Lana Del Rey voices hope for peace in the Middle East

LOS ANGELES

American singer Lana Del Rey has expressed her hopes for peace in the Middle East while sharing condolences with families affected by recent deadly floods in Texas.

In a message posted to Instagram on July 7, the Grammy-nominated artist said she was sending “love to families who have been affected by recent deadly floods in Texas,” and used the post’s comment section to speak out on the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

“And yes of course we pray for Palestine every day. I wish for peace between all nations and am constantly up on all of the news between the Israel Palestine conflict,” she wrote.

Calling a peace treaty her “greatest wish,” Del Rey added, “It’s always difficult to watch any innocent victims killed by crimes of war.” She also acknowledged potential backlash, saying, “There is never a good way of wording things that will make all people happy but that is my personal truth. Politically I do keep up and have been very much hoping for cease fire.”

Del Rey, who is preparing to release a country album later this year, has previously taken a public stance on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. In 2018, she withdrew from the lineup of a Tel Aviv music festival after receiving criticism from supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

At the time, she had initially defended her decision to perform, stating that music is universal and that her appearance was not a political endorsement of any government. She later announced her intention to postpone the performance until she could also visit Palestine, saying, “It’s important for me to perform in both Palestine and Israel and treat all my fans equally.”

In her latest statement, the singer emphasized that her views are the result of years of careful thought and study. “This is a long ongoing conflict and one I’ve studied hard to understand,” she wrote. “It’s heartbreaking and unfathomable to think there hasn’t been a way to find some resolution. It’s a topic of conversation in many of my daily conversations and we’re constantly considering what we can do to contribute in all situations like this. I always have been.”