music

Yoni Battat in Jerusalem. (Emily Glick)

Piecing together the fragments of our Arab-Jewish identity

Siblings Yoni and Sivan Battat discuss how collaborating on the former's music album became a means of reconnecting with their Iraqi family and heritage, and of disentangling Mizrahiness from Israeliness.

By Yoni Battat and Sivan Battat November 17, 2022

Is crossing through Israel considered normalization? Saber Rebai's performance at the Rawabi Amphitheater (Samah Salaime)

The Tunisian star who filled Palestinians with hope — for one night

For one night, Tunisian megastar Saber Rebaï brought Palestinians in the West Bank just a modicum of normalcy. Rawabi, Arabic for “hills,” is a sleek name for a Palestinian city that was recently built between Jerusalem and Ramallah. Surrounded by settlements on all sides, the place looks like a standard Israeli bedroom community and has been dubbed “the…

By Samah Salaime August 23, 2016

Lebanese mega-band wins battle against Jordanian conservatives

Jordan scraps a ban on Mashrou’ Leila, a progressive and incredibly popular Lebanese band, following an international uproar Mashrou’ Leila, the immensely popular Lebanese will be allowed to perform in Jordan, the government announced after the cancellation of a concert scheduled for Friday sparked an enormous backlash. Jordan is one of the few places where…

By Haggai Matar May 2, 2016

Latest

The Israel-Palestine Lorde Project

Putting together an homage to your favorite singer is a trivial thing — if you live in a normal country. It started off as a simple enough idea: let’s make a musical tribute to Lorde, New Zealand’s young and upbeat singer-songwriter. I’m crazy about Lorde’s music, despite being nearly 40 years old and usually more…

By Yuval Ben-Ami April 27, 2015

The Israel-Palestine Lorde Diaries, chapter 15: The love club

The final chapter, in which we make music. Part 15 of 15. To read the rest of the series, click here. “Yuval, what is your time limit?” Khader asked me online. There was a time limit. The spring’s succession of guided tours was supposed kick off in two weeks. Once that happened, I would have no…

By Yuval Ben-Ami March 5, 2015

The Israel-Palestine Lorde Diaries, Chapter 2: Casino San Remo

Yuval Ben-Ami and his gang are going where no man or woman has gone before: They are trying to produce a bilingual, bi-national album based on the songs of pop prodigy Lorde. The only problem: The gang itself is homogenous to the core. An insurmountable challenge? For the entire Israel-Palestine Lorde Diaries, click here. A…

By Yuval Ben-Ami January 12, 2015

The Israel-Palestine Lorde diaries, Chapter 1: The lunch

Freshly back from his journey down the beaten path, Yuval Ben-Ami is setting out on another adventure, a musical one, a political one — forging a binational tribute to the Kiwi queen bee. For The entire Israel-Palestine Lorde Diaries, click here. There’s a nice restaurant in Tel Aviv where my girlfriend Ruthie and I have lunch…

By Yuval Ben-Ami January 5, 2015

Palestinian citizens of Israel demonstrate against the Prawer-Begin Plan, BeerSheva, May 12, 2013 (Photo by Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

+972’s Editor’s Picks of 2014

As 2014 comes to a close, +972 Magazine’s editors and bloggers took time to look back at the year that was, and share the articles that most resonated with them – in no particular order. Israel’s watershed moment that wasn’t The Gaza war was perceived very differently in Israel and abroad, even among some of…

By +972 Magazine December 29, 2014

Tens of thousands gather to hear Muhammad Assaf perform in Ramallah. July 1, 2013. (May Castelnuovo)

PHOTOS: ‘Arab Idol’ winner Muhammad Assaf performs in Ramallah

Photos by May Castelnuovo When Muhammad Assaf won the ‘Arab Idol’ singing competition last month, spontaneous celebrations took place throughout Gaza and the West Bank. Upon winning the pan-Arab competition, Assaf promised to hold three free concerts in cities in the West Bank – in Ramallah, Nablus and Hebron. As Abeer Ayyoub wrote for +972 last…

By +972 Magazine July 2, 2013

Carrying giant puppets, residents of Al-Walaja, together with Palestinian, international, and Israeli supporters, march through the West Bank village of Al-Walaja to protest the Israeli separation wall, September 28, 2012. If completed as planned, the wall will surround Al-Walaja and cut off its access to surrounding Palestinian communities. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

A week in photos: September 27-October 3

Protest theater, media strikes, Palestinian demonstrations, and more: Activestills images tell the stories of the week.

By Activestills October 4, 2012

Carrying giant puppets, Palestinians of Al-Walaja, together with Palestinian, international, and Israeli supporters organized by the Freedom Bus campaign march through the West Bank village of Al-Walaja to protest the Israeli separation wall, September 28, 2012. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

Photo essay: Freedom Bus tour teaches cultural forms of resistance

Text by Decca Muldowney The Freedom Bus, an initiative of Jenin’s Freedom Theatre, uses interactive theatre and cultural activism to bear witness, raise awareness and build alliances throughout occupied Palestine and beyond. From September 23-October 1 2012, Palestinians and allies from around the world took part in a 9-day solidarity ride through 11 communities in the West…

By Activestills October 2, 2012

I am an Arab Jew

A Lebanese band’s concert in Jordan offered this Arab Jew from Haifa a new take on her identity and one of the of the key premises of the Arab-Jewish conflict. By Lihi Yona Last Tuesday, I returned from Amman. I went to see a concert given by the Lebanese band Mashrou3 Leila in the only…

By +972 Magazine September 17, 2011

Off center: Shira Z. Carmel & Jerusalem’s musical dilemma

Wednesday began with a meeting. I came down to one of Tel-Aviv’s steel and glass towers to meet one of Ethel Merman’s favourite people, the show people who are in show business. More specifically, I stopped by the office of a talented music promoter to see what could be done to promote my music. “I’m…

By Yuval Ben-Ami June 29, 2011