Worried about just what veteran Irish rockers U2 make of the geo-political upheavals currently roiling the Middle East in general and the future of a stand-alone Palestinian state in particular? Worry no more. The band has issued a statement on the matter.
U2 directly addressed Israel and Gaza, saying the conflict has now reached “uncharted territory” as it sought to give its fans a full, unexpurgated view of the bands’s political position.
In a joint message posted on U2’s website and social media on Sunday, the band wrote:
Everyone has long been horrified by what is unfolding in Gaza — but the blocking of humanitarian aid and now plans for a military takeover of Gaza City has taken the conflict into uncharted territory. We are not experts in the politics of the region, but we want our audience to know where we each stand.
Variety reports each member of the band — Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. — then penned individual statements expressing their emotions about the long-running conflict in the Middle East.
In his statement, frontman Bono acknowledged the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people with 251 hostages being taken, writing “the rape, murder, and abduction of Israelis at the Nova music festival was evil.”
Bono’s position is another effort by him to insert himself into global political matters.
However, he added as time went on in the Middle East, “Israel’s revenge for the Hamas attack appeared more and more disproportionate and disinterested in the equally innocent civilian lives in Gaza.”
In addition to making the statements, the band has pledged to donate to Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Read each member of U2’s full statements here.
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