Thom Yorke on Radiohead Israel Concert: “We Don’t Endorse Netanyahu Any More Than Trump”

Thom Yorke on Radiohead Israel Concert: “We Don’t Endorse Netanyahu Any More Than Trump”
Photo by Roberto Ricciuti/WireImage

Thom Yorke has released a new statement about Radiohead’s decision to play a concert in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 19. “Playing in a country isn’t the same as endorsing its government,” Yorke writes. “We’ve played in Israel for over 20 years through a succession of governments, some more liberal than others. As we have in America. We don’t endorse [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu any more than Trump, but we still play in America.” Read Yorke’s full note below. The statement comes in direct response to an op-ed by director Ken Loach, titled “Radiohead need to join the cultural boycott of Israel.”

In his article, Loach…