Dua Lipa, the renowned music artist, recently expressed her concerns about the Israel-Hamas conflict in an interview with Rolling Stone on Tuesday, emphasizing the need for a "humanitarian cease-fire."
Lipa, known for hits like "Levitating," shared her views on the ongoing conflict, stating in the interview, "I think there’s no kind of deep discussion about war and oppression.
It just is something that we’ve seen happen time and time again." She explained she believed that being a musician and posting about such issues isn't sufficiently impactful, but she hopes that showing solidarity can make a difference.
Born to Albanian parents in London, Lipa's personal history influences her perspective. "My existence is kind of political, the fact that I lived in London because my parents left from the war," she explained. She empathized deeply with those who were forced to leave their homes due to conflict, drawing from her experiences in Kosovo.
"My feelings on displaced people [are] very real and raw, and it is a difficult subject to speak about because it’s so divisive," Lipa conveyed. She expressed sorrow for Israeli lives lost in the conflict, specifically mentioning the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, which resulted in over 1,200 Israeli casualties.
“I feel so bad for every Israeli life lost and what happened on Oct. 7,” she said of the terrorist attacks launched by Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis.
Dua Lipa signed letter to Biden for a ceasefire
Lipa, along with other public figures, signed an open letter urging President Biden to facilitate an immediate cease-fire. She highlighted the loss of life in Gaza, especially among innocent civilians, and criticized the lack of decisive action from world leaders to address the humanitarian crisis and implement a cease-fire.
In June 2020, Lipa faced criticism for an Instagram post that condemned the actions of the Israel Defense Forces against Palestinians and included controversial statements about "fake Jews" and "fake Christians" creating Hamas.This post led to a petition by Im Tirtzu, a conservative Israeli organization, signed by over three thousand people, calling for a ban on Lipa's music on Israeli Army Radio and Galgalatz radio, alleging antisemitism and misinformation. However, Army Radio responded that they do not boycott any artist and that song selection is up to the editors.