Tunisian singer Emel Mathlouthi, who rose to prominence during the Arab Spring revolution in her homeland, announced on Wednesday that an upcoming show in Tunisia had been cancelled for supposed "normalization" with Israel, AFP reported.
Mathlouthi had performed in July in eastern Jerusalem, which Palestinian Arabs consider their capital, as well as in Bethlehem and Ramallah, which are assigned to the Palestinian Authority.
The 41-year-old had been set to perform at the Hammamet International Festival in Tunisia next week.
"I am very sorry to announce our much awaited concert in Hammamet has been cancelled with no official reason," Mathlouthi said in a statement posted on Instagram.
"We believe that our latest tour in beautiful Palestine has sparked an unjustified controversy accusing me of normalization," she added.
In a statement to AFP, Mathlouthi said she had been subjected to a "big misinformation campaign" and that she "just did shows with Palestinians for Palestinians."
"They believe that going to Palestine anywhere is normalization," the singer said.
Her Instagram statement said her concerts were "in no conflict" either with BDS guidelines or those from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.
Mathlouthi told AFP the Hammamet cancellation is "clearly an attack against me personally and what I stand for... I grew up knowing about the Palestinian struggle, and I have always sung for Palestine."
Tunisia, like most Arab countries, does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. After several Arab countries normalized ties with Israel in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, Tunisia reiterated it is not interested in establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and its position will not be affected by any international changes.
In 2014, Tunisia's tourism minister faced criticism from parliamentarians over a trip to Israel she took in 2006 to take part in a UN training program for Palestinian Arab youths.
In 2018, a Tunisian legislator ripped up an Israeli flag during a parliament session to push his demands for a law criminalizing relations with Israel.
The country has banned films featuring Israeli actress Gal Gadot.
Tunisian President Kais Saied in early 2020 described then-US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace deal for Israel and the Palestinian Authority as the "injustice of the century".