Indonesians must boycott pro-Israel singer Andrea Bocelli’s concert at Borobudur

On 31 October, Italian singer Andrea Bocelli will perform at Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world, in Central Java, Indonesia, before a second show in Jakarta on 3 November. The Indonesian government is rolling out the red carpet as if this were a state visit. The state-owned bank BNI is selling discounted tickets and payment plans.

Indonesians must boycott this concert. Bocelli is not just a beautiful voice. He is one of the most openly pro-Israel stars in the world, and a friend of the leaders carrying out the genocide in Gaza. Not one seat should be filled by people who say they stand with Palestine.

Indonesia is the largest Muslim-majority country in the world. It has never opened diplomatic relations with Israel, because Israel occupies Palestinian land. Standing with Palestine is not a slogan in Indonesia. It is a national promise.

That promise matters more than ever, because Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. For two years it has bombed Gaza, starved its people and flattened its hospitals, schools and homes. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed. A United Nations commission of inquiry has concluded that this is genocide.

Bocelli has never hidden where his heart lies. In 2008 he travelled to Israel to celebrate the birthday of its president, Shimon Peres. Asked once about his best holiday ever, he named Israel. In 2020 he headlined a Dubai concert with Israeli singers to celebrate the new deals that normalised ties with Israel while Palestinians stayed under occupation. In June 2022 he sang for more than 20,000 people in Tel Aviv, with Benjamin Netanyahu in the audience, and reportedly told Netanyahu he would live in Israel if he could. Netanyahu, the man leading this genocide, is now wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, including using starvation as a weapon.

After 7 October, Bocelli wrote a warm letter to a freed Israeli hostage and later opened his Miami home to another. Kindness to hostages is right. But where is his letter to the mother in Khan Younis who buried her children? His compassion stops at Israel’s border. The victims of genocide are left outside.

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He is also a proud friend of Donald Trump. In October 2025 he sang for Trump in the Oval Office. Two months later he returned to the White House to perform for Trump, his cabinet and Republican lawmakers. These are the leaders of the government that keeps shipping Israel the bombs used in this genocide.

Indonesians would not be alone. In Jordan, where Bocelli is due to sing at Petra on November 27, anti-normalisation activists are demanding that the show be cancelled. They point to his concerts in Israel, his meeting with Netanyahu and a 2010 fundraiser in Los Angeles for Friends of the IDF, a group that raises money for the Israeli army. Jordan has a peace treaty with Israel, yet many Jordanians still refuse to welcome him. Indonesia, which has no ties with Israel at all, has even less excuse.

Now the government wants Indonesians to cheer for this man at the country’s most famous temple. Borobudur is a living place of worship, where Buddhists gather every year for Waisak, their holiest day. Today the best seat at the Bocelli show costs Rp17.5 million, more than US$1,000. A holy site is being turned into a luxury stage for a cheerleader of Israel.

BNI, a state bank, is sponsoring the show. Three ministries joined forces to bring Bocelli to Indonesia. Officials promise US$44 million in economic benefits. Indonesia’s public institutions are lending the nation’s name to a friend of Netanyahu in the middle of a genocide.

Some will say music should stay above politics. In 2016, facing an online boycott, even Bocelli reportedly stepped back from singing at Trump’s first inauguration. He knows that where a singer performs is a political statement. Where an audience chooses to sit is one too.

So do not buy a ticket. If you already have one, return it. Tell BNI and SMBC Indonesia that you will not accept your bank promoting a pro-Israel star. Then send the money you saved to groups feeding the families who are surviving genocide in Gaza.

For decades Indonesia has told the world that it stands with Palestine. On 31 October the world will see whether that promise is real or only words. You cannot condemn genocide on Friday and applaud its friends on Saturday. Let Israel’s favourite tenor sing to empty seats. That silence at Borobudur will speak louder than any song.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.