If the recording artist Macklemore had only made “pro-Palestinian comments” from the stage during his performances, as the terminally incurious seem to have convinced themselves, it would be harder to defend Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft’s decision to bar the performer from his venue. But that’s not what happened here — despite the spectacle of musicians attached to Ed Sheeran’s tour, for whom the rapper had been opening, quitting in protest.
“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters,” Macklemore lectured from the MetLife Stadium stage earlier this month, “criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you.” He continued with a lament over the war in Gaza that’s been checked by a tenuous cease-fire for almost a year. Still, the excessively charitable might conclude that the artist merely exudes an excess of empathy. And yet, the distinctions Macklemore is making between Jews and Israelis are differences he rarely observes.
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