Radiohead Divided: Thom Yorke Rules Out Israel Performances as Band Confronts Boycott Controversy
(October 26, 2025) – Radiohead, the iconic British band, is navigating a complex and deeply personal ethical dilemma as they prepare for their highly anticipated comeback tour. The band members are grappling with intense scrutiny over past performances in Israel and the ongoing conflict in Palestine, revealing starkly divergent viewpoints within the group.
For over a year, Radiohead – and particularly guitarist Jonny Greenwood – have faced mounting criticism. This stems from previous concerts held in Israel, and Greenwood’s continued musical collaborations with Israeli artists, even amidst the escalating conflict in Gaza. Protests have become commonplace; frontman Thom Yorke was heckled during a solo performance in Melbourne, Australia in October 2024, briefly prompting him to leave the stage. More recently, Greenwood cancelled two UK shows with Israeli musician Dudu tassa following threats linked to pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The band addressed the controversy head-on in a revealing new interview with The Sunday Times, laying bare the internal tensions and individual struggles with the issue. The interview follows Yorke’s earlier, extensive statement in May of this year, where he denounced what he called “social media witch hunts” surrounding his perceived silence on the conflict.
“This wakes me up at night,” Yorke confessed. “They’re telling me what it is that I’ve done with my life, and what I should do next, and that what I think is meaningless. People want to take what I’ve done that means so much to millions of people and wipe me out. But this is not theirs to take from me – and I don’t consider I’m a bad person.”
Yorke described being confronted on the street with demands to denounce Greenwood, arguing that such public displays of outrage are ultimately unproductive. “You and me, standing on the street in London, shouting at each other? Well, the true criminals, who should be in front of the ICC [International Criminal Court], are laughing at us squabbling among
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