Pink Floyd's Roger Waters and Nick Mason: Why Rolling Stones shouldn't play in Israel

Like many other musicians across the world, two former members of Pink Floyd Roger Waters and Nick Mason made this call in an op-ed that was published in  http://www.salon.com/2014/05/01/pink_floyds_roger_waters_and_nick_mason_why_rolling_stones_shouldnt_play_in_israel
 in relation to Israel's systematic violations of the rights of millions of Palestinians,  heeding to the recent appeal made by the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committe and plans of the Rolling Stones to play in Tel Aviv in June.

" Playing Israel now is the moral eqivalent of playing Sun City at the height  of South African apartheid, regardless of your intentions, crossing the  picket line provides propoganda that the Israeli  government will use in its attempts to whitewash the policies  of its unjust and racist  regime."

Definition of apartheid: from the findings of Russell Tribunal on Palestine - Daniel Machover, Michael Mansfield lawyer and experts on international law and human rights.

http://www.russelltribunalonpalestine.com/en/sessions/south-

The legal definition  of apartheid applies to any situation anywhere in the world where the following three  core elements exist:

(1) that two distinct racial groups can be identified;

(2) that 'inhuman acts' are committed against the sunordinate group; and

(3) that such acts are committed systematically in the context of an institutionalised regime  of domination by one group  over the other.

On July 30 2013 Israel and Palestine agreed to enter a negotiation process of nine months in order to achieve  a final staus agreement. With the active  sponsorship of the United States and encouragement from the  rest of the international community, all final status issues were supposed to be discussed, in order to achieve a two-state solution  on the 1967 border. However rather than achieve a final status agreement, Israeli occupation and colonization  policies were increased advancing settlement units for over 50,000 settlers during the past nine months.
In open violation  of international law and its own obligations, Israel, the occupying power continues its policies of aggression against the people of Palestine, killing dozens of Palestinians, injuring and detaining thousands, demoloshing homes, and carrying out thousands of military incursions within the occupied areas.
At the same time, Israels government incites against the Palestinian people, the Palestinian leadership, the two-state solution and the international  efforts being made in orderto achieve peace.
I believe there is nothing joyous or light hearted in a musical gig, when daily life under occupation, and all aspects of Palestinian lives are under control,the Palestinian people daily  denied basic freedoms, like the freedom of movement, access to land that has been stolen, and the freedom to protest against injustice, against repression. Whilst this is the case in question,  I do not believe it ok or right for musicians like the Rolling Stones, Neil Young etc to play concerts in Israel,under circumstances that seek to normalise the occupation.I believe musicians should continue to back the boycott until their is justice and equality for all.

There is a petition that is circulating that I would urge people to sign below asking the Rolling Stones to cancel their show.
I would be grateful that anyone visiting here could sign.
Thanks...heddwch/peace.

http://www.change.org/petitions/the-rolling-stones-the-rolling-stones-please-cancel-your-show-and-boycott-apartheid-israel