Achinoam Nini

In 2025, Nini stated that Israel should have withdrawn from Eurovision in the context of the war in Gaza, a position that attracted criticism in Israel's cultural and political debate.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

In 2025, Nini signed collective appeals by Israeli artists demanding an end to the war and the immediate return of the hostages. A more strongly worded petition also warned about harm to civilians and possible war crimes, triggering a fierce backlash from other artists and public figures.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

During the judicial reform crisis, Nini actively participated in demonstrations and stated in an international interview that Israel had been "kidnapped by a gang of corrupt politicians", an extremely harsh description of the government.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

A Likud municipal councillor in Tel Aviv requested the cancellation of an event honouring Achinoam Nini because of her political positions, which he described as anti-Zionist. Nini denounced an attempt at censorship and incitement against her.

State of the evidence

Documented

A synagogue in the Detroit area cancelled a Nini concert in May 2017, citing risks of disruption and threats of demonstrations linked to right-wing activists' opposition to her positions on the two-state solution and Jewish-Arab coexistence.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Lod municipality cancelled a planned appearance by Nini following social media protests targeting her political positions. The municipality referred to a postponement or scheduling problem, while the singer's team said it had learned of the cancellation from the media and that no new date had been set.

State of the evidence

Disputed

Attribution

Directly implicated

The Jewish National Fund of Canada withdrew its support for an event featuring Nini following circulation of reports linking her to the BDS movement. Israeli diplomatic representatives subsequently agreed to support the event.

Attribution

Directly implicated

Following Israel's 2015 elections and her critical statements about Benjamin Netanyahu, Nini was confronted at Ben Gurion Airport, where she said she had been insulted and threatened, including being called an "enemy of Israel".

State of the evidence

Documented

A gala in Italy in which Nini was due to participate was cancelled amid tensions over her statements during the Gaza war and her strongly critical positions on Israeli policy. The affair was presented as a decision motivated by political controversy surrounding the artist.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

A left-wing coalition in Galicia called for the cancellation or boycott of a Nini concert in Spain, accusing her of being too close to Zionism or the Israeli state despite her image as an artist promoting peace.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Following her participation in an alternative ceremony bringing together bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families, a Facebook campaign calling for a boycott of Nini attracted several thousand supporters.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

During Operation Cast Lead, Nini published an open letter to the people of Gaza in which she condemned Hamas in very strong terms. Artists and activists accused her of minimising Israeli responsibility and called on her to retract her statement. She ultimately withdrew from a medical benefit concert for people injured in Gaza.

Attribution

Personally implicated

Nini and Palestinian Israeli citizen and singer Mira Awad represented Israel at Eurovision with a bilingual song about peace. Following the war in Gaza, Arab artists and activists strongly criticised the duo, accusing their participation of presenting a misleadingly harmonious picture of Israeli-Palestinian relations.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated