// BBC ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS — MODA & SOCIETÀ
Macklemore says 'Free Palestine' call was not an attack on Jewish people
Rapper Macklemore has said his recent calls to "Free Palestine" while on tour with singer Ed Sheeran in the US were not intended as an attack on Jewish people.
There had been calls for the 43-year-old to be removed from Sheeran's tour after he made the comments while supporting the singer at two live dates in New Jersey over the weekend.
In a video posted on his social media channels on Monday, Macklemore was seen on stage saying: "To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, is in no way a criticism of you."
Israel rejects allegations of genocide. It says its troops conduct self-defence operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in accordance with international law.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
More than 73,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then - more than 1,300 since a ceasefire declared on 10 October 2025, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen as reliable by the UN.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is currently hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israeli forces of genocide, but it could take years to reach a conclusion. Israel has called the case "wholly unfounded" and based on "biased and false claims".
Ed Sheeran has been touring his latest album Play since January
Macklemore made his initial comments at Sheeran's New Jersey shows on Friday and Saturday as he introduced his 2024 protest song Hind's Hall, which condemns Israel's military action in Gaza.
After the rapper made his comments, the Israeli-American Council launched a petition urging Sheeran to remove Macklemore as his support act for the remainder of the tour.