Report: Israeli Rappers Banned from U.S. Over Anti-Terror Song
The Israeli rap duo “Ness and Stilla” has reportedly been denied a visa to perform in Miami, Florida, over false accusations that their hit song, “Harbu Darbu,” promotes “genocide” by backing Israel's war against terror.
The song, as Breitbart News reported in November, was written in reaction to the terror attack of October 7, and expresses the spirit of a nation mobilized for war. It calls out Hamas and Hezbollah — and celebrities who back them.
As Breitbart News noted:
The song has taken off since its release in Israel, and represents the deep support that the Israeli military has among the public. The chorus name-checks virtually every major unit in the IDF: “Golani, Nahal, Shirion [armor], Givati, Navy, Air Force, Artillery, Paratroopers,” and a variety of others.
The track also refers specifically to the victims of the October 7 terror attack, and hints at revenge, including writing the names of child victims on shells to be dropped on Hamas in Gaza.
Stilla, the male of the duo includes a Biblical reference, referring to Hamas terrorists as bnei Amalek (“sons of Amalek”), an allusion to the book of Deuteronomy, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also cited, and which refers to an evil group that must be destroyed.
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The song is also a diss track, calling out specific terrorist leaders, then “Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, Mia Khalifa” — all celebrities who have backed the Palestinian side and/or Hamas specifically against Israel.
Mia Khalifa, the adult actress who celebrated the Hamas terror attack, complained that the song was a “call for genocide.” However, there is nothing in the lyrics or style of the song that expresses anything about genocide.
The song is militant, in that it celebrates shooting terrorists (not ordinary people), but in that regard it is no different from thousands of hip hop songs and videos that regularly feature lyrics about firearms, self-defense, and turf wars.
The Jewish News Syndicate reported that Stilla and Ness had been denied entry due to the “Harbu Darbu” lyrics:
Four Israeli artists were forced to cancel a concert in the United States this week after they were declined visas because of objections to one of their hit songs, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported over the weekend.
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According to sources around Ness and Stilla, “official bodies” in the United States created the impression that the lyrics were at the root of the decision.
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Last year, Israel joined the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which allows Israeli citizens to travel to America for 90 days without a visa. However, performers require a separate visa, and the U.S. government can arbitrarily refuse to grant authorization for these artists to perform.
“Harbu Darbu” was a #1 hit in Israel, even inspiring its own viral video trends. It is not considered controversial.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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