Radiohead have stuck to their guns and played their controversial gig in Israel, despite numerous campaigners urging them to boycott the country as a matter of cultural respect for the people of Palestine who are suffering under the government's rule. The question is: were they right to do it?

Radiohead playing at TRNSMT FestivalRadiohead playing at TRNSMT Festival

Since they announced that they would be playing live at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv, people from all over the internet have been warning the band against such a move because of the conflicts between Palestine and Israel. But they insist that just because the people of the country are under a government they don't necessarily agree with, doesn't mean they shouldn't get to enjoy a bit of Radiohead.

'A lot was said about this, but in the end we played some music', frontman Thom Yorke said at the sold-out gig yesterday (July 19th 2017).

They didn't just 'play some music'; they played a total of 27 songs plus a further two encores, making it their longest show in over ten years. Now that's what you call conviction. Their main critic for their decision was filmmaker Ken Loach, who wrote in the Independent: 'Radiohead need to decide if they stand with the oppressed or the oppressor. The choice is simple.'

'Playing in a country isn't the same as endorsing its government', the band replied in a statement. 'We don't endorse [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu any more than Trump.'

Fellow artist Nasreen Qadri, who was born in Israel, expressed a similar sentiment in Newsweek, alleging that those calling for a boycott are 'trying to divide us'. Meanwhile, a concert goer at the Tel Aviv show told Israel National News that the Radiohead fans didn't vote for their Prime Minister anyway.

More: Radiohead respond to their critics

'Everyone here in this crowd didn't vote for [Israeli Prime Minister] Binyamin Netanyahu. They're playing for the people, not the government', she said.