Origins’ decision to cancel Perez’s set, which would have taken place at the London nightclub FOLD, has drawn condemnation online, with many noting Perez’s outspoken advocacy for Palestinians.

By Grace Gilson, JTA

An electronic music festival in London has cancelled a set by an Israeli DJ, citing a blog post by an anti-Israel group that criticized the artist for serving as a “linchpin” of Israeli nightlife.

In a Substack post, Ravers for Palestine urged the Origins music festival to cancel Israeli DJ Roi Perez’s set, accusing him of “making apartheid look like a party,” despite his record of advocating for Israeli-Palestinian peace and LGBTQ+ rights.

“This is a DJ who encodes, via his plucky province-to-metropole settler backstory and appropriation of Black house music, the colonial narrative of a benevolent, queer-friendly liberal Zionism,” the blog post read.

The Origins organizers wrote in a temporary post on Instagram — now preserved elsewhere online — that it had canceled the event after learning of concerns about Perez’s “background” from Ravers for Palestine.

“We have read the recent statement from Ravers for Palestine and want to be absolutely clear that as a collective, we firmly and unequivocally support Palestinian liberation,” Origins said.

“We do not want to take any action that undermines that struggle or risks platforming voices in ways that contribute to the ongoing genocide and Israel’s settler-colonial project.”

Ravers for Palestine specifically condemned a fundraiser hosted by Perez’s collective Laundrette in Berlin in November 2023.

In announcing the event, Laundrette said it had considered canceling given the “ongoing tragic events.”

But instead, the collective decided to “emphasize our belief in coexistence and our hope for peace” and donate the proceeds to three nonprofits, including the coexistence group Standing Together.

“The funds will directly help survivors and evacuees of the 7/10 massacre, unsheltered Bedouin communities, displaced Palestinian communities due to settler violence, queer arabs in both Israel & Palestine in need of professional psycho-social counseling and other underserved groups,” Laundrette wrote.

Ravers for Palestine argued that the language was a way of downplaying Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, calling Perez and his Israeli supporters “settlers” themselves.

“Let’s be clear—’peace’ in this context is a euphemism for the orderly annihilation of Palestinian life,” the blog post read.

“Any settler advocating for ‘coexistence,’ rather than full decolonization and right of return, supports the colonial occupation of Palestine and its continuance.”

Origins’ decision to cancel Perez’s set, which would have taken place at the London nightclub FOLD, has drawn condemnation online, with many noting Perez’s outspoken advocacy for Palestinians.

“AS AN ISRAELI!!!, I find it embarrassing to read what you wrote. Roi is one of the most prominent Israeli figures pushing against the state narrative, openly supporting Palestine and every action against Israel — and yet he’s the one you’re trying to crucify,” wrote one commenter on Ravers for Palestine’s Instagram post announcing the cancellation.

Similar comments from people who said they were not Israeli also appeared.

The post London music festival cancels Israeli DJ following outcry from Ravers for Palestine group appeared first on World Israel News.

Abdulhadi was released on bail but cannot leave the country until the conclusion of the investigation.

By David Isaac, World Israel News 

A world-renowned Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi, was released from custody on Sunday by the Palestinian Authority. She had been arrested in the wake of public outrage over a party for which she provided music at a mosque near Jericho.

She was released on bail amounting to 2,000 Jordanian dinars, Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported. She will have to report to the police on a weekly basis until the end of the investigation. She is also barred from leaving the country.

Sama Abdulhadi is an anomaly in the Palestinian Authority, a female DJ artist who has achieved international recognition.

However, Abdulhadi stepped into hot water with local authorities when she DJ’d at the Nebi Musa mosque on  the night of Dec. 26. The mosque appears to be largely abandoned but Palestinians say it’s the burial site of Moses – a claim which contradicts the biblical account.

When word got out about the party, the largely Muslim religious population of the PA expressed anger and Abdulhadi was arrested on Dec. 28.

She had been accused of desecrating the Muslim faith.

After the party, dozens of Palestinians arrived to pray at the site.

“What happened there at Nabi Musa is obscene. We will not remain quiet and will prosecute anyone who took part in it,” said Hussam Abu al-Rub, PA deputy minister for religious affairs.

The party reportedly featured alcohol and the co-mingling of men and women — both of which are forbidden by Islamic religious guidelines.

The post Palestinian DJ released by PA after alcohol-fueled mosque party appeared first on World Israel News.

Palestinian Authority (PA) police on Monday arrested a young female DJ for playing at a party over the weekend at a disused mosque in Judea and Samaria.

The post WATCH: Female DJ arrested by PA police, accused of ‘desecrating the faith’ for playing at mosque party appeared first on World Israel News.

Israeli music artist Ronen Dahan, known as “Perplex,” was shot to death while working in Mexico.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli DJ Ronen Dahan is coming home. An online fundraising campaign organized by Faders, a group of Israeli musicians on Facebook, has succeeded. Dahan was killed on June 29 in a shootout in Mexico.

Also known as DJ Perplex, Dahan was shot in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, while performing as a DJ at a party. Gunmen entered dressed in combat gear and began firing randomly. Dahan was fatally wounded. He did not appear to be an intended target.

Four others were injured in the attack.

The 45 year-old DJ had produced 13 albums, under varying aliases, and performed worldwide.

Walla! news reported that Dahan’s cousin, Emily Ben Hamo, said that the artist had created a following for himself playing at large parties around the world. But his music didn’t catch on in Israel.

“He always wanted to come back to Israel and make it big playing his music here,” she said.

Before this tour, Dahan posted on social media, “I’m so excited to come to one of my favorite place [sic] in the world…Mexico here I come.”

Local reports said that the shooting was linked to ongoing cartel violence in Mexico.

Since his killing, there has been an outpouring of emotion on Dahan’s Facebook page.

His family has been working with Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Consulate in Mexico to get his body returned to Israel.

The gunmen have yet to be identified.

The post Israeli DJ shot dead in Mexico, funds raised online to return body to Israel appeared first on World Israel News.