Pro-Palestinian groups in Jordan have called for a boycott of Andrea Bocelli’s concert in Petra on November 27, citing the Italian tenor’s public support for Israel. BDS Jordan, one of the joint signatories, urged people not to buy tickets and demanded that the concert be cancelled, AFP reported on October 7.
The campaigners argued that Petra, one of Jordan’s and the Arab world’s best-known landmarks, should not host a performer who has raised money for the Israeli military. Their statement referred to his long-standing public backing for Israel. Bocelli, 68, who has been blind since the age of 12, performed at a stadium in Tel Aviv in 2022 before an audience that included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite long-running activist calls for artists to boycott Israel. In 2010 he sang at a fundraiser in Los Angeles for a group that supports the Israeli military, and in recent years he has been one of the few internationally known musicians to perform for US President Donald Trump.
The Petra show is part of Bocelli’s Romanza world tour, which marks 30 years of his career. Souha Bawab, executive director of the association organising the event, has defended it as a chance to “showcase Jordan to the world”, according to Travel News Group. She said the concert would strengthen the country’s standing as a destination that combines heritage with cultural experiences.
The setting is central to both sides of the argument. Petra is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Jordan’s leading attractions for foreign tourists, known for temples carved into rose-coloured rock. For the organisers, staging an internationally famous performer there is a way to put the site in front of a global audience. For the activists, the same prominence is the reason they object to Bocelli appearing there. Calls to boycott artists who perform in Israel are not new, and similar campaigns have targeted other musicians in the past.
The Romanza tour is also due in the Gulf, with Bocelli scheduled to open the Yasalam Classics series at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on December 2, during Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix week. The AFP report did not say whether the Petra organisers plan to respond further to the boycott call beyond Bawab’s comments, or whether ticket sales have been affected.
