\n<\/p>\n
In Kraft’s latest statement, which was issued by Gillette Stadium on his behalf, he said he would like those speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know he has “supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians”.<\/p>\n
Kraft also said he has worked to bring “young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships”.<\/p>\n
“I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people,” Kraft said. “I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.”<\/p>\n
The billionaire owner of the Kraft Group, a sports and event management company, did not say whether he had rallied other stadium owners to ban Macklemore from their venues, as the rapper has claimed.<\/p>\n
The tycoon has also accused the Grammy-winning rapper of having “a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric”, which Macklemore denies.<\/p>\n
He also said the rapper was “only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas”.<\/p>\n
The other support acts who quit from Sheeran’s US tour in solidarity with Macklemore are Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham, as well as Beoga.<\/p>\n
The artists argued that Macklemore’s removal represented a chilling effect on free speech.<\/p>\n
Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio dropped Sheeran’s music after “the reaction from our listeners” to the decision to remove Macklemore from his tour.<\/p>\n
Macklemore said on Wednesday he would donate the entire $1m of his net earnings from Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six Palestinian organisations “to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people”.<\/p>\n
“This is a manmade injustice, and I believe it requires immediate political change,” he wrote on social media.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n