|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Irish rock band U2 has publicly condemned the escalating violence in Gaza, criticizing both the Israeli government’s military actions and the October 7 Hamas attack. In a coordinated series of statements shared on social media, each band member expressed concern over the humanitarian crisis and clarified their individual positions on the conflict.
The post accompanying their statements read: “Everyone has long been horrified by what is unfolding in Gaza – but the blocking of humanitarian aid and now plans for a military takeover of Gaza City has taken the conflict into uncharted territory.” The band added, “We are not experts in the politics of the region, but we want our audience to know where we each stand.”
Frontman Bono, whose ten-slide statement drew particular attention, acknowledged his longstanding reluctance to speak out on Israel’s actions. He condemned the October 7 terror attack by Hamas on the Nova music festival and reaffirmed his support for Israel’s right to exist and a two-state solution. Bono also reflected on his past focus on humanitarian crises in Africa, noting that countries like Sudan are often overlooked in global discourse.
Addressing criticism over his prior silence on Gaza, Bono described his internal struggle to reconcile Israel’s historical trauma with its current military conduct. “I hoped Israel would return to reason,” he wrote, adding that he had been making excuses for a people shaped by the Holocaust and the existential threat it represents. He emphasized that “Hamas are not the Palestinian people,” and acknowledged the Palestinian experience of oppression, occupation, and land dispossession.
The statements mark a significant moment of political engagement from the band, known for their activism, and contribute to the growing chorus of international voices calling for restraint, accountability, and humanitarian access in Gaza.
Pictured: U2 Adam Clayton, Bono, The Edge and Larry Mullen by heute.at
