Sobbing Ed Sheeran apologizes for ‘Free Palestine’ controversy

The pop star apologized for the uproar while describing Israel’s war in Gaza as “unjustifiable.”

By World Israel News Staff

Pop superstar Ed Sheeran cried on stage and apologized for the controversy surrounding his U.S. concert tour after opening act Macklemore was dropped following the rapper’s repeated promotion of anti-Israel political views during his performances.

A weeping Sheeran addressed the controversy during his Philadelphia concert on Saturday night, speaking publicly about the issue for the first time and saying he was “so, so sorry” for the uproar surrounding the tour.

“This is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore,” Sheeran said.

“What happened in Israel at a … music festival on Oct. 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain,” he began, acknowledging the Hamas-led invasion, which included atrocities such as rape and decapitation.

But Sheeran struck a different note when referring to the ensuing war, claiming that “what is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.”

Continuing, Sheeran said that his “heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives,” adding that the alleged “systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”

Sheeran’s tearful remarks came approximately one week after Macklemore was dropped from the tour. The rapper had devoted significant portions of his performances to promoting pro-Palestinian political messages and condemning Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

Macklemore’s removal from the tour followed concerns from arena owners, who reportedly did not want the venues to be used to continue promoting what they viewed as divisive rhetoric about the Israel-Gaza conflict. Macklemore has repeatedly accused Israel of responsibility for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and has used terms including war crimes and genocide when describing Israel’s conduct.

The controversy subsequently spread beyond Macklemore. Other supporting acts on Sheeran’s tour announced that they would withdraw in what they described as an act of solidarity with the rapper.

Pro-Palestinian activists also called for a boycott of Sheeran, accusing him of complicity because he had not publicly issued a statement supporting Macklemore or condemning the decision to remove him from the tour.

The pressure intensified ahead of Sheeran’s Philadelphia performance, with protesters gathering outside the concert venue and holding pro-Palestinian signs.

Sheeran, whose Divide Tour grossed more than $1.5 billion, is one of the world’s most commercially successful pop stars. The controversy over his tour has consequently attracted significant attention, particularly because he had initially avoided making extensive public comments about the dispute.