U.S. rock band Big Thief has canceled their upcoming concerts in Israel, saying that they "oppose the illegal occupation and the systematic oppression of the Palestinian people."
The band, which was scheduled to perform in July at the Barby in Tel Aviv, announced the news Thursday in a statement on Instagram.
"We believe in total freedom and self-determination for all Palestinians," the band stated.
Upon initially announcing the tour dates, Big Thief said they wanted to visit the Israeli hometown of their bassist Max Oleartchik. The band noted that they were "well aware of the cultural aspect of the BDS movement [the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement is a Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel] and the desperate reality of the Palestinian people."
"In terms of where we fit into the boycott, we don't claim to know where the moral high ground lies and we want to remain open to other people's perspectives and to love beyond disagreement," the band added.
In their follow-up statement announcing the cancellation of their shows, Big Thief sought to clarify their initial remarks.
"When we spoke of loving ‘beyond disagreement’ and not knowing ‘where the moral high ground lies,’ that was in specific reference to playing shows in Israel during a time when BDS is calling for a cultural boycott. This was not in reference to the Israeli occupation and the displacement of Palestinians," the band wrote.
"Our intent in wanting to play the shows in Tel Aviv, where Max was born, raised, and currently lives, stemmed from a simple belief that music can heal," the band added. "We now recognize that the shows we had booked do not honor that sentiment. We are sorry to those we hurt with the recklessness and naïveté of our original statement on playing Israel and we hope those who were planning to attend the shows understand our choice to cancel them."
In response to the canceled shows, the Barby accused the band of being "miserable spineless musicians who are afraid of their own shadow."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.