Bono, U2 pen sharp condemnation of Israeli military action in Gaza

Bono and other members of the legendary rock band U2 publish a scathing criticism of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

The statement on the Irish band’s website, with quotes from all four members of the group (Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.), begins with reflections on the atrocities committed when Hamas launched its war against Israel on October 7, 2023 — which Bono repeatedly calls “evil” — before condemning Israel for the humanitarian crisis created in Gaza.

“The blocking of humanitarian aid and now plans for a military takeover of Gaza City has taken the conflict into uncharted territory,” the band writes. “We are not experts in the politics of the region, but we want our audience to know where we each stand.”

Bono, an activist for numerous social causes, condemns the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival as an act of “evil,” but also asserts that Israel’s response has become “disproportionate,” characterizing it as an act of brutality by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Our band stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine who truly seek a path to peace and coexistence with Israel and with their rightful and legitimate demand for statehood,” Bono writes.

“Is the world not done with this far, far right thinking?” he adds. “We know where it ends… world war… millenarianism… Might the world deserve to know where this once promising bright-minded democratic nation is headed unless there is a dramatic change of course?”