128 POLITICS

Ramallah, you would not be able to give a show in Gaza, because the
1.5 million people living there are trapped in a prison where no one
comes or goes. To paraphrase you, The walls of this prison still surround them, and they cannot break away.
You might ask: Why me? Why Leonard Cohen? What about all
the other artists who perform in Israel? All I can say is that yours
is the fate of the last of the troubadoursthe same fate shared by
Moses on Mount Nebo. Take it as a compliment that the Palestinians chose you. Someone there must believe that you represent the
human conscience. And if Madonna, Depeche Mode, McCartney,
and the rest can play only in Israel and only for Israelis, then you can
play only in Ramallah and only for Palestinians.
After endless consideration, I finally realized the question that
should be asked is not whether we support or oppose a cultural boycott. It is not even whether the Palestinians were right for canceling
your concert in Ramallah. The question is really whether we should
comply with the request of those Palestinians who have chosen the
path of nonviolent resistance in their struggle against occupation
and racism. It may be difficult for me, emotionally, to accept a cultural boycott; I already described how I failed in my attempt to raise
that placard during your show in New York. That is why this time
I will comply with their wishes. With my actions I will offer those
denied self-determination the right to determine their response. By
accepting their right to decide, I will empower those whove been
disempowered for so long and help to restore the sovereignty they
lack. That is what solidarity really means.
Leonard, I truly admire you as a poet. My admiration for you and
your work is unconditional and will continue unabated regardless
of whether you decide to play Israel or not. I am not boycotting you
at all, and I will send all my friends to hear you sing anywhere else
in the world that you might play. Here, however, in response to the
calls of the Palestinian people, in solidarity with a people denied
their basic rights for the past sixty years, as a Jew, and as a citizen
of Israel who supports the nonviolent struggle of the Palestinian
people for freedom, equality, and justice, I regret that I will not be
able to attend this show, this time. This is the one place where I cannot allow the placard to slip from my hands. I cannot be derelict in
my duty to help tear down the roadblocks and walls. Because here in
Israel-Palestine, only when all the inhabitants who share this very

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