Black Eyed Peas Frontman Will.i.am, Performing in Jerusalem, Says Won’t Turn His Back on Israelis

Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am, who performed in Israel on Monday night, said that despite calls on his band to boycott the Jewish State, he will not turn his back “on people that live here because of politics.” Will.i.am made his comments in an interview with The Associated Press prior to the band’s concert in Jerusalem; he also was in the country to speak at an innovation conference held by Improvate, an Israeli organization that works to advance Israeli technology. His i.am+ tech firm acquired an Israeli startup company in 2016.  Meanwhile, will.i.am told the AP that “(T)here’s beautiful people here as well as beautiful people in Palestine. And one day we want to go there too.” He noted that he has many personal ties to Israel, including friends – and his first girlfriend. Some 8,000 Israelis attended his concert in Jerusalem, which the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement condemned. The BDS France website called the concert “even more scandalous” because it took place on the United Nations’ International Day of Solidarity With the Palestinian People.