Thanks, Chris Martin, for letting Israelis know that they’re human

Imagine being told that you’re human. That’s what happened to two Israelis at a Coldplay concert in London.

Frontman Chris Martin invited two women who turned out to be Israeli on stage — and when he discovered that, instead of simply celebrating the moment, he announced: “I’m very grateful that you’re here as humans … Although it’s controversial, maybe, I also want to welcome people in the audience from Palestine.”

Read that again. Israelis had to be introduced to the crowd as human beings. As if that were in doubt. As if their humanity needed a disclaimer.

Get The Jewish Chronicle Weekly Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

Imagine this with any other group: Would Martin ever pull Indians from the audience and say, “They’re human — and let’s also welcome Pakistanis”? Even with a brutal war raging, has anyone ever felt the need to affirm the humanity of Russians or Ukrainians from a stage?

The very thought is absurd. And insulting. Because the humanity of those groups is taken for granted. As it should be.
But when it comes to Israelis, suddenly it is “controversial” to state the obvious.

This is the glaring double standard. Russia invades Ukraine, yet Russians aren’t demonized globally the way Israelis are. No one feels the need to “balance” every mention of Russians with Ukrainians.

And let’s be honest: How many of the people chanting against Israel on Western streets have even met an Israeli? Very few. They know Israelis only as caricatures on a protest sign or villains in a social media feed. They’ve never shared a meal with one, studied with one, or worked alongside one. And yet, they feel free to brand Israelis uniquely suspect, uniquely controversial, uniquely in need of being “humanized.”

That isn’t solidarity. That’s ignorance weaponized into hate.

If I were to give Chris Martin the benefit of doubt, I’d say that he probably thought he was being diplomatic, but what he said ended up reinforcing the ideas that: Israelis’ humanity is up for debate; and they can only be spoken of together in the context of Palestinians.

That’s why his words felt clumsy, even unthinkable. It’s a symptom of the environment where Israeli existence itself is politicized, and musicians or public figures feel they need to “justify” or balance every mention of Israelis with Palestinians.

This is not inclusivity. This is erasure. Israelis are not an abstract “side.” They are individuals: Mizrahi, Ashkenazi, Ethiopian, Indian, Druze, Arab. Religious and secular. Progressive and conservative. Real people, flattened into political symbols.

When saying Israelis are human becomes “brave,” the problem isn’t with Israelis — it’s with a world that has normalized their demonization. No other people is treated this way. No other nation is singled out like this. No other group has to earn the right to be called human.

Israelis don’t need a reminder that they’re human — and no one else should either. PJC

Paushali Lass is an intercultural educator, writer and international speaker of Indian origin, based in Germany. With a deep connection to Israel, her work bridges Jewish and Christian communities, as well as different cultures, with a focus on education and faith-based initiatives. This article first appeared on The Times of Israel.