British activists of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) are planning to protest outside a concert hall in the city of Bath, in England, later this week, over a concert given by a string quartet from Israel. The ‘Bath Chronicle’ reports that the Bristol branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign alleges that group – the Jerusalem String Quartet – was aligned with the Israeli military. The musicians reject the charge. The activists claim the demonstration will be peaceful and they would urge concertgoers to write to the Israeli Embassy in London to protest at Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
In March, PSC protestors disrupted a live BBC broadcast at London's Wigmore Hallgiven by the Jerusalem String Quartet. There have also been protests in Scotland, which led to the arrest of five people. The PSC says the quartet regularly performs for the Israeli Defense Forces, which enforces the occupation of land claimed by Palestinians, and say the string quartet’s visit was “part of an Israeli state charm offensive.”
Spokesman Ed Hill was quoted by the newspaper as saying: “People coming here for the concert may be unaware that these musicians regularly perform for a brutal army of illegal occupation. They get Israeli government funding to make the Israeli state look good around the world, hoping that people will enjoy the music and forget about the violations of human rights.” He added: “This will be a peaceful demonstration. We’re simply asking everyone to write to the Israeli embassy and demand the same rights of freedom of movement enjoyed by these Israelis, for all Palestinian musicians and for Palestinians generally – an end to checkpoints, curfews, closures, land seizures, home demolitions and arbitrary detention, including detention of children.”
After the London concert disruption, the quartet accused those demonstrators of being “both mistaken and inconsiderate in their action.” In a statement, the musicians said: “We are not official representatives of the government of Israel. We are Israeli citizens, who have no direct connection with or patronage by the government. We no more represent the government of Israel than the audience at Wigmore Hall, or indeed the demonstrators, represent the government of the United Kingdom.
"As Israeli citizens, we were required by law to, and did, perform our national service when we were aged 18. As it happens, we served our conscription as musicians playing for our fellow citizens. To identify our conscription, particularly since it was so long ago, with support for government policies is irrational and unfair. We believe the demonstrations directed at our musical activities are destructive to our attempts to foster peaceful Israel-Palestinian relations, based on the shared love of music.”
