Palestinian music conservatory at French music festival "condemned the deception... to which it fell victim... [because] an Israeli band was added at the last moment to the program"
Headline: "The Edward Said Conservatory clarifies its stance regarding the deception to which it fell victim in France"
"The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music condemned the deception on the part of the administration of the Aix-en-Provence Festival, to which it fell victim during a concert tour of the Palestine Youth Orchestra in France: The participation of an Israeli band was added at the last moment to the program of the festival, which is taking place in the city of Marseilles between Aug. 21 and Sept. 4 [2015].The conservatory stated: 'After the orchestra reached France on Aug. 15 [2015] in order to begin its concert tour, the administration of the conservatory and members of the orchestra - more than 80 young Palestinians and Arabs - were surprised to discover that a new version of the festival program had been published and distributed. [The new version is] different from the first version, on the basis of which the conservatory registered its participation, as it includes the participation of an Israeli band in the festival. In addition, the wording of the program that the festival published... gives the reader the impression that Palestinian and Israeli young people met in France in order to exchange ideas and engage in dialogue, something which the conservatory resolutely refuses. Even though the performance of the Palestine Youth Orchestra was not scheduled on the same day that the Israeli band performed, shoving the group into the festival was not done innocently, but was rather intended to promote Zionist ideology, which incessantly tries - especially through cultural events - to create a mistaken impression regarding the Palestinian Nakba ("the catastrophe," the Palestinian term for the establishment of the State of Israel) and the Israeli occupation of the land of Palestine, to draw comparison between the victim and the hangman, and to beautify the image of the occupation in the eyes of the European public and the world. The [Edward Said] National Conservatory of Music, together with the entire Palestinian people, will oppose this matter now and always."
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"The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music condemned the deception on the part of the administration of the Aix-en-Provence Festival, to which it fell victim during a concert tour of the Palestine Youth Orchestra in France: The participation of an Israeli band was added at the last moment to the program of the festival, which is taking place in the city of Marseilles between Aug. 21 and Sept. 4 [2015].The conservatory stated: 'After the orchestra reached France on Aug. 15 [2015] in order to begin its concert tour, the administration of the conservatory and members of the orchestra - more than 80 young Palestinians and Arabs - were surprised to discover that a new version of the festival program had been published and distributed. [The new version is] different from the first version, on the basis of which the conservatory registered its participation, as it includes the participation of an Israeli band in the festival. In addition, the wording of the program that the festival published... gives the reader the impression that Palestinian and Israeli young people met in France in order to exchange ideas and engage in dialogue, something which the conservatory resolutely refuses. Even though the performance of the Palestine Youth Orchestra was not scheduled on the same day that the Israeli band performed, shoving the group into the festival was not done innocently, but was rather intended to promote Zionist ideology, which incessantly tries - especially through cultural events - to create a mistaken impression regarding the Palestinian Nakba ("the catastrophe," the Palestinian term for the establishment of the State of Israel) and the Israeli occupation of the land of Palestine, to draw comparison between the victim and the hangman, and to beautify the image of the occupation in the eyes of the European public and the world. The [Edward Said] National Conservatory of Music, together with the entire Palestinian people, will oppose this matter now and always."
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