Anti-Israel protesters demonstrated against a concert by renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli in Indonesia on Saturday, objecting to the singer's longstanding ties with Israel and his expressions of support for the Jewish state, JNS reported.
The demonstration followed a call last month by Indonesia's leading Islamic council for the government to cancel two scheduled performances by Bocelli, 68, as part of his international tour.
Despite the opposition, the concert at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java, proceeded as planned. A second performance was scheduled for Tuesday in Jakarta.
The controversy was not limited to Indonesia. Last month, anti-Israel organizations in Jordan also urged a boycott of Bocelli's November 27 concert in the historic city of Petra.
Bocelli has maintained his relationship with Israel despite pressure from pro-Palestinian Arab activists demanding that international entertainers avoid performing in the country.
He appeared in Tel Aviv in 2022 and previously performed at a 2010 fundraising event in Los Angeles for Friends of the IDF, an organization that supports Israeli soldiers.
The Italian tenor has also developed personal relationships with Israelis who survived captivity in Gaza following the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023.
Among them is Yaffa Adar, whose abduction became one of the most recognizable images of the terrorist attack. Footage showed Adar being transported into Gaza on her mobility scooter while surrounded by Hamas terrorists.
After discovering that memories of his music had helped Adar endure her captivity, Bocelli sent her a personal letter inviting her to attend any of his concerts, offering to pay for her expenses.
In December 2025, he also welcomed former Hamas hostage Segev Kalfon to his home in Miami.
The protests against Bocelli came amid Indonesia's longstanding refusal to establish formal diplomatic relations with Israel, although reports in previous years have suggested that the two countries explored possible normalization.
Former Indonesian President Joko Widodo had called on Muslim nations to unite against Israel.
His successor, President Prabowo Subianto, has adopted a different position, indicating that Indonesia could establish diplomatic ties with Israel if the Jewish state recognized “Palestine" as an independent country.