Fez – In a new Sunday Times Magazine interview, Thom Yorke said he would not return to Israel “under the Netanyahu regime,” adding that an encounter with a senior Israeli figure who thanked the band for the 2017 show left him uncomfortable about how the performance was perceived.
Radiohead played Tel Aviv in July 2017 despite appeals from artists and campaigners. At the time Yorke argued that performing did not equal endorsement of a government. In the new interview he indicates regret about the optics surrounding that decision and distances himself from future appearances while Netanyahu is in power.
The remarks arrive as Radiohead prepares its first tour in seven years, a 20-date run in five European cities scheduled for November and December 2025, with four-night residencies in each stop.
Ticketing and residency details were announced in early September by the band and trade outlets.
The band last toured in 2016–2018 behind A Moon Shaped Pool.
Guitarist Jonny Greenwood, who is married to Israeli visual artist Sharona Katan and has collaborated with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa, has taken a different stance on cultural boycotts.
Greenwood has argued for artistic engagement despite divides, a position that has also kept him in the spotlight since the pair’s 2023 collaborative album Jarak Qaribak.
Yorke’s updated stance will shape how the band navigates political pressure as it returns to arenas, and it may influence future routing decisions beyond Europe.
The comments underline how cultural events can be read as political signals, especially when artists have past ties or collaborations that span Israeli, Palestinian, and wider regional contexts. For now, Radiohead’s 2025 plans remain focused on Europe, with no Israeli dates announced.
