Dear Shakira,

Thank you for announcing that you will not be performing in Tel Aviv this summer. Between March 30 and May 15 Israel massacred over 100 Palestinians in Gaza. Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem face daily humiliations and violence, including checkpoints, child imprisonment, and home demolitions. The separate and unequal system that Israel imposes on Palestinians is a daily nightmare. A performance in Israel would have acted as an endorsement of Israel’s brutal violence and oppression against Palestinians.

You are a well-known advocate for children and children’s rights. Palestinian children, like all children, deserve to live in a world of peace, freedom, and equality. They deserve to live in a world where they are not shot by military snipers or prosecuted in the only juvenile military court on earth.

Thousands of fans across the world have been appealing to you to cancel your proposed July 9 concert in support of Palestinian rights. Thank you for listening.

Sincerely,