Mackelmore has expanded his concerns from marriage equality and white privilege into the current crisis in Gaza.
The “Thrift Shop” rapper issued a long statement on Instagram on Thursday (October 19), sharing his reflections on the current war between Israel and Hamas, and the associated humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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He captioned the post: “Please read,” followed by a prayer hands emoji, a Palestinian flag, an Israeli flag, and a heart.
He began by expressing deep sympathy for Israelis captured and killed by Hamas in their surprise attack earlier this month, and their loved ones.
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“My heart deeply hurts for the Israelis that lost loved ones to such an abomination,” he wrote. “As a father I cannot imagine if one of my kids was at that festival [the Supernova music festival, attacked by Hamas], or was still missing after being kidnapped. It is absolutely unfathomable.”
After that, the rapper pivoted to the Israeli response to the attacks, which as of last Sunday (October 15) had killed over 2,300 Palestinians, according to sources in the Palestinian health ministry. UN experts have decried Israel for cutting off food, fuel, water, electricity, and medicine to Gaza in the aftermath of the October 7 attack.
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“[K]illing humans as collective punishment is not the answer,” Macklemore continued. “That is why I am supporting the people around the world who are calling for a ceasefire.
“We are witnessing an unfolding genocide in Palestine at this very moment… Gaza is being demolished. Well over 1 million people have lost their homes… Innocent kids are being murdered as I’m typing this…. Israel isn’t allowing water, food and medicine into the open-air prison that is Gaza.”
As the rapper pointed out, calls for a cease-fire in the conflict have been increasing in recent days. A largely Jewish group of hundreds of activists, led by a contingent of rabbis, occupied a Congressional building on Wednesday (October 18) to call for one, and a resolution calling for one has been introduced in Congress.
As the statement continued, Macklemore talked about why he has until this point remained silent. “There’s the fear of immediately being labeled Anti-Semitic when you say anything against the Israeli government. This is false. I can whole heartedly love my Jewish brothers and sisters while simultaneously condemning the Israeli government for their mass killings and apartheid.”
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The statement then contrasts the public showing of support for Israel, including prayerful moments of silence before NFL games, with the lack of similar acknowledgement of Palestinian casualties.
“How are one group of people’s lives worth more than others?” he then asked, before acknowledging that there is “deeply rooted pain on both sides” of the Israel-Palestine conflict, following “75 years of Palestinian occupation.”
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“But there is no side to take when it comes to the collective human spirit,” he went on. “We all have a voice and a platform to stand for what is right and just.”
Macklemore explained the hopes for his statement, saying that he doesn’t want to “cause additional harm” to any of his close Jewish or Muslim friends.
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“But I trust in our friendships that even if we disagree we can be rooted in love and acceptance in whatever dialogue transpires… Killing the innocent is never the answer. Revenge only breeds more hatred. Thinking of ourselves as separate from one another is a lie.”
The statement ended with Macklemore talking about his deepest beliefs: “I stand with all humans. I stand for peace. I stand for love. I stand for freedom. And because of that, I stand for a Free Palestine and an end to the looming genocide of its people.”
Macklemore’s strong statement is in contrast to the lack of public expression on the conflict by some of Hip Hop’s top stars. DJ Vlad recently criticized Drake and DJ Khaled for remaining silent about the conflict.
“You sort of see what’s been happening, when you look at the Gaza-Israel situation. It’s horrific,” he told the hosts of The Breakfast Club last Friday (October 13). “And I put out a statement about that myself. I said, you know, that I feel sorry for all the citizens from Israel and Palestine that are caught up in what their leaders are choosing to do.”
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He continued: “It’s a serious topic. And when I sat back and looked at it, I was like, ‘Drake is the most famous Jewish person on Earth’ … and Khaled is the most famous Palestinian in the world. But neither one of them has said anything about this at all.”
“Drake is doing this whole thing where he’s literally writing paragraphs about Joe Budden because his feelings were hurt about an album review,” Vlad concluded. “So it’s not like they don’t have time. This shit runs deep.”
