Dave Matthews protests against Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to US Congress: “I’m ashamed”
Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Congress, rock musician Dave Matthews joined the organised protest and aired his grievances towards the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The longstanding war in the Middle East escalated on October 7th, 2023, after Hamas launched a terrorist attack on an Israeli music festival and killed over 1,200 citizens, as well as taking more than 100 hostages. Over the last several months, more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in response, and over two million people have been displaced from their homes with Gaza turned to rubble.
In light of the conflict, Netanyahu controversially visited the United States on July 24th and gave a speech in Washington DC outside the US Capitol, where the protest took place.
In addition to picketing against the politician’s speech, Matthews shared his thoughts on Netanyahu’s brutal actions towards Palestine, telling Al Jazeera, “I just think it’s terrible when the majority of the world is looking at this man and what he’s doing in Gaza and then also what he’s overseeing in the West Bank and East Jerusalem [and] we’re welcoming [him] into the so-called sacred halls of our government.”
During his speech, Netanyahu, who has been accused of committing war crimes by the International Criminal Court, spoke out against the protestors condemning his actions towards Palestinian people and labelled his critics as “idiots”.
For Matthews, welcoming the Israeli official into the country was a mistake, explaining, “This man is the pinnacle of the obstacle toward that freedom and that we have [him] visiting the country is obscene. It’s a disgusting show of support for someone that doesn’t deserve our support.”
Matthews is far from the only artist in the music industry who has spoken their mind about the terrors going on in Gaza. In March, over a hundred artists who were slated to perform at SXSW boycotted the concert series because the US Army sponsored the event, which is supporting Israel. While there have been plans for SXSW to start again next year with a London edition, they have since cut ties with the US Army.
The Austin event explained: “After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model. As a result, the US Army and companies that engage in weapons manufacturing will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025.”
While outside the Capitol, Matthews also shared his anger at US citizens’ money funding Israel’s attack on Palestine, stating, “I’m ashamed that my tax dollars are going to the brutalising of an entire people. It’s shameful. And I’m ashamed that our government is welcoming [Netanyahu] here.”
These new comments aren’t the first time that Matthews has spoken his mind on political issues, playing various shows for presidential nominee John Kerry in 2000 and performing at the ‘Change Rocks’ rally in 2008 in support of Barack Obama.
Matthews is also currently on a world tour promoting his latest album, Walk Around the Moon.
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