U2’s new EP features Yehuda Amichai poem, memorializes slain Palestinian activist

A new six-song EP released by Irish rock band U2 on Wednesday features at least three tracks referencing or alluding to Israel.

Titled “Days of Ash,” it was the band’s first release since 2017.

One song, called “Wildpeace,” is a recitation of the poem of the same name by iconic Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai. The poem, which is read on the track by Nigerian artist Adeola Fayehun, begins, “Not the peace of a ceasefire / not even the vision of the wolf and the lamb / but rather as in the heart when the excitement is over / and you can talk only about a great weariness.”

Another track, called “The Tears of Things,” borrows its title from a book of the same name by Richard Rohr that is centered on the prophets of the Bible. The song imagines a conversation between Michelangelo and his “David” sculpture, which is meant to reflect “the ongoing conflict” in Gaza, according to Rolling Stone.

While there does not appear to be an explicit reference to the war in Gaza, there is a mention of the Holocaust in the lyrics, “Six million voices silenced in just four years, the silent song of Christendom, so loud everybody hears.”

In remarks made for an interview published in an edition of the band’s Propaganda fanzine released with the album, U2 lead singer Bono mentioned antisemitism, condemned the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack that launched the Gaza war, and criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s management of the war.

“It’s the moral force of Judaism that helped shape Western civilization,” he said.

“There has never been a moment when we have needed the moral force of Judaism more than right now, and yet, it has rarely in modern times been under such a siege. From where I stand, as a person with a limited view, Judaism, one of the great and noble religions, is being slandered by far-right fundamentalists from within its own community…I could argue the same about Christianity or Islam,” Bono continued.

Antisemitism, he said, “was rising long before October 7th and the resulting war in Gaza.”

“As with Islamophobia, antisemitism must be countered every time we witness it. The rape, murder and abduction of Israelis on 7 October was evil, but self-defense is no defense for the sweeping brutality of Netanyahu’s response.”

The war has led to “deep knock-on effects for the Jewish diaspora and their safety…As if all Jews are to blame for the actions of Netanyahu, Smotrich, and Ben Gvir,” Bono said, referring to far-right Israeli politicians Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

“It’s insane, but the waters get even muddier when anyone criticizing the lunacy of the far right in Israel is accused of antisemitism themselves,” he said.

Asked about criticism he has faced for not speaking out more strongly against the situation in Gaza, Bono said, “I’ve written on Israel and Gaza, but in terms of actions I’ve been focused on the things I know more about.”

A third track, called “One Life at a Time,” relates to the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” about Israel’s demolitions in the West Bank village of Masafer Yatta, and the killing of Awdah Hathaleen, who was featured in the film.

The lyrics don’t appear to explicitly reference Hathaleen, but the accompanying lyric video shows imagery of Israel’s West Bank security barrier, the Dome of the Rock, and Hathaleen’s face.

Text featured in the video calls Hathaleen a “loving husband, father of three, nonviolent activist, and documentary filmmaker on No Other Land.”

It continues, “No justice or prosecution of his murderer, despite widely-circulated film of the incident.”

Another song on the EP, “American Obituary,” is dedicated to the killing of Renee Good by US immigration agents last month. Another, “Song of the Future,” focuses on a 16-year-old protester killed in the 2022 protests in Iran. Another, “Yours Eternally,” is about the war in Ukraine.