On May 30, Israeli military raided a flotilla<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/world/middleeast/02flotilla.html?hp>carrying activists and humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza region, killing nine foreign activists. The Associated Press reports<http://www.billboard.com/news/pixies-calls-off-israel-concert-after-gaza-1004095841.story#/news/pixies-calls-off-israel-concert-after-gaza-1004095841.story>that several bands have canceled scheduled concerts in Israel in the wake of international outcry against the country.
Pixies <http://pitchfork.com/artists/3324-pixies/>, Gorillaz<http://pitchfork.com/artists/1767-gorillaz/>, and Klaxons <http://pitchfork.com/artists/4964-klaxons/> were among the bands scheduled to play Tel Aviv's Pic.Nic festival<http://picnic2010.walla.co.il/>this week, but all three groups have pulled out. According to festival organizers, the cancellations are related to the naval raid, AP reports.
Elvis Costello <http://pitchfork.com/artists/835-elvis-costello/> was also scheduled to play a pair of Israeli shows this summer, but he also pulled out, though he did so before the flotilla raid. On his website, Costello wrote an entry explaining his decision<http://www.elviscostello.com/news/it-is-after-considerable-contemplation/44>: "There are occasions when merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act that resonates more than anything that might be sung and it may be assumed that one has no mind for the suffering of the innocent... It is a matter of instinct and conscience."