Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has released an eight-page statement calling Benjamin Netanyahu an "extremist" who "needs to be stopped" after facing criticism for his silence on Gaza.
The musician issued the lengthy statement months after walking offstage when heckled by a pro-Palestine protester during a solo show in Melbourne in October 2024.
In the statement, Yorke also criticised Hamas for "choosing to hide behind the suffering of its people".
The musician said he had "remained in shock that my supposed silence was somehow being taken as complicity" following the Melbourne incident.
Yorke wrote: "I think Netanyahu and his crew of extremists are totally out of control and need to be stopped, and that the international community should put all the pressure it can on them to cease."
Footage from the October 2024 incident showed a man in the crowd yelling at Yorke about the "Israeli genocide of Gaza" and the death toll, half of whom he said "were children".
Yorke could be seen standing and listening before removing his guitar and leaving the stage.
He returned shortly after the incident to play Radiohead's 1997 song "Karma Police".
The musician has previously come under scrutiny over his decision to continue performing in Israel.
Addressing the heckling incident, Yorke said the concert "didn't really seem like the best moment to discuss the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza".
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The musician has previously come under scrutiny over his decision to continue performing in Israel
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He added that once the show had ended, he "struggled to find an adequate way to respond to this and to carry on with the rest of the shows on the tour".
Yorke explained that his silence was "my attempt to show respect for all those who are suffering and those who have died, and to not trivialise it in a few words".
He said this silence "has allowed other opportunistic groups to use intimidation and defamation to fill in the blanks, and I regret giving them this chance".
The musician revealed: "This has had a heavy toll on my mental health." He said his music was "evidence" that he "could not possibly support any form of extremism or dehumanisation of others".
Yorke added that Netanyahu's "excuse of self-defence has long since worn thin and has been replaced by a transparent desire to take control of Gaza and the West Bank permanently".
He accused the "ultra-nationalist administration" of hiding "behind a terrified & grieving people" to deflect criticism and further their agenda.
Radiohead's relationship with Israel dates back to their debut single 'Creep' which received widespread airplay on Israeli radio stations
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Yorke also criticised Hamas in his statement, questioning "why the hostages have still not all been returned? For what possible reason?"
He asked why Hamas chose "the truly horrific acts of October 7th", saying "the answer seems obvious".
The musician wrote: "I believe Hamas chooses too to hide behind the suffering of its people, in an equally cynical fashion for their own purposes."
He described this as occurring alongside Netanyahu's administration using Palestinian suffering to deflect criticism.
Yorke shared the statement on Instagram with the caption: "For those who need to know.. let me fill in the blanks."
The statement addressed what he called "the unquestioning Free Palestine refrain that surrounds us all" whilst maintaining his criticism of both sides in the conflict.
Responding to the criticism, Yorke said: 'Playing in a country isn't the same as endorsing the government'
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Radiohead's relationship with Israel dates back to their debut single "Creep", which received widespread airplay on Israeli radio stations after initially failing to make an impact elsewhere.
The band played Tel Aviv in 2017, defying the pro-Palestine campaign by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
British director and BDS supporter Ken Loach had written an op-ed for The Independent urging Radiohead to join the boycott.
Responding to the criticism, Yorke said: "Playing in a country isn't the same as endorsing the government."
He added: "We've played in Israel for over 20 years through a succession of governments, some more liberal than others.
"As we have in America. We don't endorse [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu any more than [Donald] Trump, but we still play in America."
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