The Black Eyed Peas performed at the Pais Arena in Jerusalem last week. This is the first major international performance to be held in Israel since the beginning of the COVID pandemic.

This is a suitable choice for the long-awaited return to the concert stage. From his Jewish lyrics and friends to his investment in Israeli technology, the band’s master will.i.am is an old friend of Israel. At the IMPROVATE Innovation Conference in Israel, he was a panelist earlier in the day.

In the show, he called the Israeli crowd his mishpocha, praised the Israeli soldiers and frontline COVID workers, and expressed his desire to work for the Palestinians, and then began broadcasting the hit "Where is the love?"

Before the concert, BDS-supported Palestinian British artists called on Black Eyed Peas to cancel the performance. But at a press conference earlier in the day, will.i.am explicitly rejected the call to boycott Israel.

"I am a musician and technology lover, and people love our music," he said.

"Am I rejecting people who live here because of politics? No, we didn't build that way. So, you know, there are beautiful people here, and there are beautiful people in Palestine. One day we want to go there too."

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