Jordanian calls to cancel Bocelli's concert in Petra over his positions on the occupation

Jordanian calls from the "Ishay" campaign and the "Jordan Boycotts" movement to cancel Andrea Bocelli's concert in Petra, in protest of his alleged support for the Israeli occupation and normalization with it, based on his previous performances in Israel and events supporting its army.

The "Ishay" campaign, affiliated with the "Anti-Normalization and Racism Association," and the "Jordan Boycotts" movement, affiliated with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in Jordan, have called for a boycott of Italian singer Andrea Bocelli's concert, scheduled to be held in the city of Petra on November 27, 2026. They have demanded that the organizing, hosting, and sponsoring entities cancel it, in protest of what the campaigns described as his public support for the Israeli occupation and normalization with it. The campaigns cited Bocelli's record of supporting Israel, including performing a concert in "Tel Aviv" in 2022, visiting occupied Jerusalem and performing rituals at the Western Wall, participating in 2010 in a fundraising concert for the "Friends of the Israel Defense Forces" organization in Los Angeles, which raised about $9 million, and participating in 2020 in a concert celebrating the "Abraham" normalization accords in Dubai. The movement also noted that Bocelli expressed solidarity with Israeli prisoners released in exchange deals, without issuing a similar stance towards Palestinian victims. The calls come amid the ongoing Jordanian popular movement rejecting normalization with the Israeli occupation since the start of the war on the Gaza Strip.