New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Missing Piece Group) In a recent interview with the politcal website CounterPunch,
Roger Waters, formerly of Pink Floyd, voiced his opinions on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict currently happening in the Middle East.
Waters told CounterPunch, "The situation in Israel/Palestine, with the occupation, the ethnic cleansing and the systematic racist apartheid Israeli regime is unacceptable. So for an artist to go and play in a country that occupies other people's land and oppresses them the way
Israel does is plain wrong."
The Guardian reported that "Waters, 70, a well-known supporter of the Palestinian cause, has frequently defended himself against accusations that he is anti-Semitic, claiming he has a right to urge fellow artists to boycott Israel."
In response to Waters' comment, Israeli songwriter
David Broza said, "Music and art and free thinking will always prevail. People can disagree on the most profound issues, but there is always a chance to bridge the divide as long as the exchange of ideas continues."
"Regardless of his views on the issue of
Israel and Palestine,
Roger Waters has written one of the most anti-boycott, boundary-breaking songs ever in 'Mother.' So yes, not only have I recorded this extraordinary song, but I have recorded in East Jerusalem using Israeli and Palestinian musicians, and I will perform it with those musicians next month when we tour the US," Broza added. "I say to
Roger Waters: Instead of boycotting, please come join us in reaching across the lines that divide us. We the people--not the governments--will make peace with each other. Instead of shutting down communication, come to my country and engage in the open exchange of ideas that will make change happen. "
You can stream
David Broza's cover of
Roger Waters' "
Mother" from the album The Wall via Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/scurverecords/10-mother/s-lZW7h
For years, Broza had a vision to record a record in East Jerusalem with both Palestinian and Israeli musicians. In early 2013, he made this dream a reality by enlisting activist-producer-musician
Steve Earle as the producer of the record. Broza & Earle traveled to the Palestinian side of Jerusalem to the studio of the Palestinian group Sabreen.
Broza recruited a first-rate group of international and local talents for the project including American producers
Steve Earle and Steve Greenberg, Israeli musicians Gadi Seri and Yossi Sassi, Haitian-American star Wyclef Jean, Palestinian Hip Hop duo G-Town (hailing from the Shuafat refugee camp), Palestinian-Israeli singer Mira Awad and the half-Palestinian/half-Israeli Jerusalem YMCA Youth Choir.
David Broza's East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem will be released on 1/14/14 on S-Curve Records.
