Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, has reflected on his decision to block rapper Macklemore from performing with Ed Sheeran at Gillette Stadium after he accused Israel of genocide.
In a statement released on Monday, Kraft said that he would “welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore.”
“I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts,” Kraft said in a statement Monday. “Ultimately our goal is the same – peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate.”
Per the California Post, Kraft’s offer came hours after Macklemore attacked the Patriots owner on social media, accusing him of pressuring Ed Sheeran into an ultimatum of keeping the rapper as an opener on his tour.
“Last Monday, in the middle of all the media attention surrounding Pink and what I said at MetLife, Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him. We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium,” he said.
“Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues,” he added.
Kraft said in his statement on Monday that he only blocked Sheeran due to him sharing “deeply offensive” statements and images that were “hurtful to the Jewish community.”
“This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real,” Kraft said.
“But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas, a United States and globally … designated terrorist organization whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike,” he added.
While Kraft agreed with Macklemore on calls for peace, he did not appreciate his framing of the conflict.
“I agree with Macklemore. Too many lives have been lost, and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate,” he said.