Bono, the frontman of U2, has delivered one of his sharpest public attacks on an Israeli official, comparing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's rhetoric to that of Heinrich Himmler, a senior figure in the Nazi regime.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the Irish singer discussed the war in Gaza, his relationship with Israel and the Jewish people, and his new song "The Tears of Things," which touches on Jewish history and the reality since October 7th. At one point in the conversation, he drew the comparison between Ben-Gvir's language and Himmler's.
"This is an attempt to understand what's happening in a world where we've never needed the moral force of Judaism more than we do now," Bono said of the song.
He condemned the October 7th Hamas massacre as "a criminal act and a desecration," and made clear that his sharp criticism of Israel's government has not changed his stance toward the state itself. "I stood with Israel and I still stand with her," he said, adding that he also stands with the Palestinian people and supports their right to a state.
The sharp attack on Ben-Gvir
But when the conversation turned to Ben-Gvir, Bono's tone hardened considerably. He addressed the minister's statements about Gaza, and according to Rolling Stone, compared his rhetoric to Himmler's. The message that emerges from it, Bono said, is: "There are people there who are not worthy of living. They shouldn't live. They're not even human."
The singer also criticized the fact that Ben-Gvir continues to serve as a minister in the government. "Here's a man, a minister in the government, and they don't put him in jail," he said, arguing that the reason for his continued tenure is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political dependence on him to maintain his coalition majority.
Bono also addressed the debate over allegations of genocide in Gaza, but refrained from determining himself whether genocide is taking place. It is "a legal term," he said, and the decision on the matter rests with international courts.
