Arts & International Affairs: Vol. 3, No. 2, Summer/Autumn 2018 | Page 48

THE BARENBOIM CASE: HOW TO LINK MUSIC AND DIPLOMACY STUDIES
An even more remarkable example might illustrate Barenboim’s will to spread his political
convictions: in 1998 (i.e. even before the launch of the Divan), Die Zeit published
his article “I have a dream.” By this explicit reference to Martin Luther King, Barenboim
imagines himself as the Prime Minister of Israel who is about to sign a treaty celebrating
the coexistence of Israel and Palestine. The document relies on three conditions:
Firstly, both nations are obligated to work together. [ ... ] Secondly, I
am in favour of arming both nations. Israel must remain vigilant against
the Arab world�but so should Palestine, (at least for her own peace
of mind). [ ... ] Finally, the treaty will provide for the creation of a new
domestic secret service, comprising both the army and the police. How
calling it the Ministry for Peace? A Judge, not a soldier, will lead it.
(Barenboim 1998)
More recently, and referring to the occasion of the 50 th anniversary of the Six-Day War in
June 2017, Barenboim addressed the Israeli authorities to end occupation of the Palestinian
territories (Barenboim 2017a). In December 2017, Barenboim�by the way open
to a final binational solution (Garnier and Lucet 2018)�took position against Donald
Trump’s decision to transfer the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and
called upon the world community for official recognition of the Palestinian state in a
further article (Barenboim 2017b). Barenboim’s latest intervention in the international
press, this time provoked by the passing of the Nation-State Bill in the Knesset upon
initiative by the Netanyahu government, resulted in a Zola-like J’accuse: the artist condemned
“a law that confirms the Arab population as second-class citizens,” which he
considers “a very clear form of apartheid. I don’t think the Jewish people lived for 20 centuries,
mostly through persecution and enduring endless cruelties, in order to become
the oppressors, inflicting cruelty on others. This new law does exactly that. Therefore, I
am ashamed of being an Israeli today” (Barenboim 2018).
Multiple events highlight this interest for political statements beyond his articles in
newspapers and speeches: Barenboim’s refusal to conduct an interview with a journalist
wearing the military uniform of the Israeli army radio (September 2005); his decision
to cancel a concert in Gaza following the refusal by the Israeli authorities to accept a
Palestinian member of the Divan (December 2007); his enthusiastic acceptance of the
Palestinian nationality (December 2007). All of these incidents caused strong reactions
on both sides. On the one hand, some voices were calling for the removal of Barenboim’s
Israeli nationality, as the ultra-Orthodox Shas party did. On the other hand, the
Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) referred
explicitly to Barenboim’s projects. For instance, Omar Barghouti, PACBI spokesman,
expressed satisfaction about the cancellation of a Divan concert which was originally
scheduled for the Doha Festival for Music and Dialogue (Barghouti 2012).
Then, the Orchestra is based on a principle commonly shared by its members. It takes
45