Distinguished rock musician Roger Waters, one of the founders of the world-renowned rock band Pink Floyd, said: 'People living in Gaza have been bombed by F-16s day and night for weeks. One cannot even imagine what this is like. It's unbelievably disgusting that it is applauded by the world's most powerful empire (the U.S.). How can (Western countries) still try to portray Israelis as victims?'
Waters, in an interview with TRT World, explained how his activism for Palestine began during his European tour. After his manager added a concert in Hayarkon Park, Tel Aviv, to his schedule, Waters received numerous emails, including one that claimed the concert area was 'built on the graves of Palestinians.' Upon learning this, Waters cancelled the Hayarkon Park concert and organized one in an area between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem because he knew very little about the Palestine issue.
Waters recounted that the concert was successful, but when he spoke, saying, 'You are the young generation of Israelis who must make peace with your neighbours,' people's faces reportedly dropped, and they made expressions as if saying, 'Why is this guy talking? (Palestinians) are animals.'
A year after the concert, Waters described his impression of the occupied West Bank in Israel: 'Seeing what was happening there was terrifying beyond imagination. On a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) vehicle for Palestinian refugees in the Middle East with a British passport, Israeli young border guards and people looked at me with contempt and disgust. I remember thinking at the time: If they treat me like this, how do they treat Palestinians?'
Pink Floyd's lead singer, Waters, emphasized that he now knows very well how Israel treats Palestinians, stating, 'Because while we talk, they are committing genocide in Gaza.'
Waters characterized Israel's attacks as 'beyond imagination,' saying, 'People living in Gaza have been bombed by F-16s day and night for weeks. One cannot even imagine what this is like. It's unbelievably disgusting that it is applauded by the world's most powerful empire (the U.S.). It's beyond belief. I'm not even talking about the B'nai Brith organization known for its pro-Israel activities in Canada and (Canadian Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau... He applauds all of this. How can they still try to portray Israelis as victims?'
Waters, linking his start in Palestine activism to his father being killed by German soldiers on the Italian front during World War II, said, 'I cannot tell my father's story without mentioning Gaza with my heart and soul. It affects my life so much now. The unspeakable things that Israelis are doing in Gaza make me feel my whole body rebels with every breath I take.'
Waters stressed that mainstream media coverage of Israel's attacks on Palestine is also 'propaganda,' highlighting that mainstream media serves as the 'spokesperson' for those in power, promoting what they want to announce.
Waters, stating that people still have a sense of doing what is right, said, 'Governments erase this from the point of view of the functioning of empires. How? By making propaganda to teach us that the old woman in the street is actually a pest and needs to be exterminated.'
Emphasizing that the Palestine issue is 'full of political and human intrigues,' Waters noted, 'The Israel lobby tried to cancel my shows in Buenos Aires, claiming that I am anti-Semitic, of course, I'm not! This is downright nonsense. Nevertheless, they make up stories, then exaggerate them, and then publish them again and again. The bigger the lie, the more likely people are to believe that these stupid guys did this to me.'
Waters concluded his remarks by saying, 'These are very, very dull people, and they are fully committed to the idea of Israel's illegal settler colonialism. They are completely committed to it (people with this belief) like (U.S. President Joe) Biden and other crazy people who support Israel in the U.S., such as Christian evangelicals. Why? According to them, when Jesus descends at his second coming, they want to see all the Jews burning in hell, and they believe in the absurdity that they will all go to heaven hand in hand. I know they are ready to sacrifice this beautiful planet we live on. They can believe what they want, but (people with this belief) should not have political power because it's insane.'
