Thick As A Brick

Pink Floyd singer-songwriter Roger Waters, a vocal critic of the 600-km (370-mile) network of fences and concrete barricades going up in and around the occupied territory, surprised many in the Middle East by agreeing to perform in Tel Aviv this summer.

Concert promoter Shuki Weiss said Waters was persuaded to come to Israel after it quit the Gaza Strip, territory on which Palestinians want to build a state, last year in a move billed as breaking a deadlock in peacemaking.

But a group of Palestinian artists said on Thursday they had written a letter to Waters this week warning the concert may undermine lobbying against the barrier, which has been globally condemned for effectively annexing swathes of West Bank land.

Israel calls the barrier a bulwark against suicide bombers spearheading a more than 5-year-old Palestinian revolt.

"How can someone who wants to look like a leftist in the world -- fighting against the Berlin Wall, for open borders, and for love between people -- come to Israel while they are still building their wall and hold a musical event?" Sliman Manour of the Palestinian Association for Contemporary Art, told Reuters.

Maybe when the Palestinians stop trying to blow up Israelis at every possible opportunity, not to mention elected a terrorist group whose platform consists first and foremost of destroying Israel and refusing to recognize Israel's right to exist.

Had the Palestinians engaged in good faith negotiations for the past decade instead of cheating, retreating, and failing to live up to all of their obligations under Oslo, the security barrier would not have been necessary.

Instead, the Palestinians want to blame Israel for the construction of the fence. Meanwhile, all those smuggling tunnels that were discovered under the Philadelphia Corridor weren't for smuggling food, but for weapons, personnel, and materials necessary for the Palestinian intifada to continue.

Oh, and Waters' promoter fails to note that the Palestinians want all of Israel for their state, not just the West Bank and Gaza.