The dilemma Lana Del Rey and others face performing in Israel

Lana Del Rey is the latest musician to pull out of a performance in Israel, likely afterfacingpressure from activists.

In a message posted late Friday on Twitter, the Young and Beautiful singer said she was postponing her appearance at the Meteor music festival which is less than a week away. She wrote thatshe intended to perform at alater date in both Israel and the Palestinian territories to "treat all my fans equally."

It's the second time in the last fiveyears that Del Rey has nixed plans to perform in Israel she was supposed to play live in Tel Aviv in 2014, but joined a host of entertainers who cancelled showsbecause offighting in the Gaza Strip.

"It's always problematic at any time when an actor or a musician gets involved in politics, because you're going to offend somebody," said JamesGelvin, a history professor at UCLA with a specialty in the modern Middle East. "Either way, they're offending somebody."

"There is an ethical choice that musicians have to make,"he said.

Pushing for a boycott

Much of the international pressure is attributed to the Palestinian-initiated group Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, or BDS, which has members around the worldcalling forfull equality of Arab-Palestinians in Israel, a right of return to homes and properties for Palestinian refugees andan end to the Israeli occupation ofPalestinian land.Amnesty Internationaland theUnited Nations have condemned Israeli settlements on formerly Palestinian land asviolations of international law.

It's absolutely necessary for musicians and everybody else to make their voices heard.- James Gelvin, UCLA modern Middle East history professor

One of BDS'sapproaches, which the organization says is inspired by South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, is to urgeartists, businesses and academiathrough social media,letters and protests to cut ties with Israel as a form of cultural boycott.

Critics, however,say the movement aims to isolate and de-legitimize the state of Israel,standingin the way of reaching a peaceful, two-state solution.

It is something that ultimately, paradoxically ...is bad for peace.- Aurel Braun, U of T international law professor

Canada passed a resolution in 2016 to denouncethe BDS movement butit has been a divisive issue in Canadian politics and discourse.

How artists have reacted

Recently, Grammy-winning artists Lorde and Radioheadtook similar heat forannouncing tour stops in Tel Aviv.

Lordepulled out of herperformancescheduled for June of this year, saying in a statement: "I have had a lot of discussions with people holding many views, and I think the right decision at this time is to cancel the show."

Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hilland Elvis Costello are among major acts who have also pulled out of concerts in Israel over the years.

Aurel Braun, an international law professor at the University of Toronto, says it's "unfair" that artists "are subjected to this kind of pressure."

"Some cave in and the majority don't," said Braun."The majority don't cave in and that includes people of great stature and influence."

Radioheadwas among the acts which chose to go ahead with ascheduled concert in July of 2017.

Before the event, TV and film director Ken Loach, a vocaladvocate for Palestinian rights and the cultural boycott,said members of the British rock band"need to decide if they stand with the oppressed or with the oppressor."

Radiohead'sfrontman Thom Yorkeargued "playing in a country isn't the same as endorsing its government."

"We don't endorse [Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahuany more than [Donald] Trump, but we still play in America," Yorkepostedon Twitter a week before the concert."Music, art and academia is about crossing borders, not building them."

In the past,artists such asRihanna, Lady Gaga, Madonna, JustinBieber, Paul McCartney and more recently, Elton John,have also gone ahead with their shows.

While those who choose to perform don't appear to face serious reprisal afterwards,it's difficult to gaugethe repercussions for musicians who cancel.Gelvin says those who want to "show solidarity" are "undoubtedly going to take a hit."

After Lordemade her decision to cancel, a popular American rabbi crowdfunded to takeout a full-pagead in the Washington Post, calling the 21-year-old singer a "bigot."

As a result, more than 100 well-known artists including actor Mark Ruffalo, musician Peter Gabriel, and Canadian Life of Pi author Yann Martelpledged their support for Lorde's"right to take a stand."

It didn't end there. In January, an Israeli legal rights group said it's suing two New Zealanders (one of Palestinian descent, the other Jewish)who wrote an open letter to Lorde urging herto cancel the Israel performance.

To perform or not to perform?

Braun says the cultural boycott is effective in that it generates publicity around the artist and the cause, but can have long-term consequences for achieving a possible two-state solution.

"It damages the prospect for peace because it encourages the most hardline elements in the Palestinian movement who reject any kind of compromise," said Braun.

Gelvindisagrees, saying the cultural boycott is one way of seeking out a compromise.

"It's absolutely necessary for musicians and everybody else to make their voices heard," saidGelvin. "They have a platform. People listen to them."

He added: "When somebody refuses very publicly to go to Israel to perform for Israelis because of what their government is doing in their name, that also has a significance."