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Paste AUGUST 6, 2014 - by Joe Youorski

BRIAN ENO PUBLISHES SECOND OPEN LETTER ON ISRAEL-GAZA CONFLICT

Electronic music pioneer Brian Eno stirred up a variety of opinions when he published an open letter to America lambasting the nation for allowing government support of Israel. One such opinion came from Eno's friend Peter Schwartz, a Jewish-American writer, opposing many of Eno's views on the situation.

Eno has published one more open letter in response to Schwartz's comments. Eno explained his take on Schwartz's propositions about how Israel backlash can mask anti-Semitism and takes on the question of if Israel has been targeted despite a storm of violence around the globe.

"I'd like to let you know that I didn't 'single out' Israel. In my lifetime, I've been active in several movements that involved events in other nations: Vietnam, South Africa, Bosnia, Iraq and now Israel," Eno wrote. "In each case my government was actively involved, but the policies it was pursuing struck me as idiotic and immoral."

Eno also elaborated on his reasons for writing the letter in the first place. The musician explained that while he sees both sides of the conflict, he wants the U.S. government to know he disagrees with its own actions in the matter as well as show the world that western opinion on Palestinian-Israeli relations is not homogenous.

"One of the reasons I want to demonstrate is to say 'Don't judge us by our governments' - which is one of the things that Israeli Jews say to me," Eno wrote.

As the conflict rages on and more and more public figures around the world begin speaking out, a myriad wave of opinions circulate around the news. If Schwartz in turn answers this letter, then Eno and the writer may prove to be regular dissonant but civil voices in the global conversation.