Haifa mayor bans singer Lina Makhoul for calling the city Palestinian

The mayor of Haifa announced on Sunday that Palestinian-American singer Lina Makhoul will be barred from performing at city-sponsored events after she referred to Haifa as being part of Palestine in a concert promotion.

Makhoul, who frequently performs in Haifa - a historically Palestinian port city - was scheduled to hold a concert at a private club in the city’s downtown area.

In her promotional content, the singer described Haifa as Palestinian, referencing its origins before the 1948 Nakba(Catastrophe), when over 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled by Zionist militias to make way for the creation of Israel.

Following the Nakba, Haifa's architecture and demographics were dramatically altered, with Palestinians barred from living in many parts of their own city.

However, Haifa's Israeli mayor, Yona Yahav, lashed out at Makhoul, insisting that Haifa is a "northern Israeli city".

"You should internalise this - Haifa is a city in the Jewish and democratic State of Israel and will remain so forever. Nothing, certainly not you, will change that," he wrote in a social media post.

"As long as I am mayor, you will not perform at any municipal event," his post added.

Makhoul, whose family hails from Akka (Acre), has long advocated for Palestinian rights. She previously spoke to local Arabic media about the challenges Palestinian artists face inside Israel, including censorship and political pressure. One of her songs highlights the systematic silencing of Palestinian voices.

Last year, she shared a fundraiser event in Haifa to raise money for children suffering under Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

Following her support for the fundraiser, Makhoul faced a wave of abuse from Israeli media and individuals. Israeli news outlet Walla published a piece titled: "Insolence, Singer Lina Makhoul is raising donations and aid for our enemies in Gaza."

Despite the smear campaign, Makhoul stood firm, speaking openly about her experiences as a Palestinian woman living in Israel.

"I didn’t migrate to this land, I inherited it," she said in an interview last year, where she described how Palestinian artists are "censored" and "can’t say anything."