"},"modified":"2021-11-30T12:44:04","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T17:44:04","slug":"black-eyed-peas-frontman-defies-anti-israel-activists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/black-eyed-peas-frontman-defies-anti-israel-activists\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Eyed Peas Frontman Defies anti-Israel Activists"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fblack-eyed-peas-frontman-defies-anti-israel-activists%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1068542&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Will1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">JERUSALEM (AP) \u2014 The Black Eyed Peas\u2019 will.i.am said Monday that politics don\u2019t dictate his actions, with pressure from pro-Palestinian activists unable to deter him from performing in Israel and maintaining ties to the country\u2019s high-tech scene.<\/p>\n<p>A Palestinian-led movement has for years urged artists to boycott Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians. Major performers including Lorde and Lana Del Ray have canceled appearances under pressure while other stars including Madonna and Bob Dylan have defied it. The movement is known as BDS for its calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>The Grammy-winning group was performing in Jerusalem on Monday. Speaking to The Associated Press ahead of the concert, which was taking place on the U.N.\u2019s international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people, will.i.am said that personal and business ties keep him performing and investing in the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m a musician and a tech enthusiast and people like our music,\u201d he said, flanked by two of the group\u2019s other members, Taboo and Apl.de.ap. \u201cDo I turn my back on people that live here because of politics? No, that\u2019s not the way we were built. So, you know, there\u2019s beautiful people here as well as beautiful people in Palestine. And one day we want to go there too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The BDS movement says it is a nonviolent campaign against Israeli abuses against Palestinians \u2014 both Arab citizens of Israel and Palestinians who have lived under Israeli military occupation for more than half a century. Israel says the campaign is an effort to delegitimize and even destroy the country.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>A statement on the BDS France website said the concert was \u201ceven more scandalous\u201d because it was taking place on the international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people. It urged supporters to use the hashtag #WhereIsTheLoveforPalestinians \u2014 a nod to the group\u2019s hit \u201cWhere is The Love\u201d \u2014 to call for the group to cancel its performance.<\/p>\n<p>Will.i.am pointed to his many personal connections to Israelis as a reason why he couldn\u2019t boycott the country. He said his first girlfriend was Israeli and that at its beginnings in Los Angeles, the group met to make music in an Israeli friend\u2019s bedroom and would enjoy Sabbath dinners at his home.<\/p>\n<p>One of the group\u2019s major hits, \u201cI Gotta Feeling,\u201d is laced with Hebrew and the Black Eyed Peas recently collaborated on a song with Israeli pop duo Static and Ben El.<\/p>\n<p>Resisting the boycott calls over the years, will.i.am has deepened his ties to the country with his \u201ccore passion\u201d \u2014 technology. His i.am+ tech firm acquired an Israeli start-up in 2016 and he has made repeated visits to the country to connect with its vibrant tech scene.<\/p>\n<p>Will.i.am was in Israel to take part in an innovation conference held by Improvate, an Israeli organization that works to advance Israeli technology.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>In recent years, the musician-turned-innovator created a series of wearable devices, including a smartwatch and earphones, which haven\u2019t entirely taken off. But he said he measures his success not by the amount of sales but rather by how much he learns from the experience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m blessed to be able to, you know, go up to bat, you know, and get up from a stumble and pick myself up with the same enthusiasm and try to solve another problem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>With the pandemic in mind and with no end to it in sight, will.i.am has developed a smart face mask that combines a level of protection from coronavirus droplets with Bluetooth, noise-cancelling audio and LED lights. The chargeable mask is selling for $299.<\/p>\n<p>Some 8,000 people were expected to attend the Jerusalem concert, which was being held under the country\u2019s \u201cgreen pass,\u201d which requires attendees to be fully vaccinated with a booster shoot or else present a negative COVID-19 test.<\/p>\n<p>It comes as Israel is once again imposing restrictions in light of the omicron variant, closing air travel to international visitors and imposing quarantine on Israelis returning from abroad, even those who are vaccinated. The country was among the first to seal its border in the face of the new variant.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>With Israelis expected to attend plays and shows during the current weeklong Hanukkah holiday, Israel is allowing live performances to go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Will.i.am, Taboo and Apl.de.ap said their experience traveling to Israel during the pandemic, where vaccinated travelers must be tested before departure and upon arrival, put them more at ease than visits to other countries. The country was among the first to begin administering booster shots and more than 43% of Israelis have received three vaccine doses.<\/p>\n<p>But the group said performing amid the new variant posed certain risks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs it wise? No,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully, everyone is vaxxed and wearing a mask in the audience, and thank God we\u2019re in Israel, where a lot of people are triple vaxxed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Like other artists, the group had to adapt when the pandemic hit. They held virtual shows amid the first lockdowns and collaborated online when in-person meetings were unsafe.<\/p>\n<p>Live shows under the shadow of a new variant are raising new questions. Will.i.am said the group is thinking twice about how to rile up crowds and whether it is safe to have them sing along with the possibility of spreading infection.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUsually when we sing songs, we tell the crowd to sing the words. Is that safe?\u201d he said. \u201cYou got to think about that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the challenges of the pandemic \u2014 people close to him have died after being infected with the virus \u2014 will.i.am has a feeling things will get better.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHumanity, we\u2019ve overcome a lot of things. We\u2019ve overcome the plague. We\u2019ve overcome so much stuff. You\u2019ve got to believe in humanity. You\u2019ve got to believe in, you know, our resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JERUSALEM (AP) \u2014 The Black Eyed Peas\u2019 will.i.am said Monday that politics don\u2019t dictate his actions, with pressure from pro-Palestinian activists unable to deter him from performing in Israel and &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":237,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1068542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1068542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/237"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1068542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1068542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1068542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1068542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1068542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}