Macklemore is donating the total of his $1 million profits from his time on Ed Sheeran’s tour to organizations working to support Palestine, and Robert Kraft has responded after the rapper challenged him to do the same.
On Wednesday (Sept. 16), Mack issued another statement on Instagram amid the drama surrounding his departure from Sheeran’s tour. In his statement, Mack revealed he’d be donating his full tour profits to support Palestine aide and reminded readers that supporting the country is the main objective.
Challenging Kraft to match his donation, Mack wrote, “Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree to this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth.”
Earlier this week, Kraft and other stadium owners pressured the tour’s promoter to drop the rapper for saying “Free Palestine” during his opening sets, causing four other supporting acts from the tour to then leave in solidarity.
Responding shortly after Macklemore’s post, Kraft issued a statement through Gillette Stadium’s Instagram, saying he’d already been in conversation with Sheeran about matching the pop star’s own $2 million donation to help humanitarian efforts.
“I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting,” he wrote. “Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis. Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.”
Kraft continued: “In addition, I’d like the people who are speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that for decades, I have supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians and have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships.”
Kraft did not specify what organizations would benefit, however.
See Macklemore’s full post and Kraft’s response below.