Dua Lipa on the Israel-Hamas War: How Her Parents’ War History Shaped Her Views
Dua Lipa opens up about her views on the Israel-Hamas war in a recent interview with Rolling Stones, drawing parallels with her parents' experience of fleeing the Bosnian War and leaving Kosovo. She says that her parents' history has influenced her perspective on the world. “My existence is kind of political, the fact that I lived in London because my parents left from the war.” She speaks with a serious tone, maintaining eye contact. “I empathize with people who have to leave their home. From my experience of being in Kosovo and understanding what war does, no one really wants to leave their home. They do it for protection, to save their family, to look after the people around them, that kind of thing, for a better life. So I feel close to it.”
Lipa has not been able to keep quiet on many issues, especially those that remind her of what her parents went through during the war. That’s why she has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian people for a long time. But in 2021, The New York Times published a full-page ad from Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and the World Values Network accusing Lipa and the Hadid sisters of antisemitism for their support of Palestinian liberation. Lipa responded on social media to denounce the organization’s accusations — as well as the paper for running the ad. A year later, she had former Times editor Dean Baquet on her podcast and questioned him directly how the paper could print something “so damaging and potentially dangerous.” “Speaking to an editor was important for me because I felt like I was put in danger and I was put in a place where my core values were completely flipped on its head, and that really hurt because I feel like when I do want to speak about something, I hope that people will see it for what it is and that there is no malicious intent,” she says now.
More recently, she’s endorsed and backed a petition for a cease-fire to the Israel-Hamas war that has devastated Gaza and displaced millions.
“My feelings on displaced people [are] very real and raw, and it is a difficult subject to speak about because it’s so divisive,” she says. There’s a somber shift as she carefully gathers her thoughts. “But there is a world where you can feel for all lives that are being lost. And I have to say this: I don’t condone what Hamas is doing, regardless of what [that advertisement in] TheNew York Times said [in 2021]. Every life is precious.” As she continues, she points out how important it is for people to properly educate themselves on the crisis, especially in the face of rampant misinformation.
“I feel so bad for every Israeli life lost and what happened on Oct. 7,” she says. “At the moment, what we have to look at is how many lives have been lost in Gaza, and the innocent civilians, and the lives that are just being lost. There are just not enough world leaders that are taking a stand and speaking up about the humanitarian crisis that’s happening, the humanitarian cease-fire that has to happen.”
Like many, Lipa feels powerless in the face of the ongoing conflict. Her solution remains being as informed as possible while using her platform to encourage her fans to do the same.
“It’s probably easier to be apolitical,” she says. “I think there’s no kind of deep discussion about war and oppression. It just is something that we’ve seen happen time and time again. I feel like just being a musician and posting about something doesn’t make enough of a difference, but hopefully, just showing solidarity, which is sometimes all you feel like you can do, is important.”