Barenboim in Gaza ‘peace concert’

Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim is due to lead an orchestra of European musicians in a “peace concert” in Gaza.

It is the first-ever performance in the Palestinian territory by an international classical ensemble.

Israel forbids its civilian citizens from travelling to Gaza, so Barenboim is entering via Egypt, along with 25 musicians.

For years, Daniel Barenboim has used music to try to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

He famously set up an orchestra made up of young Arab and Israeli musicians, known as the East-West Divan orchestra. In 2005, it performed in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

But today’s concert in Gaza City is one of his most ambitious moves, says the BBC’s Jon Donnison in Ramallah.

Audio slideshow: Gaza music school

‘Not political’

In a statement released by the UN Special Co-ordinator for the Middle East peace process (Unsco), Barenboim said: “We are playing this concert as a sign of our solidarity and friendship with the civil society of Gaza.”

“The concert is to try and bring something to the people of Gaza,” he said. “It is not a political event in any sense.”

The so-called Orchestra for Gaza includes musicians from five leading European orchestras, including the Berlin and Vienna philharmonics.

It will perform before an audience of several hundred Palestinians at the al-Mathaf Cultural House. The programme includes pieces by Mozart including Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and the G minor symphony.

“This visit is very important to us for many reasons, both cultural and civil,” Ibrahim al-Najjar, director of al-Qattan music school, the only such establishment in Gaza, told the AFP news agency.

“And from a political perspective, it is important to show that Gaza is a safe place,” he added.

Gaza is governed by the Islamist group Hamas, which Israel regards as a terrorist organisation.

The impoverished coastal strip has been subjected to a crippling Israeli blockade since 2006. The embargo was eased somewhat last year following international outrage over the killing of Turkish activists on an aid flotilla.

The Israeli government has previously blocked attempts by Barenboim to perform in Gaza. His entry through Egypt’s Rafah crossing comes amid Israeli criticism of plans by Egypt’s new military rulers to open up the border, our correspondent says.