During a recent special interview with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, Australian actor Nathaniel Buzolic, known by the popular stage name Nate Buzz, criticized Coldplay frontman Chris Martin following the video which showed Martin talking on stage with two Israeli girls he invited to the stage.
The women, identified only as Avia and Yael, responded “Israel” when Martin asked where they were from. The crowd reacted with both applause and boos.
Martin reacted awkwardly to the girls' answer and said: “I’m very grateful that you’re here, as human, and I’m treating you as equal humans on earth, regardless of where you come from, or don’t come from.”
He then addressed others in the audience and said, “Although it’s controversial maybe, I also want to welcome people in the audience from Palestine. Because we have a belief that we’re all equal humans.”
Speaking with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, Nate Buzz related to the incident and said: "It was such a dehumanizing statement to make".
“If the roles were reversed,” Nate Buzz asked, “and two Palestinian girls came on stage, would the artist feel the need to say, ‘Well, it’s okay. You're still a human even though you're Palestinian’? I don’t think so.” He also questioned whether a reciprocal shoutout to Israeli fans would have been offered in that context.
According to Buzz, the incident underscores a broader issue: the world’s tendency to express solidarity with Palestinians while often ignoring or dismissing the legitimacy and rights of Israelis.
“There’s a real comfortable position for the world to be pro-Palestinian,” he said. “And there’s a real uncomfortable position to stand in, which is to say: I believe in Israel’s right to exist, its right to sovereignty over its land, and—most importantly—its right to defend itself against radical jihadist Islamic ideologies. That's what's uncomfortable for the world right now."