Roger Waters: Where He Stands on Israel
Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd, is one of the most prominent entertainers publicly campaigning to boycott Israel.
On the record
- 2006 — Performing in the region, Waters spray-painted the Pink Floyd lyric "We don't need no thought control" on Israel's West Bank separation barrier. [ADL fact sheet]
- 2011 — Publicly endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel in a Guardian op-ed, writing that it meant "joining the campaign of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel." [Rolling Stone]
- Ongoing — Has repeatedly urged fellow musicians and artists to join a cultural boycott of Israel, and has compared the Israeli government to apartheid-era South Africa. [ADL fact sheet]
The context
Waters frames his campaign as solidarity with Palestinians and with Israelis who oppose their government's policies. We include that for accuracy. His BDS endorsement, boycott calls, and apartheid comparisons are his own public, on-the-record positions, and we treat them as such.
Where Galil stands
Our opinion: Roger Waters has spent nearly two decades turning concerts into anti-Israel platforms and pressuring other artists to boycott the world's only Jewish state. He's entitled to his politics. We're entitled to ours — we don't stand with him.
Facts here are documented public statements and actions, sourced and linked, current as of July 2026. Everything under "Where Galil stands" is our opinion. Believe a factual claim is wrong? Email us and we'll review and correct it.