‘Long live the Intifada’ singer denies allegations of antisemitism

After being dropped from Cornell campus concert, R&B singer Kehlani defends her call to dismantle Israel and supporting intifada, denying either are antisemitic.

By World Israel News Staff

An R&B singer who was dropped from a college concert over her controversial anti-Israel rhetoric, including calls for the Jewish state’s destruction, has pushed back on accusations of antisemitism, claiming she is merely a critic of Israel’s policies, and harbors no animus towards Jews.

Kehlani Ashley Parrish, known professionally simply as Kehlani, released an Instagram video post over the weekend denying that she is antisemitic, after she was dropped from Cornell’s annual Slope Day concert over her repeated calls for violence against Israelis and support for Israel’s elimination.

“I am being asked and called to clarify and make a statement yet again, for the millionth time, that I am not antisemitic, nor anti-Jew,” Kehlani said on Sunday.

“I am anti-genocide. I am anti- the actions of the Israeli government. I am anti- an extermination of an entire people. I’m anti- the bombing of innocent children, men, women. That’s what I’m anti.”

In the video, Kehlani claimed that her best friend is Jewish, briefly showing her in the video post.

To bolster her bona fides, Kehlani said she worked with anti-Israel Jewish groups including the Jewish Voice for Peace.

Last month, Cornell University President Michael I. Kotlikoff issued a statement announcing that the school had dropped Kehlani as the headliner for the Slope Day concert, set to take place on May 7^th.

Since the Hamas massacres of Israelis on October 7^th, 2023 and the ensuing war in Gaza, Kehlani has been a vocal critic of the Jewish state, and has criticized performing artists who have not publicly denounced Israel.

“It’s f**k Israel, it’s f**k Zionism, and it’s also f**k a lot of y’all too,” she said in a video statement on Instagram.

In her social media posts, Kehlani has called to “dismantle Israel. Dismantle Zionism.” In other posts, she wrote, “No one should feel comfortable or safe until Zionism is extinguished,” and in another, she called Zionists “The scum of the earth. You’re the scum of the earth.”

Her anti-Israel rhetoric has also shown up in Kehlani’s work, with the music video for the song “Next 2 U” featuring  the slogan “Long Live the Intifada,” with dancers wearing outfits inspired by the keffiyeh scarf design.

On her Instagram account, Kehlani ripped Cornell for cancelling her appearance, reiterating her denial that she has engaged in antisemitism.

“If you want to cancel me from opportunity, stand on it being because of your zionism. don’t make it anti-jew. this a played out game. all this because we want people to stop dying.”