This letter was sent to Snoop’s camp by a Washington, DC-based Palestine solidarity activist

Palestinians are fighting for equal rights and justice. – Peter Tosh “Equal Rights”

Israelis got tanks and Palestinians got rocks. – Talib Kweli “Gun Music”

And I slang rocks – but Palestinian style. – Boots from The Coup “The Shipment.

None of y’all niggaz can talk about peace when Palestinian youth throwin rocks at police. –Kardinal Offishial “Careful (Remix)”

But for now I’m a soldier abidin’ my time / Writin’ my rhyme behind enemy lines / Palestine, Kosovo, Kashmir / No different than the avenues right here. – Mos Def “War”

Dear Snoop,

Many of your fans here in the U.S., in Palestine and around the world are concerned to hear of your upcoming performance in Israel. As fans who have been students of yours for more than a decade, we hope we can return the favor and tell you why we have issues with the place where you are scheduled to perform on September 18th.

Ramat Gan, where you are scheduled to perform, is built on the ruins of the Palestinian village of Salama (Arabic: سلمة), whose 7,807 Palestinian residents were ethnically cleansed on April 25th, 1948 by Zionist militias, almost one month before the State of Israel came into existence. The residents of this village were among the more than 700,000 Palestinians ethnically cleaned from their homeland in 1948.

After its establishment, Israel has continued to take Palestinian land and today control all of historic Palestine, including the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where more than 3 million Palestinians have virtually no legal rights at all. Those Palestinians who have remained in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are separated from Jewish communities. In the west Bank and the Gaza Strip, Israel is building 400 miles of walls, gates and fences that encircle Palestinian communities, dividing them from their farmland, neighboring Palestinian villages, and the outside world – making Palestine the largest open air prison in the world.

Many people have compared Israel to Apartheid South Africa, including Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Israel and South Africa have had a long history dating back the friendship between Afrikaner leader Jan Smuts and Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann. In 1953, white South African president Daniel Malan, was the first head of state to visit Israel. In both 1948 and 1967, hundreds of white South African volunteers went to Israel to fight with the Israeli army and white South Africans provided arms and tens of millions of dollars in economic support.

In the mid-70s and through the 1980s, Israel supplied the South African military with hundreds of millions in military equipment. Israel also helped Apartheid South Africa to produce their Cheetah fighter jet and to eventually acquire nuclear weapons in 1985. In addition to violating the international arms boycott of Apartheid South Africa, Israel also used its duty free trading status with the United States and European Common Market to provide and essential way for the Apartheid regime to gain export routes for its products, sustaining the Apartheid South African economy while the world was boycotting it.

Because of its support, many artists respecting the boycott of Apartheid South Africa also boycotted Israel at the time, including Bob Marley. Today, many prominent South Africans are asking artists to boycott Apartheid Israel.

Hip-hop is growing among disenfranchised and dispossessed Palestinian youth who have been inspired by your lyrics and the lyrics of other African-American rappers against racism and injustice. These Palestinian artists, be they MCs, DJs, breakers or graffiti artists, live under constant threat of death and arrest at the hands of the Israeli army and many, particularly in the West Bank and Gaza find it nearly impossible to attend shows or tour because they are confined to their neighborhoods and cities by checkpoints and walls. It is doubtful that many Palestinians, for example, would be able to attend your show in Ramat Gan because of Israel’s racism. Only the few Palestinians with Israeli citizenship will attend. Most Palestinians live under occupation and have no citizenship rights at all – they will be banned from attending your show.

Palestinian civil society has almost unanimously called upon the international community to boycott Israel until it complies with international law and respects Palestinian human rights. As your fans who are Palestinian or who are not but support justice and human rights, we urge you to cancel your show.

Related posts:

1. A Cultural Boycott of Israel
2. South African Union Head: “Israel is an apartheid state”
3. A Letter to FIFA
4. Israel as the New South Africa
5. Israel Boycott Piece Runs in the SF Chronicle