Thom Yorke has spoken out to clarify his stance on Israel, Palestine and the unfolding genocide in Gaza.
Radiohead's singer has been at the centre of controversy since he silenced a pro-Palestine at a protestor at a concert last year, which has only intensified due to his frequent collaborator Jonny Greenwood's performances with Dudu Tassa (an Israeli musician who has performed for IDF soldiers in 2023).
Yorke addressed the "unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza" in a post on Instagram. He wrote, "I think Netanyahu and his crew of extremists are totally out of control and need to be stopped, and that the international community should put all the pressure it can on them to cease. Their excuse of self-defence has long since worn thin and has been replaced by a transparent desire to take control of Gaza and the West Bank permanently."
He continued, "I believe this ultra-nationalist administration has hidden itself behind a terrified & grieving people and used them to deflect any criticism, using that fear and grief to further their ultra-nationalist agenda with terrible consequences, as we see now with the horrific blockage of aid to Gaza."
In addition to condemning the Israeli regime, he added that "the unquestioning Free Palestine refrain that surrounds us all does not answer the simple question of why the hostages have still not been returned," saying that "Hamas chooses too to hide behind the suffering of its people, in an equally cynical fashion for their own purposes."
His message additionally condemned social media activism that consists of "reposting, or one or two line messages," writing that the criticism against him "has had a heavy toll on my mental health." He wrote that he was "in shock" that his dismissal of the pro-Palestine protestor last year was taken as complicity.
Read Yorke's message below.