Short answer: As of July 2026, J Balvin has never made an explicit public statement on Israel, the Israel/Palestine conflict, or the Gaza war. His only concrete, verified engagement with Israel is a 2019 headline performance at the Coca-Cola WOW Festival near Tel Aviv, a show he kept despite a 2017 boycott petition urging him to cancel, plus a 2019 English-language guest feature on Israeli duo Static and Ben El's hit "Tudo Bom." There is no record of donations to Israeli causes, no Jewish-identity connection, and no statement of support or opposition either way. His posture is best described as apolitical on this topic, not a documented pro-Israel stance.
What J Balvin has actually said and done
- March 18, 2017: A Change.org petition titled "Reggaeton star. J Balvin please dont play for israel apartied" was created by pro-boycott activists urging him not to perform in Israel, ahead of an expected booking, according to the petition itself on Change.org.
- February 15, 2019: Israeli pop duo Static and Ben El released an English-language version of their Hebrew mega-hit "Tudo Bom" featuring J Balvin, distributed via Universal Music Group. Variety reported on the release, and the original Hebrew video is noted as one of the most-viewed videos in Israeli YouTube history, per background on the duo.
- April 18, 2019: The Jerusalem Post reported J Balvin was "returning to Israel" to headline the Coca-Cola WOW Festival, confirming he had performed in the country before and was booked again.
- July 2019 (exact date not confirmed): J Balvin headlined the Coca-Cola WOW Festival at Rishon LeZion's LivePark near Tel Aviv, going ahead with the show despite the 2017 boycott petition, according to The Jerusalem Post's coverage of the festival.
- Through July 2026: No subsequent Israel tour dates, statements on the Israel/Gaza war, donations to Israeli causes, or any Jewish-heritage connection turned up in a search of his public record. His official 2026 tour schedule, the Back to the Rayo Tour, listed on Songkick, shows no Israel stop.
A musical connection, not a political one
J Balvin (Jose Alvaro Osorio Balvin) is a Colombian reggaeton superstar of Spanish and Syrian descent, with no documented Jewish ancestry. His connection to Israel is entirely musical and dates to 2019: a guest verse on Static and Ben El's English "Tudo Bom" and a headline slot at that summer's Coca-Cola WOW Festival outside Tel Aviv, a booking he kept despite a 2017 BDS-aligned petition asking him to cancel. Since then, public search interest in "j balvin israel" appears driven mostly by people trying to figure out where he stands post-October 7, 2023, rather than by anything he has actually said. No statement, social media post, interview quote, donation, or boycott participation turned up regarding Israel, Gaza, or the Israel/Palestine conflict at any point through July 2026. He also has not been named in any BDS artist list or counter-boycott campaign in the sources reviewed for this profile.
The bottom line
There is no evidence J Balvin has taken a political side on Israel, either for or against. His record shows apolitical cultural engagement, most notably performing in Israel in 2019 despite a boycott call and collaborating with Israeli artists on record, but zero public statements, donations, or advocacy on the Israel/Palestine conflict through July 2026. Calling him "pro-Israel" would overstate the record; calling him a boycotter would be flatly wrong.
Support Israel directly
When a public figure's stance is unclear, you can still make yours clear. Shop Israel's Support Israel collection carries pieces like the Israeli Flag T-Shirt, designed to show where you stand without waiting on a celebrity endorsement.
Related
Last updated July 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
